E turns TWO!

Happy Birthday, Elliot! In celebration of our little boy turning two, we spread the fun out over several days. On Friday, Dr. M took him to his first gymnastics class (fun for both of them). Saturday morning we took a family outing to a local coffee shop/breakfast place, the farmers market and a stroll along the river walk where E loved playing in the splash area. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and very little humidity. That afternoon, while E napped Dr. M and I gathered things for his birthday celebration and spent the evening assembling toys (I assume this won't be the last time we're up late putting toys together). Sunday, August 28th, E woke with an early birthday gift of foam letters and numbers (his fave) and played with them while I made breakfast (pancakes and bacon) and Dr. M set up the back yard. After eating his "2" pancake E looked out the back window and noticed all of the toys and ran around demanding we "go out back." His face lit up when he saw the backyard transformed into his very own play space. A new basketball hoop, sand/water table, tricycle, sprinkler, wagon, baby pool and balls. We even wrote "happy 2nd birthday Elliot" on the patio in sidewalk chalk. He was SO excited. The whole family sat out back and played together (even Harper) and enjoyed the nice weather. While I put the finishing touches on his Super WHY! cake, Dr. M grilled hotdogs and corn on the cob for lunch (E's fave). After his nap we opened presents, sang "happy birthday" and ate cake. Grandma K even joined us for the whole thing via Skype! Though we were the only ones present for the party, his grandparents were very generous with amazing gifts (yard toys, gift cards, Children's Museum membership and college fund donations, just to name a few)! Overall, I think we all had a blast. Though he went to bed early (sugar crash) he loved playing with his new letter toys in the bath. We even had leftover birthday cake for breakfast the next day ;) It was a perfect family day.

Backyard fun with his new toys!!

The cake, presents and even a Bama football balloon (dad's idea).

Listening to us sing to him and thinking about what to wish for...

Our big TWO year-old :)

Harper enjoying the festivities too!

2 Months!

Our little girl is now 2 months old. She's still the most beautiful little girl we've ever seen (yes, we're a little biased). She still has amazing light blue eyes and her hair appears to be blonde, though it's hard to tell since she has very little (except for a long, dark patch at the crown of her head). She loves to sleep, but unfortunately it's mostly during the day. I'm still getting up several times at night to feed her, but we're working on this. She's been suffering from silent reflux for weeks now and we've been trying to cure it naturally, but have just started meds (Zantac), which I think are already helping. The reflux seems to be pretty painful for her and actually have caused her to not have much of an appetite, so we hope this will help increase her weight as well. I'm still nursing (and loving it) but have cut dairy and soy from my diet, as I think it was also upsetting her tummy. We met with our new pediatrician here in T-town last week for Harper's 2 month check-up. Overall, she said that H looks good, but we need to increase her weight, so I'm meeting with a lactation consultant next week to make sure she's eating enough and we hope the reflux meds increase her appetite. Her next check-up is in two months. She developing right on track though. She can hold her head up and does grea with tummy time. She smiles at us and even coos. She swings at her toys loves to kick around. Though not very fast, I still love watching her grow and change each day.

2 Month Stats:

Weight - 10 lbs 0 oz

Length - 22 3/4 in

Head - 15 in

4 generations of women

While in Columbia before we moved, Great Grandma Watt "GG" and Aunt Kaps came to visit us and meet Harper for the first time. We now have four generations of women in our family! So special!

Great Grandma Watt "GG," Great Aunt Kaps, Me and Harper (E too)!

Alabama!

Well, it's official, we're Alabama residents and the only ones down here without an accent! We've been here for about two weeks now and feel like things are really starting to feel like home. Overall, the packing and move went over without any major hitches which is great considering all that we were juggling. Dr. M handled all the moving logistics and I handled the babies. We also had a ton of help from friends (who made us dinner every other night for over two weeks before we left!) and grandparent's who helped with the kids and packing. I really don't think we could have done it without their help. While Dr. M and my dad drove the cars and dogs down here, the babies and I had a nice long visit with lots of friends and family in Columbia. After all of our goodbye's were said, we headed to the airport. Getting two kids (a 22 month-old and 5 week old), car-seats, stroller and luggage through the airport could have been a logistical nightmare, but with the help of Grandma K, we managed to make it without any major problems. In fact, E thought the whole thing was pretty exciting! It was the first flight for both kids and for me traveling with kids. Thank goodness it was just a short hour and fifteen minute flight. When we landed Dr. M and my dad were there to greet us with a sign that read: "Andrea, Elliot and Harper, welcome to your sweet home in Alabama!" Considering that this was my first time to the state of Alabama, I was surprised that it looked similar to southern Missouri (except for the bright red/orange dirt). Even the temperature has been similar for this time of year - hot and humid! The new house is much more spacious than our previous home, which is really nice. We've worked really hard to get it feeling and looking like home, but feel like things are coming together. I think we've eaten more fried food in the past two weeks than I have in years. A waitress at a local restaurant said "it's not good unless it's fried" which I guess explains a lot. That being said, we've had some pretty amazing fried okra, fried green tomatoes, grits and something called buttermilk pie (which I've never heard of). The best part of living in the south, however, is the friendly people. Dr. M says that I will fit in really well since everyone here "takes their time doing things and is very outgoing." Tuscaloosa was hit by one of the worst tornadoes in the state's history about 3 months before we moved here, but the damage is still profound. It's just amazing to see in person. It ripped through the heart of the city and about a quarter mile from our house. The city is working hard to rebuild and clean up, but as you can imagine, it's going to take a while. We're looking forward to football season to begin, which I've been told is a "religion" down here. The students and staff are starting to return to town as school starts in just a few weeks. In fact, today was Dr. M's first day of work. I still can't believe we're Alabama residents, but sure it will sink in when it's November and still 80 degrees outside. We're excited to begin this adventure together, as a family of four...roll tide!

E helping to unpack!

The first thing I saw when we got off the highway in town.

Tornado damage - so devastating.

E's first flight and new airplane toy!

All three of us, ready to start our new adventure in Alabama!

23 months

Everyone always says that children are resilient, but our little boy really is a trooper. He's been through so much this month with a little sister coming home and a move cross-country. He's taken everything with such stride and settled in so well. He thinks packing and unpacking is super fun with all the boxes and packing material around the house. He's not sure, however, about his little sister always being around though. He loves to tell us when she cries, is sleeping or needs her pacifier (such a helper!). He loves all the new places we've taken him. His favorite may have been his very first flight a couple weeks ago. He thought the whole experience was so cool. He still loves to count (to eleven now!) and sing his ABC's all around the house. He also knows all of his colors well. His favorite activity recently is probably coloring with crayons and sidewalk chalk, painting with water or drawing with pens. His dexterity and precision is amazing for someone his age. He holds the pen so well and takes coloring very seriously. So far he's colored on the couch, wall, back door, curtains and even our bed sheets. He's still obsessed with watching Caillou and Super WHY! which we DVR on a regular basis and own on DVD. He communicates so well which continues to amaze us and even strangers. It's crazy how much his little head retains and his mouth repeats - we call him our little parrot. He's so sweet and such a great little boy. He's so loved.

So grown up!

Fishing for the first time with Grandpa and Dad!

Peek-a-boo at the park near our new house.

Coloring, very serious.