Little Michael Man- 2 Months

Today Michael turned 2 months old. Again, time is just flying by and I can't believe how much he has changed already!

Michael is one happy happy little dude! He smiles all the time and just lights up the room when he does...and those little baby coos are oh so precious! So far, he continues to be a pretty mellow baby. He doesn't like loud noises (aka daddy and big sister). Poor fella cries sometimes when Ben comes home and things get a little wild and rowdy with him and Lucy as they play. I have a pretty good feeling that he will be joining in on all the shenanigans though in about a year when he can keep up ;)

He is really filling out and getting those adorable baby rolls. The newborn look is long gone and the infant has taken over. I can't wait to find out how much he weighs at his appointment this week!

So far, I am saying that he is a total momma's boy! He loves his momma time! He isn't one that has to be held constantly but he definitely prefers to be held and snuggled in with me. He loves to watch Lucy and Daisy. He will just stare at them for the longest time, like he is really studying them. It's pretty cute.

He continues to be a great eater. Nursing has been a breeze this time and I am so so thankful for that! Right now, he sleeps about 5-6 hours in between feedings at night which has done wonders for me! It's amazing how much better you feel when you get more than just cat naps through out the night.

Ben and I say all the time just how sweet this little man is, and it's true. Michael, just please stay this sweet forever, mmmk!? :)

Lindsey

Momma's Guilt

Motherhood really teaches you a lot about yourself, like A LOT! For example, in my experience, it has taught me how selfish I was before becoming a parent (and still struggle with because hey, I'm not perfect). It has taught me that a shower is a glorious, luxurious thing and that sleep is just a thing of the past. It has also taught me about grace.

I remember Ben making a comment after Lucy was born about how crazy it was that people get to have babies and just leave the hospital with them, no training, no nothing. I remember feeling somewhat confident in my ability to bring a baby home since of course I had plenty of experience with babies in my profession. I also am that person who read as many books as I could to help me figure out this journey into motherhood. Then Lucy was born, and all that stuff went out the window. Nothing has been black and white thus far in parenthood and I'm betting that doesn't change.   With all that said, I mess up a lot as a parent. I make mistakes, lose my patience, have lazy days, etc, and I'm just now learning to give myself a little bit of grace.

Recently, I have really struggled with giving both Lucy and Michael the individualized attention that I so desire them to get each day. It seems like it doesn't matter how much time Lucy and I get to sit down and play together, when "time is up" and I have to feed Michael she gets pretty upset. Then I feel bad for Michael too because most days I feel like I'm not stimulating him as much as I did Lucy, and of course you just don't get those same snuggles that you do with your first baby. I try to remind myself that Lucy won't even remember this season and that Michael will turn out just fine if he doesn't get his tummy time in every single day, but lately it has just been hard to swallow.

I'm learning that I not only need to give myself some grace, but I also want to teach my kids about the importance of grace. I need to cut myself some slack sometimes when I have bad days and feel like I have totally failed as a mother, because being a parent is tough sometimes. And I want to be better about showing my kids that I need that grace. When I lose my patience with Lucy, I want to be able to get down on her level and tell her that momma is not perfect, and say I'm sorry. She needs to see that it's ok to mess up because we're not perfect, and there is GRACE!

So this weekend in an effort too alleviate some of my guilt and really just be in the moment with my sweet baby girl, we had a momma/daughter date Saturday morning. All of this has made me want to be more intentional with my "special time" with Lucy too. We need to carve out time that can be our little date time so we can hang out just the two of us or just her and Ben. So this past weekend her and I had the morning free and we rode over to the park so I could run around with her and actually get to play with her since I'm usually wearing Michael. It was a blast! After the park, we went to Target to get her a new soccer ball and I started the early Starbucks addiction with a little bitty vanilla bean frappe! :) It was great fun and I can't wait to do it again.

And to end on a less serious note, these pictures crack me up! Lucy's look really shows her love for her baby bro ;)

Lindsey

Getting The Hang Of Things

Somehow I already have a 6 week old. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT! I remember after Lucy was born having a hard time during the first few weeks because of the lack of sleep. Sadly, I wished that time away because I wanted sleep so badly. I told myself this go around that I would cherish those moments in the first few weeks because they pass so quickly. I certainly have soaked in those precious moments this time, especially during those middle of the night feedings when it's just Michael and I. Pushing through the exhaustion this time has been easier just knowing that it goes by fast, and here I am already getting a good 4-5 hour stretch of sleep most nights, which as any mom knows is HUGE!

The first two weeks were rough for me and Lucy. My c-section recovery was easier this time but its still not ideal to be playing on the floor with your toddler after major surgery so she wasn't too happy about momma not being able to give her as much attention and the new baby getting so much of momma's time. Needless to say, it broke my heart and resulted in tears for this momma on more than one occasion. 

