New camera

SO I finally invested in a nice camera. Best Buy was having a sale so I decided to take advantage of it. I think it is going to take a little practice to get the kind of pictures I am looking for, but here are a few I took as soon as I got the camera, so they are not the best. But I can tell a huge difference in the quality of the picture already. And that is what I am going for.

My baby boy's gorgeous eyes

The princess

Braxton and his crazy expressions

Brooklyn is now a thumb sucker

So far I am happy with the camera. I am sure I will be even happier once I get it all figured out. It shouldn;t take me long since I am always snapping shots of the kids!

Milestones

This weekend was a great one. We got our tax refund and we "caught up" on a lot of things we had been putting off since we are always broke. We got Brooklyn's ears pierced. I was reluctant to do it, because I didn't want to cause her unnecessary pain. But everyone I talked to that has a daughter got them done at her age, or wish they got them done at her age. They heal better, since they can't mess with them. They won't remember the pain. Etc.  So we did it. She only cried for a second. really. I was so surprised. She did great and was all smile a few mins later. I am glad I did it. The rule in my house was you had to wait until you were 12 to get them done. I thought that rule was dumb, and I definitely didn't want to continue that tradition. So this is her at 14 weeks.

This is a few mins after. She was fine!

Brooklyn is also rolling from her stomach to her back. This little girl is growing up so much faster that Braxton did. It's nuts! Her teeth are still right below the surface. She has her good days and bad days. I can't wait until she feels better again. Her ears are healing fine. They actually look like they have always been there. No redness, no bleeding, no nasty crusty stuff. I have no regrets :o)

House of 4......will you add more?

 barbie said...

Do you think you will ever have any more kids? If not, will you get your tubes tied? Will Rick get "snipped"?

Well, this is something we talked about over and over again while pregnant with Brooklyn. We both come from 2 children households, and we wondered if we would continue the tradition, or go for more. Our decision was 2 is what we are happy with. No matter what the sex of the baby would have been we agreed that 2 was our max. We were blessed and very lucky to get one of each so we can experience the differences raising a boy and a girl. But I don't think I would have changed my mind if I had another boy. Not at all.

So I discussed this with my doctor and  we decided to tie my tubes during my c-section. I had to sign papers a month before my scheduled surgery, so I had time to think about it. It is quite a big deal, and my doctor at least, wanted to make sure I was making the right choice for me and my family. Which I believe I did.

I already miss being pregnant. Weird I know. And knowing that I will never be pregnant again is hard. But I know it was the right thing to do. Being a surrogate has even crossed my mind. LOL But if I ever feel the need to be a mother to more than 2 children, I would love to adopt and give a child a home that was not blessed enough to be born into one. Now of course that is in the very far future. WE have a lot to get in order with our own family first.

what's new....

Poor Brooklyn has been eating her hand and drooling everywhere. She has been a fussy little munchkin for a few days now. Her little tooth is trying to come through and it must be painful. She usually prefers to lay on her belly but lately she wants to lay on her back so she can chew on her little hands. She is also spitting up more frequently. I want to get her 3 month pictures taken but she has been so fussy. We may just have to stick with Mommy's amateur shots.

As for Braxton, potty training is still something we are working on. But he is doing pretty well. He has been saying some really funny stuff! Yesterday he said "whew, that was a close one!" It was so cute! He has also started "mocking" us. Sometimes it's funny, sometimes it's not. He will discipline himself. I will say his name and he will say "I know, be nice" or "I know eat your oatmeal" I tend to say "Braxton Michael James" when he does something wrong. James is not even his name, but it is Rick's middle name. It just sounds better when telling him no. LOL, So now when I give him the Mom look he says "Braxton Michael James" real fast like me. So funny! He keeps me laughing that's for sure. He still continues to be a great Big Brother and really looks out for Brooklyn. He makes sure she has her blanket and binkie and that her glider is on and the music is playing. He is such a lover. My little man.

I think I might....

I am back into my cooking phase again. What this means is I find new and interesting recipes and cook them for the family and then get their opinions. I prefer to use odd ingredients or things that don't sound good so when people try it and I tell them what it was they are surprised. This has lead to me using recipes as a guide, but creating my own version. But I have to say my feelings do get hurt when I am told "it was ok". But I get over it. LOL

I also like to try things that my fellow bloggers have posted. So that gave me an idea to also blog about my recipes and post pics etc. Then we could all share our favorite things and recommend them or not. And I could also share my "creations"

SO what do you think? Yay or Nay?

The first few weeks as a Mommy of 2....

 barbie said...

how hard were those first few weeks being home alone with a newborn and your toddler? how did you function all day with him when you hardly got any sleep the night before?

I am not sure if "hard" is the right word. Challenging, yes. I was lucky enough that Rick took off for a week after Brooklyn was born. This gave me a chance to try to establish a routine for her while Rick solely took care of Braxton. But even after that week, I was still juggling and taking it day by day. I am so so so so lucky that Braxton is a really independent child.  He is really good about occupying himself and playing with his toys. So at times when I had to BF, or take time with Brooklyn I would put him in his room and he would play. Then when I was finished doing whatever it was he could come back out and play with us. To this day, everyday is different, and some days are harder than others.  But just keep reminding yourself that this is temporary and try to enjoy every minute you can. It's not only about watching the new baby grow, but about the Big Brother grow in a different way now.

