Sidekick #2 - Three Months

Whoot for getting through these blog updates consistently ;)
Here's Sidekick #2 at three months . . . his last as a newborn!!

We knew we were done with having babies, so I really wanted to just enjoy the snuggles while I could.  Relax, and take in all those newborn moments - the coos, the sighs, and the first laughs.  Of course, my patience and resolve were tested with the stress from our apartment.  And then the move into my mom's ~ but we tried to appreciate all the little moments our little surprise brought to us :)

Click to read more (and see plenty of pics).

Sidekick #2 - Two Months

Yay for two posts in one week!  I'm on a roll with these monthly updates ~ let's hope I can keep it going till I'm caught up :)  And of course, Sidekick #1 will be getting his own update soon, too.  But anyways, here we go!

Month Two was about same ol', same ol' in our household.  Highlights for Sidekick #2 though, include his gorgeous smile being revealed to us ~ and the expressions got kicked into high gear!  On the downside, our apartment was getting worse . . . and mold was starting to grow!!

We moved out in June, shortly after he turned two months, and into my mom's basement ~ and began the tedious process of negotiating moving terms with lawyers in regards to our lease.  Oh and I got a job offer that month as well!  Yup, same ol, same ol haha. 

Continue after the link for the pics and more details ;)

Sidekick #2 - One Month

Yup, I was originally planning (and hoping) that we'd be able to do a monthly post update with S#2, just like we had with S#1.  Except we had two under two, and kids who hate sleep, and a flood in our apartment, and another move, and then the overtime from heck for HeroPapa, and then the new job for me, and blahblahblabbityblah.  Point is, I figured I'd at least do a massive update all at once.  Though we had to do that twice with S#1, jumbling together a few months together to cover the information, was I really going to be able to lump NINE MONTHS into one blog post??

I feel like S#2 deserves better than being lumped :S

So I am doing one month at a time!
BUT I'm hoping to do several a week till we are caught up!  I got the pictures organized, and just need to collage them and then write up a post . . . easy enough, right? :)

So onto the good stuff!!

Click for more (68) pics <3

Sidekick #2 Is Here!

Just wanted to give a quick update and share that Sidekick 2 is here, and though he had a bit of a rough start (a more detailed post/birth story coming asap!) - including a quick NICU stay to his jaundice levels - he's been home safe and sound for eight days now, and we are so excited for our family to be complete and are looking forward to the next chapter in our lives <3

Here's the mini birth announcement! 

(make sure to click on the pic to see a bigger size)

(And of course, now I need to update the blog graphics to include our new little mini man, and finally fix that sidebar image that keeps messing up every time I try to include links to the other pages :P )

AND hopefully now that I'm no longer sickly pregnant, and my boys are healthy and growing - I'll be able to get my internet presence back.  Sure lack of sleep won't help things, but not being hormonally imbalanced greatly enhances my concentration and ability to keep up with a blog, Facebook, and other online mommy forums that I miss dearly. 

Big Blog Update: Month 13-16

"Moves, Holidays, and Toddlerhood: Months 13-16"

So probably just when you were starting to wonder whether I was ever going to update the blog, I appear, offering an insane amount of pictures to overcompensate (though I really did try capping each month as much as possible so not to completely crash your computer).  Anyways, let me cover some highlights from the last few months, and then onwards to the fun/good stuff! (I promise I won't have hurt feelings if you scroll down to the "Pictures" section just to browse through them) ;)

*So beware, there's plenty of info to read through by clicking the "Read More".  

As always, pics are at the way bottom, and Sidekick's latest developments are 

labeled accordingly in the accompanying collages.  Enjoy all 282 pics.

And don't forget to click on the pics/collages to see them full size (including the pics throughout the post)

Sorry for the absence!

As the title says, I'm sorry for the absence, and lack of updates on Sidekick :(
Basically, I'm in my third trimester now, and getting really tired all the time.

That and the move, setting things up (living room, kitchen, and bathroom are done - not much else), and the holidays, have just wiped me out.  In general, things are going well and Sidekick is cutting a lot of teeth, still growing like a weed (though thinning out since he's walking all over the place now), and mostly sleeping through the night - unless the teething is bothering him. 

Other than that, HeroPapa is on some new medication to help him with working third shift (the night shift), and it seems to be doing the trick!  He now has enough energy, because he's sleeping better during the day, to help around the house, and have some quality family as well, which has been such a blessing :)

As for me and Baby Boy #2, I'm trying to remind myself, that just because I can't get on the floor as much anymore with Sidekick to play, that that's okay.  I have to make time for this new baby too, and allow myself the rest I need (even if it's just sitting in a rocking chair), in order to be the best vessel I can be for this baby.  Our due date is still April 6th, and he's growing right on track.  Luckily, I'm gaining at a much slower pace than with Sidekick (though with him, I had edema, so almost half my weight gain was painful water weight swelling). 

