Time Flies!

I'm slapping my wrists right now because I have promised myself OVER and OVER that I will get better at blogging, and I've failed again!  I mean, it's not like I'm busy or anything with a full time job, a 2 year old (going on 12) and a 9 month old (that thinks she's Pax's age).  Can you even believe my baby girl is 9 months?!  I can't! 

In the last 2 months, Pax has come out of his shell even more.  The boy loves to chit chat!  Maybe I shouldn't have gotten his tongue clipped???  Nah, I'm enjoying the no-nonsense conversations with him.  Just this morning he told me he needed to go to the doctor because he got shot.  He had overheard me telling Ella she was going to the doctor to get shots. 

Ella is now this close to walking!! She will take steps to me, and has even gotten brave and tried to walk off of furniture.  Scary, I know!  She has 8 teeth, and slowly converting to all table food.  The girl can put down some chicken pastry like nobody's business!

Pax will be having is 4th surgery on April 5th.  Keep your fingers, legs, arms, toes, and eyes crossed that this is our last hurdle in that department (and your prayers too!).  This will be his 2nd eye surgery to correct the muscles when he's looking down.  You wouldn't notice looking straight on, but when he's lying down, both eyes shoot out and he can't see/focus on anything. 

Pax and Ella are now getting baths together.  I love this because: a) saves time, b) saves money on water bill, c) lots of laughs.  They both have some full heads of curly hair!  Pax's hair got a little (okay, a lot) chopped last night!  I wish I had a picture of Pax's haircut right now, but I don't.  Last night, I figured I'd be brave (and cheap) and give his "fro" a go.  HAHA  NEVER again!  I mucked it up!!  The funniest saddest thing is he has no clue whatsoever, and he's just going about his business with a big ole gap in the front.  He's still handsome, though!

Matt & I finally bought a new bed!  We've been sleeping on his queen (maybe full) bed he had in college.  You could move a finger and hear a creeeaaaakkk!  And, Matt's feet would hang off the bed.  We are now the proud owners of a king size bed that I'm finding very hard to get my booty out of in the morning!  I guess Daylight Savings didn't help, either!

Oh yeah, and my sister is having TWINS!!  I can't even believe it myself.  I'm hoping for 2 baby girls, but now she's thinking maybe one of each if the wive's tale is true about heart rates.  We shall see!  I'll save that for a separate blog update!

Until next time...

7 Months!

I can't believe Ella is 7 months old today! Where has the time gone? She's gone from 7 lbs to 17.5 pounds, from not making a noise to shouting from the rooftops, and from sitting still, falling asleep in my arms, to the never sits still, inquisitive, wanting to see what everything feels and taste like in this short amount of time.  I don't remember what it was like just having one child.  Here's a few pics from over the past 7 months of my little bundle of sugar!



Only an hour old!




One day old, hanging with big bro Pax!




2 months




1st time eating baby food!



Hanging out at the hospital while Pax has surgery



6 months



"I'm going to tear this bottle up!"

Past Due

I am once again way past due on entering any sort of updates/stories/etc on my blog.  Again, I'm sorry! My blog entries wouldn't be so winded if I was better at this/had more time.  Maybe a New Year's resolution?! Christmas and New Years came and went in the blink of an eye.  I have tons of pictures I'd like to add, but we don't have all day!  Here's what's been happening:

• Pax had his tongue clipped last week.  He had a quick surgery that required anesthesia (we originally thought it would be a simple in-office visit).  This child is a trooper!  He bounces back like nobody's business all the time.  He was very nauseous from the anesthesia, and kept saying, "Ma, I got the hiccups" (code: I have to throw up.)  Poor thing!  Surprisingly, went we got home he was able to eat pizza and ham. 
• Ella is still her happy-go-lucky self! She had a check-up yesterday and hit the scales at 17.3 lbs (75%), 80% in the head, and 50% in height.  One thing is for certain: my children have big heads, and Ella is going to be a shorty.  She is oh so close to crawling...she's still getting on all fours and rocking.
• We've gotten to spend lots of QT with our dear friends, Matt and Amber Whitley, several times over the holidays.
• I've probably eaten WAY too much food.  Yep, another cliche resolution: get back on track with the weight thing.  I will add that I now weigh less than I did before I even had Pax, but geeeez do I have to eat so much and ruin it?!
• We have a BIG family secret that will hopefully be revealed soon! Stay tuned!  (No, I'm not preggers.)
• Pax is starting to use the potty more frequently.  He will tell us (sometimes) when he has to go, and voila!
• My investment in tumbling classes for Pax are FINALLY paying off! We signed him up to help with balance and coordination, and now all he wants to do is flip.  It's quite hilarious b/c he'll start, and then ask for volunteers.  Matt always gives in.

