Love/Don't Love

Today, I don't love...

- My post-baby body

- My hair that I haven't cut since before H was conceived (yes, I'm serious)

- That H's pediatrician hasn't called me back yet

- The anxiety I feel about her last appointment

- My feeling of anxiety, in general

- That groceries are so expensive

- The cockroach I found running around in the dog food bin this morning (yuck!)

- That I forgot to make coffee this morning

- That I accidently erased ALL of our recordings on our DVR last night

- That it was easier for me to think of the things I "don't love" about today rather than the things that I "do love"

Today, I love...

- That E didn't even shed a tear when I dropped him off at school

- That Dancing With the Stars is on tonight

- The beautiful, brisk fall weather this morning and being able to wear a light jacket

- That I'm excited about the new soup I'm going to make for dinner tonight

- All the stares and comments I get when I wear H in my sling

- How E runs up to me and hugs my knees when I pick him up from school

- That H finally had a dirty diaper after 2 days without (only a mom will understand this one)

- That Dr. M said I looked "cute" this morning

- The motivation I feel to eat better and run again

- The time I have to myself, while both babies take a long afternoon nap

- Hearing H giggle at me
- Breastfeeding

- My babies more than I will ever be able to express

I love how actually typing this out gives me such perspective on my day.  I ran across this idea on a blog that I really enjoy reading and it inspired me to give it a try.  I'm glad I did.  I suggest trying it and see what you come up with....

Fall weather!

Fall is my most FAVORITE time of year!  I love the cool weather, the beautiful trees, pumpkins and the smell of cinnamon.  October, November and December are my favorite 3 months.  This time of year makes me want to bake cookies and have soup on the stove all day.  It also makes me want to get outside and enjoy the beautiful weather, take walks, go to fall festivals, eat apples, and  go outside to the park with the kids.  Though it's hotter here this time of year than it is back home, we're still doing all of the aforementioned things.  And I'm love, love, loving it!

Me and my babies at the park near our house!

How cute is this?!  It was such a beautiful day at the park.  The weather was perfect!

E loves collecting the fallen pecans and throwing them in the fountain.

Sunday, all 4 of us went to the Kentuck Art festival.  It was a beautiful morning together!  Did you notice that Miss Harper sitting the big girl seat in the stroller?  She loved being able to look around. 

E got his face painted for the first time.  He did great until the girl showed it to him in the mirror and he quickly wiped it off!  This is what remained of his red Alabama "A"... 

Harper's favorite place to be, the sling.  I get so many comments when I wear her like this.  It's like people here have never seen a sling before.  I love using it when we're out and about so she can nap (esp at the grocery store) and both of my hands are free.

Four Months!

Little Miss Harper is 4 months old.  That means it's been almost three months since we moved down here, which I can't believe.  She's changed sooo much in just the last month.  She's holding her head up well and loves to sit on my lap and watch her brother and the dogs.  She smiles at everyone (even the mean nurse that gave her shots today).  She squeals in excitement and loves to babble at her toys and grabs her toes.  She's actually growing some hair (still light and blonde).  Her eyes are still a beautiful, bright blue.  The biggest change, I think, is that she can roll from her back to her tummy and chooses to sleep that way!  Speaking of which, she sleeps great!  Seriously, this girl loves her beauty rest.  She sleeps about 10-12 hours at night and takes two long naps.  I've been working on this.  I scheduled her second nap to be when E sleeps, so I can get some alone time (woo hoo!).  She has also become quite fond her of her fingers.  In fact she sucks on them (mainly the middle two) all the time.  This is bittersweet for me.  It's nice because she can soothe herself back to sleep and in the car when I can't reach a pacifier...but I'm worried about not being able to take a finger away when she's older like we can a pacifier.  Oh well, we sucked our thumbs and turned out just fine.  She's been on her reflux meds for about two months now and is doing great.  I still hear the reflux, but it doesn't seem to bother her.  She's  nursing great and we're still using cloth diapers!  Overall, she's a sweet, happy baby.  She's growing and developing perfectly (though the doc seemed to think she's not gaining enough weight...but I'm not going to worry about that right now because she seems perfect to me)!!