So other than that, we are settling into our new apartment, which is amazing, and I can't wait to give a tour <3  I haven't forgotten about the blog, nor the fact, that our relatives need some amazing pictures of Sidekick soon, before they suffer from withdrawal ;)

I'll be back soonish, my goal being a big update on the 6th of Feb. at the latest ~ see you all then!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours ♥

*** 

(and in case you're wondering, I know I missed the 13 mo. update, but we moved!

 So I'm hoping to update the blog with a double month post in January :D) 

One Year Old

My big boy is now one year old!  This is such an exciting time for our family ~ not only did we celebrate his birthday (and mine, the day before).  But we moved out of the bat apartment, and have put down a deposit for a brand new set of lofts, still under construction.  We are praying that everything falls into place (there's no reason to suspect otherwise, but I don't tend to count my eggs before they hatch).  Either way, things are definitely changing, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  After all, I'm nineteen weeks pregnant now - almost halfway done, there's another move (next Thursday!) on the horizon, and then our nine year anniversary in December - six married, nine together.  Wow!

So basically, Sidekick going from an infant to a toddler, is just another big slice of the pie of life ;)

But come on, you just want some pics, right?!  Here's the stats, fresh from Tuesday, because he had a week late appointment for his twelve month checkup: 26.14lbs (96-99% depending on if you look at just weight, or compare it to the length as well), and 31in. tall (84%).

So click the "Read More" link, and check out 73 pictures to see all the ways he's grown (developmentally, physically, and socially) <3  *and don't forget to click on the collages, in order to make them bigger :)

Ten & Eleven Months

Well well well . . . why exactly did I skip the ten month blog update?  Uh, for a lot of reasons!  Saying I was busy would be an understatement, but I'll just let you read on, and see what exactly has been going on with us in the last two months (including a special little announcement!) :)

Nine Months

Two Weeks Late (and a day late)?!  Gees-Louise!

Well read on anyways ;)  Click "Read More" to catch up on the latest, 
and see 143 images of Sidekick's eight month, now that he's nine months (and a half) old :)

Eight Months

Happy Father's Day

From our family to yours <3

Here's how ours went :)
(and as always, there's pictures at the bottom, and links open in a new window)

Back for Mother's Day, HeroPapa surprised me with a wonderful old time photo session with our son.  I loved it, our baby loved it, and my husband loved it . . . well everything but the price, haha.  Being a SAHM, means that there are certain financial sacrifices that have to be made (especially with a possible house on our horizon ~ cross your fingers!), but don't get me wrong, we are still very blessed <3  

But when I asked HeroPapa about what wonderful ideas he had for Father's Day, he kept joking (or maybe he wasn't really joking, haha), that he really just wanted to keep it cheap.  So bargain hunting I went - and luckily, an FB member from my birth month group shared a great coupon for the card (below) - and of course, Pinterest.  And this is what we ended up with:

~ Card (from treat.com).  With my Father's Day Coupon (expired yesterday, sorry Mama's, I should have shared sooner, I didn't even think about it!), I was able to get the card in the picture for FREE (including shipping and handling).  I saved $3.98 :D  *I ordered it three weeks ago (part of the free shipping was sticking with standard, but it still took so long, that I was sure I was going to spoil the surprise.  Luckily, it came yesterday - talk about cutting it close! - and I managed to really bring a smile to my husband's face.

~ Present (from Target).  The inside joke, is that my husband (nor I), drink.  So buying a six pack isn't really an easy last minute present for HeroPapa.  But he does have one heck of a sweet tooth!  So looking on Pinterest, I found this pin and loved it :)  I figured I'd get it yesterday, and maybe there'd even be some last minute in-store sales for Father's Day.  So after bringing our son by to my Mom's, I headed over to the local Target, but it wasn't a SuperTarget (like where I lived), and they didn't have glass root beer bottles like I wanted to get (since I could put root beer - which he does like - in a container, and replace with candy).  

Then I had another idea.  Get a glass container that HeroPapa can take to work.  At the factory, over the summer months, the employees have access to unlimited Gatorade (saves a bundle!).  But he has always have to bring empty plastic soda bottles, in the past.  Yes, a glass bottle would be a much better gift, because it could be repurposed and last a longer than a day.  So I got this glass bottle, and the silicone cover is in his favorite color (teal) to boot.  Then I bought store brand jellybeans (one of his absolute faves), and filled up the container :)  Total Cost: $14.99 (bottle), and $2 for two bags of jellybeans, plus tax.

