Wow.

I don't really know what else to say but wow. I had a crazy couple of months! My schedule was a little like this: wake up, eat, get kids ready & off to school, come back home, study, study, study, eat a little lunch, study a lot more, head up to the office to study some more and then come home and study a little bit more.

Phew. I made it. I don't know how the exam itself went (I felt horrible about the first day of it; the second day I felt halfway-decent about when I left, but feel terrible about it since...), and won't know whether I passed for nearly two more months still. Yuck. But we survived. The kiddos are back in a routine and don't seem to have missed a beat. I do have to point out, though, that I married the most amazing man ever. Seriously. He was practically a single dad for two months and never ONCE complained (at least not to me ;)). Not one single time. He amazes me. But then, you probably already know that :)

I also have to thank my wonderful family and friends. My parents and parents-in-law were so very gracious to help out with the babies as well. I don't know what I would do without them. And my friends were all so supportive and encouraging and PATIENT. I even came home after a long night of studying to find that Lynn had cleaned for me. Now that's friendship ;) I'm also very lucky to have an amazing boss and co-workers who allowed me to adjust my schedule quite drastically (ahem, a nice three-week leave of absence) to be able to study as much as I possibly could. I LOVE ALL OF YOU GUYS!!!!

Wow, I feel like I just gave an Oscar acceptance speech. Teehee.

Anyway, here's a very quick rundown of what's going on with us the past few months:

Addie:
* is getting even smarter every day! She comes home speaking in Spanish - often words that I (who took 5 years) have to really think about (or look up!) to understand
* moved up to the "Giggling Gators" classroom at school where she is learning to write - she can write almost all of her letters and can spell her whole name
* is becoming quite the little artist! There are lots of pictures she draws that I can actually tell what they're supposed to be :)
* continues to be an amazing big sister - she is so very loving to "Brother"
* is still obsessed with princesses and is already planning her Halloween costume :)
* is the best little helper around the house
* loves pink cupcakes! These are a special treat from mommy on some Fridays
* is starting soccer this season! We are SOOOO excited!
* now tells you that her name is "Princess Addie Leigh Lovey Dovey" (compliments of John Michael's boss' family - who also were a HUGE help to us while I was studying :))
* is still in her "dresses only" phase


Landon:
* had his first emergency room visit the weekend before my test. He had labored breathing (I can only describe it as an asthma attack, although he has never been diagnosed with asthma, obviously). By the time we got there, he was fine! The doctor did see a little ear infection so we got that taken care of and he also got an hour-long breathing treatment. Phew.
* was 16 pounds, 2 ounces as of July 24
* is sitting up ALL BY HIMSELF! AAAAH! He's been doing this since the week after he turned five months old. SLOW. DOWN.
* rolls everywhere. This morning I was cleaning his room & Addie's, so I put him down on a blanket on the floor. I went to Addie's room for maybe two minutes and came back and didn't see him. He had rolled all the way across the room UNDER HIS CRIB! Hehehehe...
* is just about the happiest baby ever. He rarely fusses unless he is sleepy or hungry.
* has decided that breastfeeding is not for cool kids, so the pump and I have become bff. Yay. :/
* is still a squealer! He squeals so loudly that it stops me in my tracks!
* loves his Jumperoo, just like Addie did!
* loves rice cereal and oatmeal. We will probably be trying a veggie or fruit within the next month or so. We tend to take it a little slow with the solids...
* is still waking up a few times at night, but just needs a paci. Any suggestions???? (Actually - he has slept straight through the past two nights, but I'm too nervous to say that this is a problem solved...)
* is wearing 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers (the size 2 fit slightly better, but Sam's only sells size 1-2 which are far too small, so we just went straight to the 3s and haven't had problems)

Laid back at Nana & Papa's (notice the princess high heels on the wrong feet :))



Jumpy Jumpy Jumpy!



Princess Potato!


We went to float down the Hiwassee River a couple of weekends ago - this is Addie and Landon ready to go!



They loved it until the first "rapids"...it was downhill after that!
(Before you think we're bad parents, the Hiwassee is a very lazy river - the "rapids" are a little bit like bubbles in a jacuzzi)



Addie's stress defense mechanism was just to pass out and sleep the whole way :)



Five months old! Look at those chins and cheeks and those legs!



I have to giggle whenever he cries because he's hungry, because I'm pretty sure he has a few days' worth stored up in those chubby thighs...


