3 Months Old

Sweet Emmy Kay, my little Doodlebug, I cannot believe you are 3 months old. You are growing into such a little person with such a cute personality. I can't get enough of you, I could just gobble you up. {And with those munchalicious thighs, it's awfully easy to be tempted!}

So what's up with Emily this month? Welllll, first things first, we'll talk about sleep. I praise the Lord everyday for giving me such an amazing sleeper. I was honestly so nervous about how I was going to function with a baby waking up every few hours. How would I take care of Brookie in the morning? Go to work? Do basic math?!? But since Emily was about 2 weeks old, she's been sleeping for at least 6 hours straight. She has her times when she wakes up once in the middle of the night for a dream feed, but lately she has been sleeping from 10p to when I have to wake her to eat at 7a. And then she's back to sleep until 8 or 9. It's heaven I tell ya. People at work are always asking me how I do it with 2 so young & then going to work, aren't I exhausted?!? The answer is no. I sleep very well at night. {Oh sweet Moses, please don't let me be jinxing myself here!}

Her colic is doing MUCH better, thank goodness. She still has her fussy moments, but it's not 30 minutes of continuous screaming every evening. I felt so horrible for her, I know her belly was bothering her. I cut out some, not all, dairy and I think that's helped as well for her sensitive tummy.

Weight wise, I'm not so sure. Her next check up is at 4 months, so we'll know for sure next month. I wanna say she's at least 14 lbs, my lil Chunkaroo. She's wearing 3 months and some 3-6 month clothing and has moved up to size 2 diapers. My girl loves her boob juice and is still doing great with breastfeeding. {Did I mention that I have still yet to get her shots?!? I'm dreading it, but I know there's a clinic this evening so we'll more than likely be making our way over today :(}

Yessss, she's still in our room with us. And still being swaddled. I have a feeling though with her sleeping so well & growing so fast, she'll be in her crib in her room within the next month. She breaks free of her swaddle me every night & she has about thiiiiiiiiiiiiismuch room left in her bassinet to grow so it's time :(

Emily is so so so close to rolling over from belly to back. She hates tummy time, but I try to at least get it in everyday. Brookie loves to cheer Sissy on as she teeter totters back and forth on her belly & tell her "Roll Emmy, Roll!!", it's adorable. Speaking of adorable, Brookie has now started calling Emmy her best friend. {Everyone now...."Awwwwwwwwww"} It absolutely melts my heart. The girls are really starting to interact now playwise. Emily will sit in her bumbo chair (pics will soon follow, it's so cute!) and Brookie will sit in front of her. Brookie giggles and shows her toys and Emmy just grins and stares at her. As a Mommy, there is nothing better than seeing your 2 children love and smile at each other. It makes everything so worth it.

Happy 3rd Monthday, Emily!!! I (along with everyone else) absolutely adore you, sweet girl.

Your 3 Words

~*~Emily Kay~12 weeks old*~* and introducing her best friend *~*Olivia Jane~1 week old*~*

My best friend made me an 'aunt' again last week & I couldn't be happier that our lil clique is complete! Yesterday Emmy & Livi finally got to chat it up face to face instead of womb to womb...

and I couldn't help but have flashbacks when I saw the 2 of them together. Took me back to this exact date in 2008. When Kendra & I had our first lil playdate together with our girlies...

Look how yittle!!! Ava is 5 months old here & Brooklyn was 2.5 weeks old. This was the start of such an amazing friendship. For us Mommies & for our daughters. I mean, how lucky could you be to be born with a best friend?!?

I can't wait to watch our 4 girls grow up together.

Scratch that. Yes I can. My babies are growing too fast as it is and well, I have a feeling the older they get, the poor{er} we'll become. Ahhh the joys of raising girls.

YKYAPW

Yesterday Lyndsay and I were fiiiinally able to have a playdate together, after canceling twice due to fevers & once because of a certain grumpy diva toddler. We decided to just take babies so us Momma's could do a little shopping & lunch at Polaris. It was great to be able to go inside a store & not have your child take everything off the rack & scream IT'S MINE!

So we do a little shopping (of course, we bought something for our toddlers instead of ourselves, but the Disney store didn't have our size) and then decided to hit up Steak Escape at the mall. We get to chatting, which was so nice! Do you know how much more interesting topics of conversation are when they don't involve asking a 2 year old if they hafta go pee pee? Mid lunch/conversation, Emmy was getting fussy so I started to nurse her in the food court. I had my handy dandy Hooter Hider, a Godsend to any breastfeeding Momma, and so we were all set for chow time.