Lucy has adjusted to Michael quite well though. She really isn't super interested in him at this point. She loves to give him kisses, but doesn't care to hold him. It has really put her liking for her baby dolls in full swing. She plays a great momma to her babies and likes to do everything I do, which is pretty darn cute. 

As for me, I knew having two kids would be hard, and well, it's true. The first few days flying solo with the two of them I cried way too many times to count (we'll blame some of that on hormones). One of those days was also my 30th birthday which also may have had something to do with all the emotions, eek! There's always 31! ;) But once I gave myself a little grace and was reminded that a little t.v. (or a lot) for Lucy right now isn't the end of the world if it means an uninterrupted feeding for Michael, or time to sit down and eat, or chug my cup of coffee. 

Now here we are 6 weeks in, and I am not claiming to have it all together, but we are getting in a groove and day by day things are getting a little bit easier. I invested in a Solly Baby wrap which has been amazing! It is so soft and breathable and not to mention super cute. It took a few times to get him used to it but now he loves it and doesn't fight it :) 

We have also been getting outside again which has been great for me! A little vitamin D goes a long way! We have been going out in the morning because it's a little too hot for Michael in the afternoons.  It's great though because there is usually a nice breeze in the mornings and he hangs out in his little chair and snoozes.

And to wrap things up, some adorable photos of the little man, including his awesome mean mug face, first real smile, and "I'm too cool for school" pose ;)

Welcome Michael Benjamin!

We are so excited to introduce Michael Benjamin! He was born on June 18th at 7:36am weighing 6 lbs 11 oz and 20 inches long!

He is so precious, and such a chill little dude! My heart is just so full of love for this little boy! And it was such a fun surprise in the OR when they announced the sex! 

He is named after my dad, Michael and of course my amazing man, Ben.

He looks so much like Lucy when she was born. Him on the left and her on the right :) 

Speaking of big sis...she adores him and it totally melts my heart to see her interact with him.

We are at home settling in as a family of four and we couldn't be happier! 

This is the week, Baby!!

We are officially less than 3 days away from finding out if baby #2 is a boy or a girl! I think I'm in a bit of disbelief that the time has come. I had my final doctor's appointment late last week and as I suspected my body still isn't changing in spite of all the contractions I've been having so I'm planning on this baby following through with "the plan". It is a bit strange because it has made me feel somewhat invincible these past few days, and in a "live it up" mood. It will be quite funny if I end up going in to labor in the next couple days, but hey I think God does have a sense of humor ;)

We have been truly living it up around these parts lately, starting with celebrating our last weekend as a family of 3! It is crazy the amount of pictures I ended up taking, but I'll spare y'all and share the real good ones ;)

Saturday started off with Ben building a fence on one side of the house that we knew would be easier to get done now versus after the baby came so Lucy and I took advantage of the gorgeous weather and played outside!

This little girl LOVES this water table! Our sweet friends got it for us and we just got it out a few days ago and she is obsessed! And I was glad to see her warm up to her baby pool because earlier this year she was not too interested. I adore this picture of her and her Daddy :) She is such a daddy's girl, and this picture just expresses it perfectly. She looks so content just hanging out in his lap.

After a good afternoon nap, we cleaned up and got ready for church. I had to get a picture of Lucy in her new dress and jelly shoes! It is so hard to find dresses that fit her with her cute round belly and short stature so I found this one in a 12-18 month and it fit perfectly! Plus I had to buy the jelly shoes because I had some when I was a kid, so why not bring 'em back! ;)

Sunday was declared all day family day that started with Lucy's first trip to the Denver Zoo. Unfortunately we had a very sleepless night Saturday night (tummy ache, teething, not really sure?) but we were determined to not let that get the best of us. 

Lucy had a blast! I feel like she is at the perfect age for the zoo right now. She got really excited for most of the animals and was pretty content going back and forth between her stroller and walking around to see everything. 

Anxiously awaiting the start of the sea lion show!

Nothing melts my heart like seeing her reaching up for Daddy's hand :)

The only successful family picture I was able to get

Tippy toes...

She lasted a good while at the zoo, past her nap time and amazingly did not fall asleep in the car so we took advantage and stopped for lunch. Once we got home, there were naps to be had! The rest of the day consisted of more fun outside at the water table and grilling out so we could soak up the sunshine.

I was amazed at how well she tolerated the freezing cold water! ;) 

That's a wrap on the weekend! There will be lots of snuggles, dance parties, and other shenanigans going on in these next few days to keep us busy! So...until next time...when this family of 3 becomes a family of 4!! :)