Sitting "tripod" on his five-month birthday - just a few days later, he sat up straighter on his own!



Super Dad!


Two nights in a row, Addie fell asleep at dinner time...





Addie was reading to Landon when he decided he wanted to eat the book instead



"Hey guys!"

I did not jump ship!

I have just been all-consumed with studying for the bar exam. This is no fun at all. NO FUN! I miss my family, my friends, my job. UGH. Ten days to go, then I promise you the longest, most comprehensive catch-up post ever. Til then...









HEHEHEHE. Did you laugh out loud, too? I'm not sure what it is about these pictures (particularly the one of Landon by himself), but I think they're so funny. Maybe it's the cheesy beach background? I think it's their ADORABLE smiles. Such cuties.

Oh, before I forget, Landon's 4-month checkup was two weeks ago...he's still a chubster but he's slowing down! I think he must have "bird bones" like his mama, because he's definitely lighter than he looks:

14 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile)
25 1/2 inches long (50th percentile)

* he is a SQUEALER! quite the chatterbox
* rolls front-to-back and back-to-front
* loves his feet
* grabs EVERYTHING he can get his hands on
* slept through the night great for a month but decided a few weeks ago that sleeping isn't for cool kids. Argh. Just needs a paci, but still...

I'll do a more detailed post later, honest!

p.s. Mom, I apologize for EVER giving you a hard time about not having a baby book for me because I'm the second child. Hehehe...

Verb conjugation?

Tonight we were out in the front yard while John Michael watered the flowers and Addie picked clover. She started getting a little too close to the street so we called her back. When she didn't come, I went after her and said, "Addison Leigh, you need to listen to your daddy and me and BEHAVE!" to which she replied, "But Mommy, I am being have!"

Awesome.

Seven years

Today is our anniversary! John Michael and I have been married for seven years. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday and other times I can't remember when we weren't together! I really don't know where to begin when talking about my sweet husband. He is one of the sweetest, smartest, most caring, most loving, and most SELFLESS men in the world. Of course, I have always known these things, but in the past year, they have become even more evident. John Michael keeps me grounded when I start to freak out about things. He is my biggest cheerleader and has more confidence in me than I ever could have for myself. He has not even hesitated, nor has he ever complained, about picking up extra duties with the babies and around the house with my study schedule. He is my very best friend and is an even better father than I knew he'd be. I love him even more now than I did the day we got married (although I never thought that was possible). I feel so very blessed to have him in my life and look forward to many more years together...

Prom 1999



Arizona 1999



May 18, 2002

Happy Birthday, Addie!

Okay, I'm three days late, but better late than never! I still cannot believe Addie is THREE YEARS OLD! I also cannot believe that I am the lucky one who gets to be her mommy. Um, excuse me, her "mom." Hehe. She is everything I could have ever hoped for in a child. She is sweet, strong-willed, extremely intelligent, loving...I could go on forever. I am so very proud to call her mine. Her teachers comment all the time on how smart she is. Of course, we know that, but it's still always nice to hear someone trained in early childhood education compliment you on your child :)

Probably the thing I am most proud of lately is how very well she has adjusted to Landon being here. She is the best big sister! I am sure jealousy will rear its ugly head when he starts getting into her things, but for now, she is nothing but loving. She always wants him near and wants to kiss him and love on him. She also wants to give him a "checkup" every day with her new doctor kit :) I know there will be moments between them when they think they hate each other, but I just pray that this love is always there.

Addie is on a little "princess" kick lately. She wants to wear a dress every day and gets upset to have to put shoes on because she wants to "show off [her] pink piggies!" I told her yesterday that she had to wear her tennis shoes or her flower shoes (a little pair of mary janes) and she said, "But I want to be a princess!" Wow. Then when she was getting dressed, she said, "Ooh, I am going to be so beautiful!" She has also started really paying attention to jewelry. She pointed out my earrings and said, "Your earrings are so pretty! Who gave those to you?" I told her that daddy gave them to me and she replied, "Oh, Holland bought me some earrings." She doesn't even have her ears pierced (nor will she, for a while...)! Then this morning she asked me about my necklace and if she could "borrow" it. Look out boys! High maintenance girly girl on the way ;)

Although, another great thing about Addie is that she is just as rough-and-tumble as she is girly. She is practically fearless (except for bugs) and bounces off the walls (sometimes literally) with the best of the boys. She continues to be a "protector" at school and stands up to all the "bullies." She's just precious. I love her more than I ever thought possible!!

