No Post Apology

I hate that it's been almost two weeks with no post! At least I have some good reasons for that...

Last Monday, Zach left to go out of town. Something has to go wrong since he is out of town, right? I was about to think nothing would happen because he was coming home Tuesday morning, but then at around 9pm Monday night, Ellie woke up screaming. She had been making a few noises here and there, but I didn't think anything of it. This noise I knew something was not right and went immediately to her room to find throw up all over her and the bed. Yuck. I had to give her a bath and then cleaned everything up. She ended up going to bed with me at around 10:30p, but was up every hour somewhat throwing up.

I wasn't sure if Ellie was actually sick because the next day she acted normal and had no other sign of illness. Zach and I were headed to Colorado on Thursday morning, so we drove to my parents house to drop the kids off on Wednesday. Wednesday night we realized Ellie must have had a bug because low and behold Zach started throwing up. We decided to still make the trip to Colorado, but poor Zach was sick the whole day. It was awful. I thought I was just a trooper with an amazing immunity to this stomach bug, but found that wasn't the case on Friday. Friday morning I woke up with it. Super. We found out later that day that my dad had it and then that night, Ainsley had it.

Zach and I tried to enjoy the rest of our time in Colorado, we got back home late Monday night. Now we are finally better and back to our home sweet home. I'm hoping to update the blog soon, although we barely took any pictures in CO.

So here is my apology for the lack of posts. Thanks for being understanding :)

Ellie Counting!

Ellie can now somewhat count to fourteen! She starts at one, two, skips three and four, then counts the rest. It is so cute and we are so proud! We tried to get a video of her counting while playing hide and seek, but she got distracted when daddy wasn't hiding like he's supposed to. We did get her counting some of it though:

Ellie Talking to Ainsley

I baby talk a lot more with Ainsley than I did with Ellie, I think I'm just more comfortable with it now. Ellie has learned this baby talk, and will also speak to Ainsley this way. It's very cute watching her talking and loving on her sister. We have caught her doing some naughty things such as sitting on Ainsley a lot more recently. We definitely can't leave them alone together!



I love how she says "pictures" as soon as she sees the camera. She also stops her baby talk as soon as she notices the camera rolling. Oh well... I think one day she'll love being on video, she definitely loves attention.

Ainsley 3 months

On Tuesday, the 16th, Ainsley turned 3 months old! It's hard to believe she's already 3 months, but yet at the same time it's hard to remember life without her. She has been such a blessing and joy to us, especially me. I've already noted the differences in looks between her and Ellie, but there are also some differences in personalities I already notice. Ainsley LOVES to be held and to cuddle and notably prefers mommy over anyone else. Ellie wanted to be laid down if she was tired. I remember at this age, Ellie fell asleep on Zach one afternoon and we were so shocked. Ainsley falls asleep in our arms at least once a day. It's nice having a little cuddler :)

We don't have a monthly check up this month, she'll have one at 4 months. She is still a little chunk, and I'm guessing she probably weighs between 14 and 15 lbs. Here is what she can do:
-holds her head up very nicely
-sits propped up on the boppy, in the bumbo, or with some pillows
-holds tight to objects and my fingers
-smiles when you talk to her or just when she looks at you. We have started putting her in the high chair at lunch and dinner time, and she always has a huge smile on her face the whole time. I think she loves being included and chatting with the family.
-laughs pretty much every time she smiles, she is such a happy little girl
-sleeps 11-12 hours every night! We have had one night in the past month where she has waken up to feed, I think we have only had 1 other night where we just put the paci in and she was fine. We don't have a strict schedule, but she usually wakes up between 7-8:30a and goes to bed around 7-8p. This is just so awesome, how am I so blessed to have two great sleeping babies??
-feeds 5-6 times a day, every 2.5-3 hours
-likes to chew on her hands and fingers, but is not sucking her thumb like we thought she would. She barely takes a paci... the only times she does take a paci is when we put her in her crib to sleep or are trying to soothe her to sleep.
-napping well the past few days, but was having a very hard time before then. Last week and this past weekend was really hard on me because she kept crying a lot due to being very sleepy. I had a hard time figuring out when she gets sleepy, she doesn't seem to rub her eyes a lot and she'll just go from laughing to screaming in seconds. I've been trying to put her down when I think she should be sleepy and that has helped.
-I've been really slack at doing tummy time, but when I have put her on her belly the past week she can lift her head completely up and look at you. She also will do superman and kick her legs. She lasts about 3-5 minutes before she gets fussy usually.
-loves the ceiling fan, books, and Ellie. She just stares so wide eyed with the biggest smile.
-wears size 3-6 month clothing and size 2 diaper