4 Month stats:

Weight - 11 lbs 14 oz (15%)

Length - 24 1/4 in (40%)

Homecoming

Last weekend was the University's homecoming.  Like everything down here that has to do with football, it was a pretty big deal.  Though the evening started with a couple cranky kids, we decided to brave the crowds on the quad to attend the festivities.

First was the pep-rally on the steps of the main administrative building in the quad.  The band, cheerleaders and dancers performed for hundreds of people standing around watching while university administration and football staff revved up the crowd.  

As you can imagine the pep-rally wasn't very exciting for a two-year-old, so we squeezed through the crowds to the big open field where he could run around with others his age while waiting for the bonfire.    Needless to say, the bonfire was the main attraction!  Our whole family enjoyed it.  It was HUGE.  The fire department lit it with giant blow torches.  The crowd had to stand back at least 50 feet, but you still feel the immense heat radiating from it on the cool evening.

The fraternities and sororities pair together and create these floats for the saturday afternoon parade but they display them in front of the sorority houses (on "sorority row") the night of the bonfire.  They were pretty impressive. 

 Some were made out of the traditional tissue paper pom-poms, but many were made with these little balls of tissue paper (I had never seen these before). The detail was amazing!

 We didn't make it to the parade or game on Saturday because we were busy picking up Grandma W from the airport and spending time with her instead.  Totally worth it!!!  We had an amazing time with her.  Plus, we've got many years to come for UA homecoming.

   

Preschool!

Our baby boy started preschools this week!  I can't believe it!  According to Dr. M, "this is just the beginning of a looong road, since he has to have his PhD before he's 30" (like his dad, of course).  Monday was E's first day.  We dressed him up and even bought him a new little backpack (for his diapers, a change of clothes and sippy cup).  He fussed a little when we dropped him off, but the staff quickly distracted him with the letters on the rug (he's obsessed with letters).  He was super excited to see me when I picked him up, but even more excited to see his sister "baby Harper" (too cute!).  His teachers, of course, had rave reviews about him and couldn't get over how "smart" he is, which made his mama beam.  His school is at a local Presbyterian church on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 am -12 pm, which means that Harper and I get some needed "girl time" for a few hours and I'm able to run errands again.  E's little mind is like an sponge, absorbing everything around him. Dr. M has been working with him on several iPad apps for reading, counting, drawing and the states, but the solar system is by far his favorite (he knows all of the planets, in order, and is obsessed with a set of planet books from Grandpa D.)!  So, he may not be "academically" challenged at preschool, but he'll do things that we don't do as much at home like crafts, music and socialization; enrichment things I think he needs.  I can tell this will be SO good for all of us - me, Harper and especially E.  Plus, it feels good to have a schedule of some sort again and makes having two babies seem a little more manageable.

Balance...finally

I finally feel like we've found some sort of balance.  Needless to say, our life is chaotic with two dogs and two kids, but somehow, in the midst of the craziness I feel like we're starting to figuring things out.  We've been down here for 10 weeks now (who's counting?), have a handful of "mommy" friends and have spent our weekends together, as a family, exploring our new city.  It feels good.  Things are starting to come together.  My previous post (entitled "personal") was not only emotional, but also truthful.  It felt good to get those thoughts out, but they also stirred up some concern from friends and family.  In the three weeks since I made that post, I really feel like things have changed.  Harper has been a much happier baby since starting her reflux meds and is sleeping through the night (woo hoo!).  I've also started her on a regimented nap schedule, which happens to be at the same time E sleeps in the afternoon, so I have some much needed time to myself.   The three of us are getting out of the house more during the day (as my confidence builds) and I've been going to the gym everyday (at 6am, but, hey, at least I'm going).  I've also hit the three month mark post-pregnancy/nursing which means my hormones have leveled out (and I've started losing my hair).  I realized, however, that I was missing my creative side that so badly needed to exercised.   So, I've been inspired to start a sort of "craft" blog!  It contains recipes, craft projects and my thoughts (not so baby centered).  I'm excited to share it with you all soon, but am still in the process of getting it started.  E starts preschool on Monday, which will give little Harper and I more one on-one-time, provide all of us with a weekly schedule/routine and give me time to work on crafty goodness!  Overall, I feel content and balanced and loving this beautiful fall weather (my favorite time of year)!