Here are some stats. At three years old, Addie:
* weighs 27.5 pounds (10th percentile)
* is 35 1/2 inches tall (10-25th percentile)
* can carry on a full conversation with us
* knows all of her numbers and letters
* can count to 20 in English and 10 in Spanish
* knows her colors in Spanish
* knows most letters' sounds
* says "pink and white" are her favorite colors
* says her favorite movie is The Little Mermaid II (but she just calls it "the one with Ariel's daughter!")
* says her favorite tv show is "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse"
* says her best friends are Emma and Holland
* says her favorite toys are her new doctor kit, her shopping cart (for a year and a half running!), and Candy Land
* loves to be outside swinging and climbing
* is the cutest girl in the world!!!



We celebrated Addie's birthday at Nana & Papa's house, where a lot of the family was there celebrating Mother's Day. Two for one ;) As you can see, Addie had a blast! I'm not sure that she was ever still for a minute.

(birthday presents from Mommy & Daddy first thing in the morning)

New tricycle from Mimi & PawPaw. I missed getting a picture of it, but she insisted on putting fried chicken in the basket and driving around.

She passed out about 5:00 that afternoon and woke up for a few minutes before bedtime, but only long enough to open the presents she wasn't still enough to open earlier in the day :)

We love this little girl so much it hurts! We are having so much fun watching her grow up, even if we wish it would slow down just a little :)

Figured it out

Okay, so I think I mentioned a while ago that during Landon's fussy hour(s) we had to just wait it out until he was done fussing?! Well, we've figured out what will calm him down - I have to feed him while standing up and bouncing him (while he's latched - I'm skilled, I tell ya). Check out these legs and tell me how buff my arms will be by the end of this phase:


I'M EXHAUSTED! But yay for a free workout. Now it's after this type thing that when the Wii Fit asks where I've been for the past week that I want to tell it where to shove it. ;)

Two months!

I seriously cannot believe it has been two months since Landon was born. I suspect that you can expect that sentence every month :) Time flies way too quickly. Landon had his 2-month visit today, and here are his stats:

The chunky monkey weighs 12 pounds, 14 ounces and is 23.5 inches long! WHEW! 75th percentile for both. I knew he was getting big, but I had no idea! Over FIVE pounds gained in two months. At two months old, he:

*eats about every 3 hours, for 15-20 minutes per side
*wears 0-3 month and 3-month clothes
*wears a size 1 diaper, but they're getting snug-as-a-bug
*has awesome head control and does pretty well with tummy time (but fusses)
*still not sleeping through the night, but sleeps 5-6 hours. The past two nights, I've fed him around 9:30ish and he's made it til 4:15. Progress!
*is on a loose 3-hour Babywise schedule. I say "loose" due to the beast's appetite!
*does regular two-month baby stuff - not much more to say :)

He got his shots today and is sleepy and a little fussy when he's awake (which hasn't been much). We're about to have dose #2 of Tylenol, so hopefully that will help out!

I can't believe how much I love this little boy. I have been really freaking out the past couple of weeks because there was a large knot behind his ear. I thought it might be a lymph node, but wasn't sure, and was also concerned about its swelling, because what did that mean his body was fighting? The cold has been gone! Dr. Hood took a look and confirmed that it is a lymph node and that it is swollen due to his cradle cap! Phew! Bizarre. Lynn said it best when she told me that a second baby is just another Achilles heel. I feel the vulnerability that I've felt since the day Addie was born, times two. Oh, but also the love, so I guess that makes up for it :)

(Addie also had her 3-year visit, but I'll save that post for when she's officially 3 on Sunday!)

In other news...

Landon came down with his first little cold last week and that wasn't much fun. It was so pitiful to listen to him be stuffy! It took him a little longer to eat each time and he was a little bit fussier, but overall, he was still his sweet self. Addie continues to have "gunk" in her head, but her breathing is back to normal, thank goodness. I'm still confused by all these colds going around in April/May! Pretty weather should bring health, I thought. What do I know? :)

Also, very huge - I finished law school on Monday. FINISHED! As in, THE END! I can't believe it myself. It has been a long five years. On many occasions, I thought it'd never get here. Now that it's here, it's bittersweet, because the hard part is just beginning. I'll be starting bar review classes NEXT WEEK (nothing like a one-week downtime, eh?). They last seven weeks. I'm so very sad about this because that will mean I will miss Addie's bedtime Monday through Friday for these seven weeks. I have to go back to work on May 29th, so at least three of those weeks will be while I'm still on leave so I can "make up" the play time during the day. I just don't know how I'll make it through those weeks to be honest, but like John Michael said, I've made it too far to turn back now! I can do it!!! I just hope it pays off.

