Samantha - 2 months

It's hard to believe Samantha is over 2 months old!  This month brought a lot of changes for Samantha!   Around 6 weeks we started getting real smiles- the best thing EVER!!!  Samantha also started taking medicine for acid reflux, which has made such a difference.  After she would eat, she was never happy, and spit up a ton.  But, since she started her medicine, she has been so much happier.  Samantha is still not a fan of the stroller or carseat, and is most happy when she's being held facing out.  She looks very curious and she takes everything in with her big eyes.  Samantha still loves her sleep (thankfully!), she will occasionally wake up for a feeding at 4am, but usually sleeps straight from about 7pm-7am.  It's not easy getting Samantha to sleep, but once she's alseep, it's all good.This girl also loves her naps, although it can be hard to nap for a long time when you have a two year old sister constantly grabbing at your toes or putting toys in your face.  Samantha eats about every 3 hours, and still LOVES bathtime.

Here are Samantha's two month measurements:
Weight - 13.5 lbs.
Height - 22.5 inches
Head - 40 cm

Samantha met lots of family this month.  Auntie Kara and Uncle Kevin came to visit.  This month was also Samantha's first road trip!  We went to Pennsylvania to my parent's house, and then took a quick day trip down to Virginia.  She met her Auntie Jill, and her great grandmother!

When I originally wrote this post, my grandmother was still alive.  She passed away on September 12, 2015.  I am so glad that I took the girls down to see her when I did.  Even though they won't remember, we will have  the pictures forever. My grandmother loved seeing them and holding them, and Elizabeth still talks about "going to visit grandma".

    Having two kids so close in age is exhausting, but so much fun!  Elizabeth absolutely loves being a big sister and it's hard to imagine our life before Samantha!

Elizabeth - 2 years old!!!!

On August 4th, 2015 Elizabeth turned 2 years old!  The quote, "the days are long, but the years are short", couldn't be more true!  On Elizabeth's actual birthday, she went to camp in the morning, and when she came home we had everything decorated and she opened her presents.  Elizabeth spent the afternoon playing with her toys and then we went out to dinner.  It was the perfect day!

Elizabeth has changed so much this past year.  She became a big sister, talks non stop, sleeps in a "big girl" bed, and is becoming so independent.  Elizabeth has so much personality and it's so much fun to watch her grow, she is always singing and dancing. She is very social, I like to joke at the playground that she is the welcoming committee, Elizabeth says hello to everyone that walks in, and is constantly talking to people we pass on the streets.  Elizabeth loves playing with her friends and absolutely loves Samantha.  Fear is not something Elizabeth is familiar with, she loves the dark and often goes into our closet and shuts the door, and at the playground she is absolutely fearless.  And of course, she is interested in all things girly - she is rarely without a necklace and purse (even in bed)!  Elizabeth is still a SUPER picky eater, but put dessert in front of her that she's never seen before and she will dig right in! Elizabeth knows her ABCs, many other songs, and her vocabulary is great.  She speaks in full sentences all the time - Mommy, what are you doing?  Daddy is your phone charging?  Samantha it's ok, don't cry, we will be home soon.  I want to go to the playground to play with my friends).  Elizabeth always uses her "please" and "thank yous".  A favorite is "thank you so much" when someone does something for her.

Samantha was very impressed with the day;)

Elizabeth, we love you so very much!! You are a little girl now, definitely not a baby anymore, and are so much fun to be around!  We love how sweet you are with your little sister, you are always giving her kisses and telling her you love her.  You have so much personality and are always smiling (most of the time;))!  We are so blessed to have such a sweet little girl!

Samantha - 1 Month!!

I am way behind!  Along with being super busy, my computer bit the dust so I haven't had an easy way to update my blog.  Ipads are great, but not for everything!  Lucky for me, my parents were visiting last week and my dad forgot to take home his laptop, so expect lots of updates until he takes it back:)

We had Samantha's one month appointment last month, and she's doing great!  Her weight is up there, the girl can eat!

Weight: 12lbs. 5.5 oz.
Height: 22.5 inches
Head: 39 cm

Our first month with her was a great one.  Lucky for us, she started sleeping through the night around 2 or 3 weeks old!  Samantha was going to bed around 10pm and sleeping later than anyone else, until 7am! During the day, she is awake for about an hour and a half before she needs to sleep again. Samantha loves to be held.  She HATES the car seat (hates is actually an understatement), but likes the ergo, so luckily I can wear her a lot when we are out.  It is especially helpful when we are somewhere like the playground, I can wear her as I chase around Elizabeth.  Samantha loves taking a bath, she kicks and kicks when she's in there, and would probably be content in there for hours.  Sometimes she doesn't mind tummy time, sometimes she hates it.

Elizabeth LOVES her little sister.  If Samantha is crying, she tries to find a toy to give her, and she is constantly giving Samantha lots of kisses.  It takes us a little longer to get out of the door most days, but we are loving our two girls!