As far as functioning on little or no sleep. I have no idea how I did it. I think Mommy mode just takes over and you do what needs to be done for both kids. Lots of other things never got done, like dishes, laundry, or a shower. But when Rick came home he would take over and I could do things I needed to do. This is when the "good team" really comes in handy. There were plenty of nights that I felt like I was sleepwalking while getting up to change/feed Brooklyn. But during the day, I made it happen. Now I am lucky that they both take their 'long" naps around the same time in the afternoon. So I can usually get a power nap in if I am lucky.

Oh and another crazy thing that I realized while taking care of both kids is how big Braxton was/is. Before Brooklyn was born he was still my baby and I still considered him completely dependent on me. But once I had a newborn again, I realized just how much growing up Braxton had done, and what a "big boy" he had become. So I kind of rediscovered him again too. Which is happy and heartbreaking all at the same time.

Ask me anything

So I am taking this idea from Barbie and Alicia. I need some ideas on what to blog about. So if you have any questions for me at all just post it here and I will try to blog the answer. It can be anything about my Mommy life, to my relationship with Rick. Anything at all. I am open to it!

Crib transition and cradle cap

Ok, so yesterday Brooklyn was 3 months old. I can not believe how fast she is growing. Anyway, following instructions on the bassinet, I decided this was the time I would have her start sleeping in her crib. So Last night was the first night and she did very well. It was not an issue at all. She went to bed around 9:30, which is normal. She woke up at 5:30 to eat then went back to bed until 8. I have to say I was very pleased! So I will now in the next few days break down the bassinet, and wash it so it is ready for my God-Daughter Victoria!

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention my Best guy friend Kurt asked me to be his daughter on the way's God-Mother. I have to say I was honored to say the least. What an awesome responsibility! And to top it off, her middle name is going to be Raine....after me :o) She is due in April.

Back to Brooklyn. She has had cradle cap, I think. I thought it was just me not washing the shampoo out of her hair well enough. I don't bathe her every day, so I didn't think it was just dry. So I took my Mom's advice and tried baby oil in her hair. I had read somewhere about how to use the cradle cap shampoo. You add it to their hair, then brush it gently then wash it out. So I was planning on giving her a bath today anyway so I put the oil in her hair and used the little brush they give you in the hospital and gently brushed her scalp. The flakes started just coming off! I have to say it looked pretty nasty, and if it was not my daughter I think I would have been grossed out! But after a few times brushing it, it seemed to be all loosened up. Then I gave her a bath and shampooed her hair. And it was a success! It seems that her cradle cap is gone! Braxton never had that issue, so this was new to me. So I am sharing this with you Mommies so you don't go buy the $7:00 shampoo for cradle cap, and just use good old baby oil!

not already!

Ok, so I think little Miss Brooklyn is getting her 1st tooth! Already!! She has been super fussy. I noticed she was drooling a lot and also started spitting up more. After reading Alica's blog about Jude teething it clicked. She is only 12 weeks old! So I stuck my finger in her mouth and I could feel a tiny little ridge in there. I could not believe it! I remember Braxton getting his first tooth pretty early, I think around 4 or 5 months. But wow, 3 months! So I have been massaging her little gums when she gets fussy. She bites down on my finger at times and chews a little. Poor little mama.

I guess with her being my last baby,  I want to take everything slow, one day at a time, and she is just zipping right by. It is so funny. With Braxton I was so anxious and waited everyday for Braxton to do something new, or hit that milestone. With Brooklyn I am so patient and will wait as long as I have to to savor each little moment and milestone with her. I think it is because now I know how fast it really goes. How quickly they grow, and before you know it they are 3!

So we will see when the little tooth actually breaks the surface. But I am not hoping for any day too soon.

days fly by....

Wow. All I can say is wow. It is a new year/decade. I have 2 beautiful babies and love being a stay at home Mom. I can honestly say I never expected this to be my life. I knew I always wanted kids, but never thought it would happen. I am not sure why. I have been with Rick since high school but never expected us to actually be a family some day. Then Brax came along, it was the best moment of my life! Even as he was growing up I thought he would forever be an only child. But I enjoyed being a Mommy so much I wanted just one more. And here I am! I could not ask for anything better than being a mother of 2. And even though it has taken A LOT of sacrifice, I am so happy to be able to stay at home with them.

So I am still breastfeeding. It is going very well. I still have formula as a back up. She seems to hit these growth spurts that my body will just not keep up with! It only takes about 1 day for my body to adjust, so I only have to supplement a few ounces. Brooklyn is getting bigger and she is healthy. She is almost 11lbs! She is growing so fast, I am trying to savor each moment with her since this is my last baby.

Braxton turned 3 on the 29th of December. We took him to Hullabaloo to play and he loved it! A few days before Christmas, he started potty training. He is doing pretty well. He even tells me when we are out that he has to go, and I sit him on those humongous toilets and he goes! I definitely thought that would be a problem, but he proved me wrong very quickly. I am really proud of him. And he continues to be a great Big Brother.

I have been taking time out of each day after Rick gets home from work to spend one on one time with Braxton. I have to say those moments are one of my favorite parts of my day. I can tell he enjoys it too. We usually read some books. Some over and over. Yesterday I had some errands to run and I decided to take him with me. We went to the eye doctor to pick up my contacts, Kohls, and Wal Mart. He was very well behaved. So I bought him 2 cars at Wal Mart. I really enjoy my time with him. Especially when he is a good boy :o)


Hopefully I can update a little more frequently in the future. Here's to hoping.....