ANYWAY, enough about me...time for pictures from the last week or so!

A sleeping gown with a gingham tractor. I can't help but love it.

This does not even scratch the surface of how great this boy's pouts can be...

And then there's his smiles...

Addie now chooses her outfits and dresses herself with just a little help. What can I say? The girl likes patterns...

An "outtake" - looks like Addie has a one-legged Landon in a chokehold. Sweet.

There it is!



Video fun time!

As a matter of fact...

I AM going to pretend like I did not NOT blog for about three weeks and catch up with lots of posts, all in one day. So there!

I think it was two (or three? I don't remember!) weeks ago that Lynn called me and said, "Hey! Top Chef is doing a tour stop here tomorrow!" To which I replied, "How fun!" Of course, I have to admit that I was thinking it'd be fun for HER, since I'd never seen the show. :) But when she asked me to go, I said, "Sure! Sounds like fun!" (I didn't confess to her until we were there that I have never seen one single episode of Top Chef.)

They held it in the parking lot of the Belcourt Theatre in Green Hills. Although we weren't on "the list," apparently there were some no-shows so we got seats - second row! We had a blast! We took Landon with us and he was pretty good. It hit right at his feeding time, so I had made sure to bring a bottle. He fussed a tiny bit, and one of the chefs, Ryan (a.k.a. "HOTTIE"!) offered him a crostini. The other chef, Antonia, said that she thought he was a bit young, but Ryan brought it to me nonetheless. Hilarious.

"Laid back..."



Ryan made a fava bean spread on crostini that was FANTASTIC! The recipe is supposed to be on the website but it's not there yet :(

It's official

We have moved into the "why" stage. Oh, and I am just "Mom" now, not "Mommy." Boo hoo :(

Bummer :(

We've got a sick little girl on our hands. Poor Addie came down with a cold earlier this week and unfortunately, it has turned into wheezing and also vomiting. It has been a challenge keeping her away from Landon, but we're hoping he'll escape this. He is congested today but is still eating and sleeping normally. John Michael took Addie to the doctor this morning, and Dr. Hood ruled out pneumonia (phew!) and strep throat and said it's just a really rough cold. The bad news is that we have to start back up with her Pulmicort, which we had been given the okay to stop back in March. Boo :( We were hoping she was beginning to outgrow her asthma, but it doesn't seem like that's happening just yet. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we try to get Addie back to 100% and also try to keep Landon well as he is still so young!

A cutie pie, even when she's sick!

toldja so...

The past few weeks

Okay, I've started this post like four times in the past week, but it's hard to type one-handed, and I normally at least try to do something around the house if I'm not feeding and/or holding Landon (and he is definitely a "hold me" baby!). Double emphasis on the word try - the house is a disaster. But what's that thing that everyone says? That the kids won't remember a messy house but will remember all the time you've spent together? So the house can wait. :)

Anyway - Easter was a wonderful day as usual! We had lots of fun family time and thoroughly enjoyed getting to see everyone. Addie was a master of the egg hunts. She was a doll! We went up to Gran & Pop's house where she and Landon were their cutest. So fun! On the way home, we stopped in to visit Mimi & PawPaw who had just returned from Hawaii. We were so glad to have them back!

We're really getting to see more of Landon's personality lately as he stays awake for longer and longer periods. He really is a cutie and is a smiley boy! His whole face lights up when he smiles and it is so adorable. He's starting to react to the Baby Einstein play mat that Addie loved so much, and I'm sure he'll spend countless hours giggling at the star like she did. For the past week, he would sleep from about 9 pm til 2 or 3 am, then go back to sleep til around 6 am. It was awesome! I was thinking that was a schedule I could totally handle, even if it went on til I went back to work. Last night he decided to wake up every hour, on the hour, from midnight til 5, so I'm not sure what that was about (he wasn't needing to eat, so I don't think it was a growth spurt). I'm hoping THAT was the fluke and that the "schedule" will go back to the way it was. Or better yet, drop that 2 am feeding. ;) He has started having a nightly fussy period around 7 pm. There's not a whole lot we can do except wait it out each night. Hopefully this will pass soon!

