Theodore Paul : 1 month old!

Hard to believe that just 1 month ago I was impatient and in so much pain, praying I would be meeting my sweet baby boy soon!  This month has been a perfect mix of slow and snuggly days on the couch, complete with lots of coffee and episodes of Gilmore Girls on repeat and lots of outings and adventures to avoid cabin fever. I'm especially thankful we got out a lot in the first few weeks because the weather has been cold and crappy lately and we've been trapped inside.

We have Theo's 1-month checkup on Monday so I won't have stats until then but man oh man this boy has grown! My parents and sister comment every time they see him how much he's changing and I notice it even though I'm with him all day every day.  His little head is clearly growing and his hair can't keep up so he is hilariously bald on top right now.

We are getting more awake time out of our boy and his cries are getting much louder when he's hungry. Thankfully that's about the only time he cries, or when he's overtired, and otherwise he just quietly observes or snoozes away.  Theo is a total snuggler and prefers to be held or in the carrier over his car seat. He pretty much despises his car seat right now and isn't too interested in a pacifier yet so we try to keep car time to a minimum unless he's asleep.  I love this carrier- so easy to put on and get Theo in and allows me to do the dishes, cook, or go on walks, etc. while he happily relaxes. I even gave Duke a bath in the sink one night with Theo in the carrier- the ultimate multi tasking tool!

Lastly, I am so happy to report that breastfeeding is going so well with this nugget. He eats like a champ and it's totally pain free on my end at this point. I love the convenience and the bonding more than anything!  He usually wakes up 2 times at night to eat, with a 4 hour stretch in the beginning and 3 after that. I might feed him around 10p, 2a, and 5a and then he's up for the day at 8a. Not every night is the same at this point but I think we're working our way into a more predictable schedule.  He sleeps in our room in the Rock n Play and I love having him within touching distance + I basically latch him on and lay right back down to close my eyes so it's easier for me to fall asleep when he's done eating.  I really struggle when I don't get enough sleep so this piece is always a priority!

We are loving life as a family of 4 and constantly trying to find a balance that works well for all of us. We know Duke thrives when he gets solid one on one attention so the evenings are always a constant tag team between Dennis and I, shuffling the boys around, playing, eating dinner, baths (not every night) etc. We know things change quickly at this stage so we aren't getting too attached to any specific schedule except for bedtime for Duke {and me if we're being honest!}.

Theo makes life sweeter and we are so happy to call him ours!  I don't want to rush a second but one thing I am so excited for are the sweet baby smiles! We've seen a couple so far but I can't wait for them to become a more regular occurrence.  For now, we get a pretty steady stream of "gun show" poses that always make me smile.  

Love you little squish!

-T-

Life Lately

I am coming up on 4 weeks into maternity leave and it has been seriously jam packed!  I am so thankful for a little more confidence this go around to get out of the house.  The first few weeks were so sleep-filled for Theo, and I wanted to take advantage and get some fresh air and stay "busy" so I could try to avoid cabin fever.  My biggest triggers for anxiety/depression tend to come when I'm cooped up in the house too long so the ability to get out has been a big win!

Week 1:

Week 1 obviously involved 3 days at the hospital before bringing our crazy crew home and figuring out life as a family of 4.  Duke has kept his daycare routine as much for his benefit as for mine! He loves daycare, loves his friends, and I just knew he would be bored out of his mind if he was stuck with Theo and I on the couch for nursing sessions every 2-3 hours. I also knew it would seriously limit my ability to get out and do anything because 2 babies 18 months and under is a lot. 

We went to Olive Garden over the weekend with my family, just like we did with Duke on day 5 of his life and ventured out to do a little furniture shopping.  We ended up with new couches and new coffee and end tables and we LOVE them.  Our old couches had survived many years of spills, tears {under the cushion so not visible but made for some uncomfortable sagging cushions} and Capone.  We used to let him on the furniture pre-kids and while we had a great couch cleaner in Colorado, we haven't been so lucky here {plus it gets super expensive to keep up!}.  Anyway, I am obsessed with our new stuff and love how much cleaner our living room is!

