Summertime

Well, the summer as we know it is soon to be over.  Not that it's getting cooler by any means, but school will be starting in just two short weeks.  Unfortunately this summer has been fairly lame-o.  There's only so much you can do with a newborn in tow.  However, aside from way too much tv, we were able to get the customary swimming lessons in, visits from cousins, a trip to the art museum, and Tommy even made a quick trip to Seattle.  And on these hot summer nights, the kids even got homemade popsicles in their pj's (okay, frozen kool-aid hardly counts as homemade, but I'll take my props where I can).

I just love these sweet faces!  Thankfully Jake has been a little happier lately and we have been able to enjoy more of his smiles.  The kids want to smother him with their love any chance they get, but luckily they know not to mess with a sleeping baby.  However, that means that the minute he wakes up, he has two faces right up in his grill.

Here are my boys!

Just Experimenting

I'm trying to figure out how to make my pictures bigger on here and wanted to see how it worked.

Clean Sweep

Have you ever seen the show Clean Sweep?  You know, the one where they take a cluttered space, clean it up, and redo it?  Well, Tommy's room was in desperate need of a clean sweep.  

Since Jake has been born, I have been in survival mode.  I am not known for having good, easy babies, so Jake has understandably been taking up a lot of my time and energy.  Because of this, I have had to let some things "go."  Well, one of the things to go was my enforcement of Tommy picking up his room.  After 5 and a half weeks, this was the result:

Closet.

This is the view from the doorway.  When I went to check on him at night, I would see this and often opt not to enter his room to tuck him in and give him his customary kiss on the head.

The Corner:  When I would tell Tommy to pick up his room, his solution was to throw all of his toys up in this corner.

Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed posting these pictures.  The rest of my house doesn't look like that---really!

This weekend my boys went to Seattle to be with Tim's family because his parents just came home from their mission.  Yay!  I took this opportunity to get this room cleaned up.  it took 3 days (remember, I'm working with a 2 year old and a newborn here!), but I got it done!

I got rid of an almost full black garbage bag of trash filled with old broken toys and "collections" of paper, wood, etc.  I also got about half a bag of things to donate to Goodwill.  I raised his bed and put more storage under it.  And finally, I got new shelving to keep his toys organized.  Here is the after:

Closet with new shelving.

Ahhh . . . isn't this so much better?

See the corner in the back?  Is it the same one as before?

Now we just need to make it stay this way and I will be able to tuck him in without worrying about tripping over something!

Baby Blue

Jakers is growing bigger and bigger every day.  I can't believe its been over three weeks already!

Two Weeks

Well, it's been almost two weeks since Jake was born, and we're starting to get into the swing of things.  We still haven't ventured much from home, but I'm starting to feel more like a person and less like a zombie.  Actually, Jake has been a pretty good baby so far, and that has been a lifesaver for me.  

Tommy and Hannah have loved him and have been great helpers.  I was worried about Tommy being home for the summer, but he's been such a great helper that although it's been a challenge to keep him entertained, I've been really glad to have him home.

Introducing . . .

Baby Jake

Born: June 1, 2009

6 lb 8 oz

20 1/2 in.

"I really like that little baby"

                     - Hannah

You know you're going to the doctor a lot when . . .

Okay, okay, I know, you get it.  I've been going to the doctor a lot and I'm getting tired of it.  This will be my last post about it, especially since I have only 2 weeks and 4 more appointments left!

The good thing about having all these appointments is not only the peace of mind that comes with knowing that everything is okay, but also the number of times I've gotten to see my baby.  Look at all of these pictures!

Before this pregnancy I never realized just how much the baby does before he is even born.  I've seen him smile, frown, suck his tongue and hand, kick and punch (yeah, I've felt those too), breathe, and blink.

I've also seen his fingers and toes, spine, bladder, umbilical cord, and beating heart.  I've even been lucky enough to see the rolls of fat on his belly, his eyelashes, and the scant amount of hair on his head.  (It looks like we're going to have another baldie!)  

So, all in all, these doctors appointments have been a real blessing.  I've had a lot of anxiety during this pregnancy and being monitored so closely brings with it a lot of peace of mind.

Also, with the anxiety I think I've had a harder time coming to terms with the reality of having another baby.  Seeing him so often has helped him seem more real to me.  

The best moment was after an especially rough few days going in and seeing him smile (can you find it in the last picture?)  As you can imagine, I left the doctor's office in a very different mood than when I went in.

And finally, thank you to everyone who has helped watch Hannah while I go visit my doctor.  You've taken a lot of stress off of my shoulders!