Addie is just as full of herself as ever lately. There's not much more to say than that :) I cannot believe she is almost three years old. It makes me almost want to cry! Where does the time go? Ridiculous! I will admit that it's making me treasure Landon's newborn-ness, but makes me sad that I didn't enjoy the time that she was so teeny to a fuller extent. But how could I know? :) She is my precious sweet (most of the time) girl. I cannot get enough of her! She has such a vivid imagination (such as calling a piece of her dinner a flamingo leg tonight - huh?!). John Michael and I talk about how we don't remember having such wild imaginations as a kid. Granted, we have different personalities than she does, too, but I'm still amazed every day by the stuff she comes up with! I've started reading The Happiest Toddler On the Block, and I've determined she is a "spirited" child according to the book's personality types. Hehe. I'm sure you can imagine what that really means.

Also last week, I attended my last law school class ever! WOOHOO! I'm pretty proud of myself. Toot, toot! Graduation is May 23 - mark your calendars!!!

(notice that Papa's bag is full - those are all Addie's eggs, too!)

handsome little man

Second Easter egg hunt with all the cousins at Gran & Pop's!

(I liked this one because you can see the pretty blue wildflowers)

Going on the annual wildflower walk!

I have more pictures that I've taken this past week, but I can't find the camera right now! I had gotten these pictures off earlier this week (one one of the previous attempts at this post :)). I'll post them as soon as I find it!

One month (plus a few days :))

Wow - I can't believe it has been a month since Landon got here! But in some ways it seems much longer. Things are going well overall! He is a sweet baby and rarely fusses unless he needs something. That being said, he is super-sensitive to his needs and will REALLY make it known if he is wet, dirty, hungry or sleepy. He has decided that after his 2 a.m. (or whatever early morning hour he chooses...) feeding, he is ready to go for the day! That has been a challenge to deal with but I'm hoping he'll soon get past that. Although, I can't complain too much because that's when he gives out his very best smiles. It almost makes me forget how sleepy I am. Almost :)

Addie is really doing great and is so proud of Landon. She has also gotten over her little whatever-it-was with me, thank goodness! I guess she just had to adjust to sharing her mama. Or maybe it was a phase she would have gone through regardless. Who knows! I'm just glad I have my sweet girl back. Anyway - she is soooo in love with Landon and loves to kiss him and look at his hands and feet. She asks to hold him a lot, and so I'll let her "hold" him and she'll do so for about 3-4 minutes and then say, "Okay, I'm done." Precious. My new favorite Addie-ism went a little like this:

Addie, looking at Landon: "He is the CUTEST baby, Mommy!"
Me: "He sure is cute, isn't he? Hey, Addie - do you want to know what you looked like as a baby?"
Addie: "Yeah!"
Me: "Like this. Landon looks JUST like you did as a baby."
Addie: "Oh, I was the CUTEST baby, Mommy!"

:)

The only issues we've had are that Addie continues to wake in the middle of the night. She always asks to go downstairs, so I think she just thinks she's missing something. We just explain to her that everyone is asleep and she needs to be, too. She'll go right back to sleep after that assurance. We had to take her back to the pediatrician for her "urinary tract infection." After doing the full work-up on her sample, they still found nothing. Her doctor said that she was pretty sure it was an attention thing, because she knew for sure that she'd get our undivided attention if she said she had to go potty. She's gotten over that since, thank goodness! She seems to love Landon so much. Whenever I take her to school, I bring him with me (duh) and she always wants to make a huge deal over telling him goodbye. Her classmates like to swarm to look at him and the other day she gently pushed her little friend out of the way and said, "No, he's MY baby brother!" Hey, maybe she was trying to keep the extra germs away from him?! :)

Anyway, back to Landon...he is starting to be awake more during the day so that is fun. I'm still trying to get him on somewhat of a schedule but find it hard to keep him awake after he eats. Thankfully, he's starting to stay awake during the feedings though! Phew! He's definitely gaining weight although I don't know how much he weighs now. I've thought about taking him by the pediatrician's office for just a weight check but just haven't done so. I'll keep you posted for sure though!

Cutie pie with "paint" (frosting) on her mouth after cookie decorating. Not sure where her pants went, but it adds to the effect :)

Addie made it through the opening credits for movie night last weekend...not much more

"Okay, I'm done!"

Big strong boy!

All dressed up in his orange & white

I busted out the old camera while waiting for my battery to charge!

Addie & Holland decorating Rice Krispies Treats Easter eggs! Mmmm...