Samantha Grace

On Tuesday, June 9, 2015 we welcomed Samantha Grace!!  She was born at 10:21am, weighing 9lbs 14oz and 21 inches long.  I don't want to forget the day, so here is what happened!  We waited and waited, the doctors told me she would be early, probably born at the end of May, and she came on her own time - 5 days late.  I had a doctors appointment on Monday morning, I was already 4cm dilated and the doctor swept my membranes (ouch and sorry if TMI!).  Monday night I had mild contractions, but nothing too bad, so we went to bed.  At 4am I woke up and knew it was time, my contractions were awful. I woke up David, called the doctor, and we headed to the hospital.  When we got to the hospital I was 7cm dilated, so obviously they admitted me.  All I cared about was the epidural, and the nurse assured me that she was quickly taking care of things so that I would have time to get one.  Finally around 7am I got the epidural (after sending David out to the hall many times asking about the anesthesiologist).  My blood pressure went down to the 70s and I thought for sure I was going to pass out, but once they gave me oxygen, I felt much better.

Around 10am my back started to hurt, and it was time to push.  After only about 20 minutes, out popped Samantha!  I once again thought I was having a boy, but David said all along we were having another girl.  He cut the umbilical and I fed her right away.  After that they weighed her, cleaned her, did footprints and handprints, and the nurse made footprints on David's t-shirt for him to keep.

Later that day, my parents, along with Elizabeth, came to the hospital to meet Samantha.  Elizabeth wanted nothing to do with Samantha or me, she only wanted David to hold her.  Eventually though, she warmed up and was pointing out Samantha's head, feet, and toes.

The next day my best friend, Sarah, and her sister came over to visit me in the hospital.  They were in NYC with family, so it was perfect timing!  David went for a run and decided to run from the hospital to our house (about 9 miles).  He spent the day at home with Elizabeth and my parents came to keep me company.  Of course I don't have any pics of them at the hospital...oops!  That night David came back and spent the night with me again at the hospital.  

On Tuesday, Samantha had to go into the "sunbed" because her bilirubin was a little high.  Luckily, she didn't have to stay the night and we were able to head home by 5:30 that night.

 When we got home that night, Elizabeth was SO excited to see Samantha.  She didn't leave her side.  When I said it was time for Samantha to eat, she went to the kitchen and grabbed her a snack, it was adorable.  Elizabeth grabbed Samantha's toes and started doing "this little piggy went to the market".  It is so much fun to see Elizabeth interact with Samantha.

We feel so blessed that we have two beautiful, healthy daughters!  Life is super busy and a little stressful right now, but so much fun!  Samantha Grace is a great baby and the perfect addition to our family.

Life Lately

I figured since the baby is late (which by the way, I was told by 2 of my doctors to expect to deliver early!), I should take this time to update on Elizabeth.  Happy 22 months (yesterday) to my baby!!!!  Her personality is shining through and she is just so much fun!!
Elizabeth still LOVES her My Gym classes, and she is taking soccer/football lessons on Saturday mornings. She isn't so into soccer, but it at least gives her and David an activity to do together.

David and Elizabeth are Disney's best customers.  Elizabeth can recognize many characters in every store we go into, and of course David loves to stop at the Disney store on his way home from work to bring home "surprises" for Elizabeth.  The same Sophia the First nightgown has been worn to bed for the last two weeks straight - which not only results in my doing more laundry, but also having to reason with a 22 month old in the morning when I get her dressed!  Here is a pic of Elizabeth with her Elsa cup, another favorite, from my dad.  I actually insisted he buy another one to save me from having to wash it multiple times a day.  And yes, gasp, we allow her to eat on the couch sometimes;)

Elizabeth is a true girly girl!  She has to have a purse  with her every time we leave the house.  And now, she LOVES her jewelry.  She loves wearing multiple necklaces and bracelets, and I love it!  Since I can't "do" her hair yet (for obvious reasons;)), this is another way I get to "dress" her up.  She is also OBSESSED over shoes, when we meet new people, Elizabeth has to point out her shoes.  Baby dolls and the Wiggles are also favorites, and she is just starting to get into puzzles.

This girl is also a talker, ALL.DAY.LONG.  Elizabeth has started throwing out full sentences and it's so adorable.  Here are a few phrases/sentences:

• If you ask her if she wants something, and she doesn't, she responds with "No, I'm fine."  
• If she wants something someone else has, she will say "I need that".
• Elizabeth is great at using "please" and "thank you"
• When someone sneezes or coughs she responds with "Bless you"
• Elizabeth thinks it's hilarious to call daddy "David", she knows she shouldn't and gives the most hilarious look when she does it.
• Yesterday Elizabeth tripped on a toy, I asked her if she was ok and she responded with "I'm fine, I slipped"
• "Oh no!" and "Oh gosh!" are phrases she uses all the time
• Elizabeth has also started saying push chair and nappy when she talks to David.  She says diaper and stroller to me obviously, but she just picked up that Daddy calls them something different.  
• Counting to ten is also something Elizabeth does, but for some reason, the poor number 8 gets left out sometimes.  She can also sing her ABCs, but it gets a little jumbled up around L,M,N,O,P.

Elizabeth is a little social butterfly.  She has two best friends, Alden and Ben, that we see almost on a daily basis, and she LOVES them.  Any time we are at the playground, she loves to talk to the "older" kids.  

It is impossible to believe my little baby is going to be 2 in 2 months!  We know she will be a great big sister, and can't wait to see her interact with a younger sibling (if I'm not pregnant indefinitely, which I am beginning to think I might be!).