~ Food.  HeroPapa got to have a nice big steak.  A rarity since I neither cook - trust me, you don't me in your or any kitchen haha! - nor eat much meat (I'm like 98% vegetarian <-- because I do eat the occasional hot dog, and that's debatable how much meat it actually has, and sometimes chicken nuggets for those long hours on the road).  Plus, our kitchen seems to smoke up fairly quickly, and between my asthma, and Sidekick's still developing system, the idea of grilling steaks just didn't seem in the card - until today :D  Opening up the patio door, using the oven and stove (since we don't have a grill), and being very careful about the direction of smoke, we were able to avoid any issues; which resulted in HeroPapa having a nice big meal (though he forgot to buy the steak sauce for himself, oh oh).  Total Cost: nothing extra, because it was included in our weekly grocery budget.

~ Outing.  NONE.  Between church, extended family, and my insistence of family days (since he works nights, we are on three different schedules in this apartment - especially since poor Sidekick is still waking up several times a night), so I schlepp my poor husband around for hours so we can spend quality time together during the few hours out of the day, that we aren't all tired.  And add the fact that on Friday we moved a TON of stuff into storage (we can finally use the other side of our living room now YAY), the other last minute surprise was not.having.to.go.anywhere. *technically we needed to get a few more grocery items, but I figured we could skip it for one more day (so long I got to dip into his food stash).  He readily agreed, and HeroPapa got to spend the day in pajamas :)

~ Sidekick.  No Father's Day would be complete with our amazingly awesome Rainbow Baby.  He snuggled with us both (for the first time in a long time, because he's been getting really independent lately), and while he was reclining in my arms, he kept looking up and following something in the air.  I asked him if he saw angels . . . but now I wonder if it was his big sibling checking in on us from above <3  Our son also showed his Papa some support (and who really runs this house sometimes), by wearing a "Daddy's Hero" onesie with his shorts and socks ;)  Our little Sidekick will be an amazing Hero sooner than we think (i.e. baby to child to teenager to *gasp* adult!)

So finally, here's a collage of our day (click to make bigger), feat. HeroPapa and Sidekick, and a shot of his new glass water bottle (the Gatorade will taste so much better, than in those old plastic soda bottles!).  And the card with three pictures of Sidekick and Papa (and one small one on the back of just Sidekick).  And of course, the steak :P

Hope everyone has a blessed Father's Day <3

Seven Months

Oh gosh, it's already been seven months?  Maybe it snuck up on me so fast, seeing as I didn't get the pictures sorted out till the 19th of May, for the previous month!

Well either way, onto the good stuff, shall we?!

(Be aware, there's A LOT of information below ~ so if you just want to see pictures, scroll all the way to bottom for a total of 103 images: fun fact, the last image is just from yesterday :D)  But first, the basic info! 

Six Months EDITED

Click "Read More" to see the full post :D

Five Months

Five months!  Me-oh-my, the boy is getting big :)  

(Please click "Read More" to see a nice summary of the month, and just how much Sidekick is changing!  Also, this post features (at the end of the huge wall of text) 102 pictures . . . whoa :P  But considering I was able to whittle that down from 466 taken this past month, that's pretty good :D  As always, click to make the collages bigger!  EDIT: forgot to add that all pics are in chronological order - save the first collage which was taken two days ago - so you can really see how he grew/changed over the month.  Enjoy!)

One Year Old Today

This is my comfort in my affliction, that Thy word has revived me ~ Psalm 119:50 (KJV)

This post is about my Angelbaby, and the loss of him or her.  Please click "Read More" to see the entire post.

Four Months

Three Months

Hi everybody!  Sorry I'm late on the update,  I literally thought it was the sixth today . . . being indoors for so long has totally messed up my days.  Or maybe it's just the infamous mommy-brain.  What's worse, is that I look at my phone several times a day, and still, I thought today was the sixth: wow.

Anyways, on to the good stuff! (make sure to scroll to the end to see a gazillon pictures)

Click to make bigger :)

The image reads: 
     + latest nickname is "Chunky Monkey"
     + sleeps seven hours at night, sometimes more!
     + has found his thumb :D
     + loves to sit up and explore
     + babbles all sorts of vowels and chuckles
     + prune juice is a gift from God
     + is outgrowing everything

Who does he look more like?

Well in case anyone was wondering - here are some easy ways to tell: baby pictures of everyone! :)

HeroPapa as a baby                   Sidekick in the middle                     HeroMama as a baby

Still a little hard to tell, but we think he looks like us both: he's got Papa's eyes, ears, forehead, fingers and toes - and Mama's nose, lips and blonde coloring . . . though of course, we also noticed a striking resemblance to another famous baby ~

Edward the IV  and Sidekick ... hm, maybe we got some royal ancestors ;P