Week 2:

We started off week 2 with Theo's 1-week appointment where they informed us he was back up to birth weight {yay successful breastfeeding!} and he had shrunk half an inch.  Just kidding...we're pretty sure the nurse read the tape measure wrong when he was born and he was actually 20.25 inches instead of 20.75. 

We then had 2 perfectly low key days at home before welcoming some awesome visitors!  Theo's Uncle Nick and Aunt Sarah came along with their little boy and Duke's Nonni {Dennis' mom}.  They spent Thursday-Sunday with us and we enjoyed plenty of quality time playing at our house, playtime at the park and a little swimming at their hotel pool.  It was a wonderful visit and we were super thankful they braved the drive with a 6 month old to meet our brand new baby boy and spend some quality time with Duke.  We also had Theo's newborn pictures taken!

Week 3:

We had more awesome visitors in week 3 when my sister came into town from Colorado for a nice long 5 day weekend!  We had wonderful low key days with Theo mixed in with crazy days with Duke, Theo and their cousins Ashlan and Shelan plus my sisters and parents.  It was fantastic!  We celebrated Easter and Theo met most of my extended family on my dad's side.  Theo started to wake up a little bit more this week and we got to check out his beautiful blue eyes and sweet observant face.  He is taking in all the sights these days and checking out his new world.  Duke is thrilled with all the extra time we spend at my parent's farm because it involves LOTS of grandma and grandpa time and constant exploration.

Week 4:

Theo turns 4 weeks old tomorrow and officially will be 1 month old on Friday!  We're finding these days that the evenings are pure chaos, which we both expected.  It's naturally Duke's most difficult time of day because he's worn out from daycare, hungry, extra irritable and craving lots of mama snuggles.  It's also the time of day that Theo wants to eat nonstop.  My supply is lower in the evenings so we cluster feed and I do my best to juggle both boys in my lap off and on for 3 hours. :) 

Dennis traveled to Colorado this past weekend to visit his grandfather who passed away yesterday.  We were so thankful he was able to be there and he spent 3 days with his grandpa at the hospital, holding his hands, and playing Greek music and telling him how much we all love him.  We will miss him terribly- he was such a sweet man and loved his family fiercely.  He lost his wife 2 years ago, though, and has been wanting to be with her every minute since then so I think we're all resting a little easier knowing they are finally together again. 

Sometimes your head grows faster than your hair. Ha!

Always. Moving. Chairs.

My parents were basically at my beck and call to help with the boys while Dennis was gone and we made sure to have lots of adventures and outings over the weekend to keep all of us occupied and happy!  We're happy to have Dennis home for a few days before we travel back to Colorado as a family soon.  So far life continues to be full of love and a whole lotta crazy and we wouldn't have it any other way! Theo fits right into the mix and it's hard to imagine life without his sweet little face.

Hope you all have a wonderful Monday!

-T-

Turning 29

My birthday was on Monday so I felt like we got to extend an already long, family-fun filled weekend which made for an extra special day for yours truly.  Aside from battling an annoying cold/allergy-combo, my birthday was absolute perfection.  I was spoiled with snuggles from both of my boys shortly after waking up for the day and got to spend the day with my sisters and Theo.  Dennis came home on his lunch break extra eager because my present had been delivered and he wanted me to open it right away.  I don't own many pieces of jewelry to begin with, and I've never gotten anything from Tiffany's so I was SO EXCITED when I saw the beautiful Tiffany blue peaking out under tissue paper.  This bracelet is perfection...extra points for the husband this year!

We picked up Duke and my nieces from daycare and headed out to my parents house in the late afternoon.  My family pulled together to whip up homemade chicken alfredo per my request, plus there was wine, cake, and lots of wonderful presents {and the sweetest little helpers}.  I am extra excited to dive into The Magic of Motherhood!  When we got home, we put Duke to bed, Dennis snuggled up with Theo and we watched the latest episode of Scandal and I was in bed by 10:30.  29 is looking good already!