Now here's a lil diddy about Emmy Kay. She's a pooper. We're talking at least 6 times a day. And she likes to poop while she eats. Guess she's all about the 'out with the old, in with the new' way of life. I think ya'll know where this is going.

I'm sitting there chatting it up with Lyndsay, whose lil guy Lincoln is fast asleep on her shoulder, nursing Emily, having a grand ol time when all of a sudden I hear Emily explode. It was an unmistakable sound. She bubbled up her back, total blow out. I thought to myself "Ugh! She totally just crapped up her back & more than likely PUTP (any Tori & Dean fans out there will know this reference) but thank God I packed her extra clothes." Then I felt warmth in my lap. Emily was wearing a dress yesterday so when she blew out her back, it blew into my lap. A big puddle of nastiness.

I told Lyndsay "Emily just totally crapped in my lap" and she just started laughing. She, being a breastfeeding Momma herself, knows what breastfed babies poos are like. Not so smelly, but extremely messy. I get Emily all clean while holding my legs together like Fort Knox so poop doesn't get all over the food courts seat (real appetizing eh?), get her a new outfit on, and then try to clean myself up. Of course I was wearing light jeans yesterday so the mustard yellow stain all over my crotch looked positively radiant. Why didn't I think to pack myself a change of clothes?!? Fortunately the stroller hid my crap crotch so there weren't many points & stares. But it was pretty funny, even I have to admit that.

You know you're a parent when you're out to lunch with a friend and your 2.5 month old takes a shit in your lap. Good times....good times.

I Fibbed...

Soooo I told ya'll a month wouldn't go by without another house post....and it did. But not by much, just a couple days. I've basically been pissfarting around because A. My living room is trashed on a daily basis after Hurricane Brooklyn hits and B. I'm not completely satisfied with our living room. Granted we've only lived here for 4 months, but there's some things I'm hoping to change in the next year or so. And I'm getting so many great ideas from the other blogs on Kelly's page, where she's doing her "Show Us Your Life" rooms edition again =)

Befooooooore. {Shudders}

And After.

This is the view from the dining room (and I took these at night. Usually the curtains are open & we get alot of good light in here.)

Can you tell we have children?!? And there's Emmy Kay swinging away :)

The view from the kitchen. Aaaand there's the ONE thing I cannot wait to get rid of...the carpet. Ugh! The color, the random stains, it's all very very bad. There are natural hardwood floors underneath this nastiness, but with youngins I like having carpet. Tax return season cannot come soon enough!

There ya have it. I think our bedroom is the last pics....expect them around Halloween though.

Your 3 Words

Let's Go {insert team name here}!!!

As most of you know, since I've mentioned it in every post since September 1st, I love fall. It's my favoritest time of the year. And what's fall without football?

We're a Buckeye lovin family!!

I love how these lil shirts  turned out.

And I'm not a professional football fan. Living in Ohio, we've got the Cleveland Browns and they aren't much to write home about. Or you've got the Cincinatti Bengals, and we're pretty much anti-Cincy soooo I just root for Dustin's team. The Miami Dolphins.

And so did Brookie & Emmy on the Dolphins opening day.

Dustin has been waiting for.ev.er for Brookie to in this lil cheerleading uniform. Over 2 years to be exact....he bought this the day we found out Brooklyn was a girl in May 2008. Only he bought it in size 24 months lol

Did I mention that Emily is giggling now?!? She just started this past week & it is one of the cutest sounds I've ever heard. So girly & squealy. It makes me giddy.

You can play along too!

I can explain...

Sorry for my lack of posts, but this week has been bizay! Last Friday I met with my OB who offered me a contingent position at his office (I figured since I gave him a lot of business these past 2 years, I owed it to him lol) so I started training last Monday. This was supposed to be my last week of maternity {WOW those 12 weeks went so fast} but I'd rather train a couple days this week then have to train & go to work in 1 week.

Anywho, I really love working there (so far.) I got into nursing with the intentions of working OB. At first I wanted to be a maternity ward nurse, and I very well might try one day, but with having 2 young children I like the office atmosphere. No weekends, no holidays, 1st shift with set hours, it's a Mommy's dream.
What's great about this office is I know these ladies that work there and being recently pregnant myself, I can relate to these women. I even caught myself having belly envy a time or two! Who doesn't love a round belly with a popped button? *Take note to those thinking I've gone bat shit crazy~~>we're on the two & through boat....we think. At least for the next 4 years.* I missed my girls like CRAZY though, which makes me realize how grateful I am to only work part time.