Bath time at the Moen home!

Tailgate!

We had a great family weekend!  Grandma K arrived on Friday (our second visitor since we moved here - Aunt Sarah came in August).  She hadn't seen any of us since helping with the move in July.  It was a much needed and welcomed visit.  It was nice to see a familiar face.

We had a weekend full of plans that started on Friday when Dr. M and I went to a dinner sponsored by the Dean and Grandma K stayed to babysit (woo hoo!).  This was the first time we've left Harper with a sitter (poor Grandma K - H was a bear!).  It was nice, however, for the two of us to get out, have adult conversation and couple drinks together.  

Saturday started with french toast at home, Bama t-shirt shopping and then we all piled into the car and headed to campus for the Alabama vs. Arkansas game!  Parking was free but it was at least a mile from the Quad.  I wore Harper in the ring-sling and we loaded E into the stroller.  Campus was crazy!  I've never seen so much red and so many tailgating tents in one spot before...and these people know how to tailgate!  They all had tents, defining their space and keeping them out of the sun, tons food and beer.  Some even had portable satellite dishes with flat screen TV's running on generators so they could catch the pre-game shows. 

  The Quad was FULL of tents and people, every where you looked all you could see was red and tents.  We made our way through (barely) stopping to let E play in one of many giant bounce-house play-things set up for families.  

Decked out in our Bama red, we finally made it to our tailgate.  It was also sponsored by the Dean, so we enjoyed a catered lunch, indoor bathrooms, large fans and even a small jazz band.  After eating we hoofed it back to the car with two tired and hot kids.  We watched the game when we got home and then all of us took a nap.  Needless to say, we took it easy that night, put everyone to bed early and relaxed.  

Sunday we went down to the River Walk and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  E played in the splash fountain and we strolled around before going to Dreamland BBQ for lunch (Dr. M's fave - and a first for the rest of us)!  

That night we put the little ones to bed early and enjoyed a movie together (we hadn't seen a movie together since before H was born).  Grandma K left this morning, but plans to be back in November.  We're looking forward to our next big game day adventure with some good friends for the big LSU game.  Roll Tide!!

Personal

So much has happened in our lives in just a matter of a few months.  In the almost 10 years that Dr. M and I have been together, a lot has happened.  It's been a roller coaster of emotions recently.  A surprise pregnancy almost a year ago was the beginning of the crazy ride (little did we know).  Just 9 months later we found ourselves as a family of four and moving cross-country.  What is it about me being pregnant and us moving?!  So, here we are.  In Alabama. We said good-bye to our friends and family and are living in a city where we literally know no one.  Dr. M was fortunate to receive an offer from what he says is  his "dream job," and I'm still staying home with the babies.  It's been about 2 months now and can't tell you how much I miss my family and friends right now.  I've never lived this far from home and I miss my mom, who I haven't spent much time with in the past 6 months.  I just don't feel like we've found our "groove" down here yet.  I still get lost in this city, don't know where anything is or the best way to get there and having two kids just makes everything harder.  I also forgot how hard it is to have a newborn.  The crying, sleeplessness and guessing games are starting to wear on me and Dr. M.  A friend said that moving made her and her husband's relationship stronger, but I'm not sure that's the case for us.  We have very little time for just the two of us.  Financially, this move has almost cost us our entire savings and we're left living pay-check to pay-check.  I feel helpless not working and so wish I could do something to help, but Dr. M assures me that staying home and taking care of the kids is the best job for me right now.  I miss working so much.  I miss the social outlet, the adult conversation and the feeling of importance and accomplishment.  Can't believe it's been 2 and half years since I've worked.  I've either been pregnant or nursing for the past three years (and I plan to continue nursing for at least anther year).  I recently (yesterday) started running at a local park and enjoy the time to myself in the morning, but feel exhausted the rest of the day and my legs feel like jello.  I've met some other moms, who are great women, but can't help thinking that the only thing we really have in common is the fact that we're mothers.  To make matters worse, several weeks ago we found out that a dear family member is very ill which was an emotional shock to all of us.  Despite the way this all sounds, I'm optimistic that this city will be great for us in the long run...I'm just anxious to get to that point.  Right now, I'm trying to live my life one day at a time, tell my family how much I love them, be the best mother and wife that I can and stay as positive as possible.  I started this blog as a way for family to keep up with our lives but I'm not sure who actually reads it.  I like to think of it as an online journal and baby book.  A place to record our milestones.  I love looking back at past entries about the babies and our lives and see what I was thinking and feeling.  That's why I'm adding this post.  Not for sympathy, but so I can look back years from now and see how far we've come!     