I wish I could write a schedule, but with the time change it's been very inconsistent. She has been sleeping much later, so that throws things off. I'm going to try to post one soon when I feel like we have more consistency, just so I can have it for my records. I have a feeling though, that once I get a consistent schedule (lasting about a week), it'll change. They just change so much, so quickly.

I've definitely been completely exhausted, I felt this way last week, and this week with the time change it has definitely been difficult. Having two under two is definitely taking it's toll, but I'm accepting that this is just what comes from having young kids. I'm trying to cherish every bit of it and really enjoy each moment. I definitely didn't really milk the moments with Ellie as much as I should, I always seemed to be looking for the next thing. So this time I'm going to be different, and I'm going to enjoy each stage with both of them (at least I'm going to try really hard to).

I really can't believe I have two daughters! Ainsley is just the cutest thing ever and I simply adore her. I barely know this little one, but the love I have for her just overflows my heart. It's amazing how much love you can have, and it's only a glimpse of God's love for us.

Ellie Learning to Video

Ellie loves taking pictures and taking videos with the camera. We're trying to teach her how to hold it. She has learned how to say smile, which comes out "sam-el" (listen for it in the video, she says it multiple times). I think she's telling the toys on the exersaucer to smile.



This next video is just hilarious to Zach and I. We had no idea she was taking a video, but just found this while watching all of them. What's really funny to us, is this is what she does when we tell her it's time for dinner and she's playing (she runs around and then finally comes when the table is set). It's just funny to see her run with the camera room to room. I guess she knows that dinner is never really "ready" until a few minutes later, usually when mommy says it.

Ellie Jumping off Daddy

I was gone one night helping out in a campus outreach at Meredith college. This is what happens when mommy's not around:



Ellie really has been in this "jumping off things" phase. She'll try jumping off stairs, couches, tables, rocks, even her toys or mommy's computer. She's getting braver and braver each time, which is rare for Ellie. If I was home I would have informed Zach that she would probably get hurt doing this, not sure if he thought this too and just let it happen (although he usually is way more protective than I am). I like how Kayla is there supervising.

New Accent Wall

With our tax refund, we have decided to make some repairs and renovations to our house. First we decided to repair some of the water damage we had from last year (we had already fixed the problem, just not the damage). The water leak came from our chimney, so it only affected one wall in our living room, the fireplace wall, and the ceiling. Zach and our friend Uriah, painted the ceiling on Saturday. So on Sunday we started working on our wall. Our living room is our biggest room and is connected to the hallway, so we were really dreading having to paint it all. That's when I decided why not do an accent wall. Great idea! We picked the color green, our accent color in the living room. Got some samples at Lowe's, painted the wall with the samples, chose the color, then started painting! I LOVE IT! It is a great color and adds so much to what was such a blah room. What do you think?


Next, the carpet then maybe the master bath?? Oh boy...

Spring is Almost Here!

We are so excited and happy that warmer weather is finally here! We have been enjoying it and have played outside for many hours. We also get to see some beautiful colors coming out of the ground, we have daffodils blooming! Here is the first bloom at our house (I think even in our neighborhood), however we now have many that have bloomed. We love it!