So Monday was spent training and Tuesday I had plans with my friend Lyndsay to take the girls and her adorable children Amelia & Lincoln, to the mall and playground. Then the wrath of Brooklyn was set ablaze. I have no clue what's gotten into this child, but the tantrums have been extra ear piercing lately. I don't know if she thinks because she's hit the ripe age of 24 months that she has an excuse with the 'Terrible Two's', but somethin's gotta give. I spent 30 minutes trying to get her dressed with her ripping off everything I put on her. I bribed her with cotton candy & gummi bears, she threw herself to the ground and screeched so loud all the neighborhood dogs came running. I gave up and had to cancel. Bum city.

So Tuesday was spent indoors with Brooklyn who sported a diaper on her butt & a rats nest on her head. And with Emily who just stared at Brookie like "What's this chicks deal?"

Since I'm training at the OB office tomorrow & Friday and I officially go back to work on Monday, I considered today my last day of maternity leave. I wanted to get outta the house & spend the day with the girls. I asked Brookie what she wanted to do today with Mommy & Sissy and she told me Shopping! So we all got dressed (sans tantrums, but with gummi bears) and headed out for the day. We hit up Old Navy, who has a baby sale going on but it was sooo picked over in stores, and Target. The girls scored some new fall clothes and I scored....well, nothing. The life of a Mommy, especially of a Mommy with 2 girls.

So there's my excuse for not posting this week. I'll get back in the groove of things once we settle into a routine.

Until next time.

Your 3 Words

You can play too :)

This week's Y3W

Brooklyn's Birthday Party!

Brookie's 2nd birthday fell on Labor Day this year, so we decided to have her party on Saturday the 4th so we didn't interrupt anyones holiday BBQ's. Now, it always always allllllways rains Labor Day weekend here in Ohio and I was a Worried Wally. Not only did we invite almost 50 guests (ALL family) but we planned on an outdoor party in our backyard. So if it rained, we'd be craming everyone into our living room, dining room, & kitchen. Not the most spacious.

Well, it didn't rain. But it was SO windy & only about 65 degrees out. I wasn't complaining....Okay I was. All my balloons were flying away :( But we did the best we could to decorate for Miss Cakes' Minnie Mouse party.

So decor wise was simple, giiven the crazy winds

Mouse ears for all the kids.

Food wise was also simple. Burgers, hot dogs, pasta salad, chips, and my Grandma brought her delish Corn Flake cheesey potatos. And Dustin's Grandma brought her awesome hot bean salad. And, of course, we had cake. I absolutely LOVED her cake.

Half chocolate, half white, with yummy buttercream frosting. And her little hat "smash cake" was vanilla with black fondant (which, contrary to most opinions, tasted pretty good....at least Brookie thought so.)

Outfit wise, the credit goes to my mother in law. She made Brookie's beautiful dress. (I'm always telling her to open an Etsy shop...but I know I'd be bribing her to let Brookie & Em wear all her creations.)

Too bad it was chilly out & Brookie had to wear a cardigan because the bow & smocking on the back was gorgeous.

I got her "Brookie" iron on here and her ADORABLE Minnie ear clippies here. Of course, both are from Etsy.

Favor wise. Well, that's a touchy subject. I had initially wanted to make what I made for her party last year; Brookies. Half brownie, half chocolate chip cookies, completely shamazing. But then I found a cute Mickey head cookie cut out & thought Rice Krispie treats would be easy to do. Ya...they weren't.

Okay, first things first. They look adorable, no? I loved the 'Thank You' stickers.

But they were a bitch to make. A bitch that took me 3 hours to make 32. (I intended on making 48 & gave up.) Here's what happened. I used the right amount of butter, marshmellows, & cereal. But they were sooo sticky. I couldn't get them to hold any shape. So I thought I'd freeze them on a pan & then use the cookie cutter dipped in hot water to cut them. And that worked well. So I packed them up, which took forever because they were defrosting and sticking, and put them in the fridge. I was so proud of my creativity.

Then at the party, my sister in law gave me the low down. They tasted like crap. I tried one. They did.

Squishy. Ew. I was bummed!!! Next year I'm goin back to my beloved Brookies.

Present wise.....let's just say this girl can be on the naughty list this year because she is SET! She got sooo many cute gifts

including a couple favorites....

Her "Ariel Motorcycle"

Scooter (yep, my MIL made that dress too!)

Dora table. And her new beloved LuLu.

and her baby & buggy.

Our family is so amazing. Thank you all so much for coming to celebrate our BrookCakes turning 2!

Here's some more of my favorites from Brookie's special day =)

*Best idea ever---bubble machine! Thanks Momma!*

Grady & Cambria arrived in style.

My FAVORITE!

<3