 

Lately...and what's to come

It's been a while since my last post, and I realize I need to get better at this whole blogging thing, but I find a hard time coming up with ideas.  And, maybe there's just a lot going on when you have a full time job and two little ones at home!  Excuses, excuses!

Pax is really showing us his personality now!  He is 100% Matt Bailey.  Hands down!  The boy loves to play tricks on someone, grumpy when he wakes up, and will surely eat us out of house and home one day.  Every morning before I drop him off at The Growing Tree, I ask him the same questions...1) Are you going to listen today? ("No.")  2.) Are you going to share today? ("No.")  3.) Are you going to miss me today? ("No.")  Funny, I know, but I have taught him better than this, I swear!  He listens to his teachers, I think he shares his toys only because he likes to share with Ella, and he says he missed me when he gets home.  He's just testing the waters to see what he can get away with and what he can't. 

Potty training is not going so well.  I dream of the day when we only have to buy diapers for Ella...and of the day when she's out of them, too.  I'm convinced he'll be wearing adult diapers soon.  He's in the biggest size the diapers come in, and he's only getting bigger.  He sits on the potty every day, but there's no end result.  One day he will.  In the meantime, we'll just have to be patient.

Ella is on the move!  She is sitting up unsupported very well, and will even get on all fours and rock back and forth.  It's only a matter of time before she's crawling!  I can't believe my baby girl is 6 months old!  Time is flying tooooo fast!

On a lighter (scarier) note, Pax is having his tongue clipped on Monday morning.  When he was a baby, I tried nursing him, but it just didn't work.  It turns out, he's tongue-tied, which makes it extremely difficult to nurse.  I talked it over with his pediatrician, and he suggested we wait until he starts talking to decide on the next step.  Well, he's been talking for a while, and he just can't say certian words.  Matt and I understand him, but not many other people do when it comes to a few words.  He will have it clipped Monday, and we'll see what happens!

Pax will also be having his 2nd eye surgery on January 4th.  Let's hope this is the last!  Please pray all goes well.

Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was fantastic!  Friday night, Matt & I went to Banker's Holiday with our great friends, Matt & Amber Whitley.

                      

Saturday, we packed up the kids and went to Garner for my family reunion, and when we got home mid-afternoon it was snowing!  We stayed in the rest of the day and night because of the snow (and because Ella started getting a cold), but had lots and lots of cuddle time and way too much pizza. 

                      

Today, we decided to finally finish our Christmas decorating.  Thank goodness that's done!  I finished most of my Christmas shopping this morning, and Pax helped me wrap the presents and put them under the tree. I absolutely love these kind of weekends and wish they never had to end!

Perspective.

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.

My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood.
38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
42. The best is yet to come...
43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
44. Yield.
45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

I found this email waiting for me this morning.  Everything I read is SO true.  I've been able to learn a lot about myself in the past few years.  Tonight, I enjoyed a glass of wine with a dear friend of mine (Elizabeth Bischoff).  We've been through so much together, and have been friends since I don't know when.  We may not talk every day or every week for that matter, but we always pick up where we left off.  Cherish your friends.  Never lose touch with the ones that mean the most, no matter what.  Enjoy the little things.  Be happy in "the now" and live your days fully. 

I can say I had the times of my life before kids, but I can also say I've had the BEST times since having kids.  I can be a kid again when I'm with them, and make silly faces and dance around the room like a lunatic.  It's funny in the moment to them...and probably to my neighbors that can see us through the windows!  Maybe I should record some videos and post on here?!

Thanksgiving Weekend

First, Happy belated Thanksgiving!  We all ate and ate until we couldn't eat anymore.  I'll probably have to do a crash diet this week from everything I ate on Thanksgiving, but it was so good! 

I've enjoyed spending my 4 day weekend with my babies!  We've spent all weekend just relaxing and playing.  Ella has started trying to sit up and is getting pretty good at it.  I bought her a fuzzy bear outfit for the cold weather, and didn't think I would have to use it until at least late December...boy, was I wrong!  Yesterday I noticed our heat wasn't coming on, but I just thought it wasn't cold enough in the house for it to start up.  Well, early afternoon I messed with the thermostat to discover it was out of order!  Not good when you have an almost 6 month old and a 2 year old that doesn't like anything on his feet!  I quickly brought out the fuzzy bear outfit and couldn't get over how cute Ella looked!  I got a few pics of her in it trying to sit up! 

Luckily, Matt made a few phone calls and we got it fixed last night!  It was a simple fix and nothing major or too expensive.  Thank goodness!!

Now I can focus on bigger things...like Christmas shopping.  I honestly dread the shopping part, but can't wait to see my children's faces on Christmas morning!  Let's hope the heat doesn't go out again!