We spent Monday afternoon/early evening at Womble Park. Ellie had so much fun playing on the playground, especially since her best friend Addison came along.

gotta love these smiles:

Ellie really likes riding the horse:

Ainsley wasn't too excited:

She found a doll at the playground (lasted about 5 min):

Warmer weather has also been followed with longer naps. Everyday this week Ellie has taken 3 hour naps, I love it! Ellie used to take naps this long, but not since Ainsley was born. I'm thinking it might last since we'll only be playing more and more outside (especially when the pool opens). I just love warm weather!!

So Different

It's crazy how different our two girls are! The other day I had to go to the next size in clothes for Ainsley (3-6 months), she is growing like a weed. (I do feel like she has stopped growing so fast and will stay in this size for a while). There is hardly anything Ainsley can wear because almost all of Ellie's clothes from 0-6 months are summer clothes. I did pull out a long sleeve onesie of Ellie's. Ellie wore the onsie at 5 months. Here's the pictures to compare:

Ainsley is definitely a tad bit bigger than Ellie, but surprisingly not that much bigger. I know that they start slimming down a lot after 4 months, I think they also start to look a lot cuter. One thing Ainsley has on Ellie is her hair, I just love how much she has and how long it is! Ainsley's hair is almost as long as Ellie's is now, and Ainsley will let me put bows in it and put it up (hehe). Another difference between the two is the eyes. Although they do have the same color, they are very different shapes and both very beautiful. Now the cheeks on Ainsley, we'll have to see if those ever disappear, but Ellie definitely had some cheeks at 9 months. Not sure why they came so much later.

It's surprising how different they look, but yet how beautiful they both are. I thought that it might be hard because Ellie is just so darn cute and always has been, and that I would never think our next baby would be as cute as Ellie. I was wrong, I absolutely adore Ainsley and think she is precious. I do compare the two, but with them being so different, they each have their individualistic cuteness (like that wording?). It'll be fun to watch them both grow.

Busted Lip

Zach went out of town this morning, so of course something had to happen. The day was going great, Ellie took a 3.5 hour nap, it was a beautiful day, and everybody was happy. Well we went to the park for a walk and to play, when we got back that's when it happened. I was feeding Ainsley and Ellie fell and busted her lip. Then they both were crying...

Ellie handled it pretty well, it was bleeding pretty bad. No stitches necessary though. Here are some pics of her nasty boo boo.

She's crying not because she's hurt but because she wants dinner.

She was quite the poser for mommy as I took a picture of her boo boo, hence the smile.

Funny Weather

I'm not sure if you remember last week(it seems mostly a blur to me), but one day it was in the 60s and then the next day it snowed. I was super excited to finally be able to sit outside and feel the sun on my skin, and Ellie was also excited to finally be able to go outside barefoot. She absolutely loved just picking the "flowers" and throwing them. I cannot WAIT until spring finally arrives... I think it's almost here. I see some 70 degree days in the forecast!

Monday (March 1):

Tuesday (March 2):
It snowed. Ellie wanted to go out and play in the snow. Yea, that didn't happen. She wouldn't even step in it and I wasn't about to stay out there in the cold (I'm over the snow now, still like to look at it... do not want to play in it unless there is a lot of it). She liked just staring at it outside though:
Ainsley was perfectly happy staying inside:

Playing Together

Another week of no posts, so sorry! I've really been struggling with energy this week. I'm not sure if it is recovering from Zach being gone or because I'm coming down with something again. I should probably go see the doctor, this is the third time I've had a hoarse throat and cough this year! I hardly ever get sick, but I've sure been down with something more this year than the past 5! Ha...

We've definitely had some great moments this week. I'll be posting over the next few days some of them, so come back to check them out! Today you get to see some pics of Ellie and Ainsley playing together. Now that Ainsley is a lot bigger, I'm a lot more willing to let Ellie be around her without me being right there. I will lay Ainsley on her play mat, and Ellie usually comes and lays right next to her. They will stay there hanging out for at least 10 minutes usually, this is great because they entertain each other and I'm able to get ready for the day (since I'm not doing great at all about waking up early). I was able to get some shots earlier this week of them on the mat. Ainsley is loving the mat, especially when her sister is right next to her. You can just see it on her face how happy she is, she's such a happy girl!



I just have the cutest kids, don't I??