3 Months!

Our little girl will be three months in just 4 days.  Our pediatrician doesn't typically schedule three month well-check visits, but she wanted to do a follow-up on Miss H to check her weight and ear.  About two weeks ago I noticed yellow drainage and a foul smell coming from H's ear (poor little thing), so we saw the doc who confirmed (what I had already diagnosed on Google) that she had an ear infection, so we were sent home with some ear drops.  At her two-month well-check, the doc expressed concern about H's slow weight gain.  Though she was hovering around the 25th percentile, she had dropped from the 50th in just a few weeks.  This was a hard thing for a nursing mother to hear about her baby girl, but in the back of my head I knew she was going to be fine.  My mother always told me that I was a long and skinny baby and it turns out that's exactly how Miss H is growing.  Her weight at this appointment was acceptable (she gained 11 oz and grew half an inch in three weeks) so her pediatrician didn't seem concerned anymore.  Overall, the percentile doesn't matter, it's the growth that matters to me.  Harper looks bigger, more alert and cuter every day!  She smiles all the time, swings at her toys and has been discovering (staring) at her hands.  She's been eating well and is sleeping in her own bed, waking just once at night to eat.  Her eyes are still beautiful blue and her hair is starting to grow (kinda).  She's a content baby.  Happiest when in my ring-sling or my arms, a mama's girl. We've also been using cloth diapers full-time, which I'm also really excited about! I love watching her grow and develop.  Can't believe it's been three months already!

3 Month Stats:

Weight - 10 lbs 11 oz (25%)

Length - 23 1/4 in (50%)

Hair cut

Well, I did it.  I cut E's hair myself.  He was way overdue for a haircut.  Though the curls were adorable, his bangs were almost in his eyes and the back kept getting tangled.  He put up a little fight, but we strapped him in his booster chair in front of the TV and bribed him with animal crackers.  He did great and I have to admit, so did I!  It's shorter than his first hair cut, but he looks so cute and grown-up.  Well, guess I'm officially the family barber...Dr. M, the dogs and now E.  

2 year check-up

Last week we took E to meet his new doctor and see how he's measuring up.  All 4 of us made the trip, which was crazy with a 12 week-old and a 2 year-old.  Thank goodness there are even numbers of adults and children, because we both had our hands full, between filling out new insurance forms, H fussing/eating/sleeping and E tearing everything off the shelves and out of the drawer in the exam room (why they're not baby-proofed, we have no idea).  He threw a fit when the nurse tried to measure his head, but didn't shed a single tear when she pricked his finger for blood-work.  He wouldn't open his mouth for the doc to see his teeth, but was and angel while she listened to his heart.  He didn't want to be weighted or measured, but loved the sticker they gave him.  Overall, the doc said he's a "typical" toddler and looks great.  He's tall and thin just like his parents.  She was also very impressed by his verbal skills.  The greatest concern that we addressed were his food allergies (which are still all dairy and nuts).  We plan to start a relationship with a local allergist, but aren't too concerned at this point because we're able to manage them well on our own.  In fact, he's now drinking soy milk instead of rice milk.  He was given a seasonal flu shot, but isn't required to receive any other vaccinations until he's 4.  I don't think we see the doc again until he's 3 for a well-check. Our next big adventure will be another haircut, but I'm going to try this time.  Don't worry, we'll post pics.

2 year stats:

Weight  - 27 lbs, 50%

Height - 36 in, 90%

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.