I have always loved birthdays and I naturally find myself reflecting on where I'm at in life when the time comes to kick off another year.  Entering the last year in my twenties feels a little bittersweet, if only because this has surely been {and I imagine is for most people...} the most transformative decade.  Starting off single and in college, and ending being married with 2 KIDS kind of blows my mind.  I always imagined what life would be like when I had a family of my own; a home, a husband, kids, a dog, and I honestly can't believe it's all mine.  It's nothing like I imagined and every bit messy and perfect.  I'm working on a post about life lately with 2 under 2, but so far I absolutely adore our new family dynamic.  We're sorting out how to balance everything and will eventually need to figure out when we'll do laundry or mow the lawn, but so far we're focusing our energy on our sweet boys and making sure they have all of the love and attention they deserve.

Cheers to 29!  I am so ready to see what this year has in store for our little family.  Now, back to Theo snuggles :)
-T-

Easter 2017

We had quite the Easter weekend this year so I want to make sure and document it before it's all a blur {time seems to be FLYING these days!}.  My sister Jen got to town on Thursday afternoon so we have had lots of awesome sister time over the past 5 days. We even sent Duke and my nieces to daycare on Monday so the three of us could soak up baby Theo time and actually have conversations with each other that involved full sentences. 

Anyway, back to Easter! There was an Easter egg hunt that the care center in town puts on Thursday at 5 so we all met there and prepared for 3 rounds of egg hunts! Duke was in the first round and I was shocked he knew what was up right away.  He was spotting the eggs and didn't want to wait for the "Ready, Set, Go" direction so by the time it was finally said, he was taking off!  He had his own little section just long enough to get 6 eggs before kids started swarming in and picking them up faster than we could get to them.  Regardless he loved it and tried to participate in both of the older kid rounds that quickly followed his.  Once all the kids were finished, we loaded up and headed downtown to a new restaurant and dug into 27 {seemed like it anyway} different appetizers/shareable plates of food.  Sliders, giant pretzels, dips, etc were passed around and washed down with some yummy beers on tap. 

 

Friday was all about more family time and hanging out with our crazy crew.  We played and took the kids to the library in the afternoon for a change of scenery and different set of toys and distraction.  We made breakfast for dinner at my parents house and tried to get the kids to bed at a decent time since we knew it would be a long weekend.  Dennis had to work on Saturday morning as usual and I had a baby shower to go to, so I got the boys ready and loaded them up in the stroller for a walk downtown to the shower location.  I am so thankful we leave just a few blocks from downtown and was able to break out our double stroller for the first time!  Duke is obsessed with going on walks right now and the weather was just right.  He continued to play in the stroller nearly the entire shower and Theo was passed around to lots of different family members who were anxious to meet him.  Afterwards we went to my sisters and did another egg hunt for the little ones plus some egg dyeing {Duke lasted about 6 seconds before I switched him to fake eggs and water}.  We filled his eggs with animal crackers and yogurt melts since we learned on Thursday he wants to open up all the eggs and immediately eat whatever is hiding inside.

We were up for the day around 7:30 on Easter Sunday which left us plenty of time to get the boys breakfast and baths before putting on their Easter outfits.  We opted for super cozy for Theo since I assumed he would only be a week old at this point, but honestly, I hate putting babies in anything resembling real clothes {aka uncomfortable fabrics} until they are much older!  Duke was killing it in his bowtie and suspenders again this year but we totally missed the boat on finding Dennis a matching ensemble.  Goals for next year.  :)

After a pretty successful, minimal tantrum church service, we met up with our extended family at my aunt and uncles house for lots of delicious food, more introductions for Theo and another egg hunt which was definitely the highlight of the 3.  There were a TON of eggs and Duke was able to take his time walking around and finding some hidden especially for him while the older kids ran around the yard and collected their own loot.  It was gorgeous out so we all hung out outside and chatted until it was time to retire home around 3 for naps all around.  We grilled out at my parents later that night and had a relaxing evening after a jam packed few days. 

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and beautiful Easter celebration!  The weather here has been absolute perfection so we've been trying to get outside and enjoy it as much as possible.  Sunshine = happiness in my book! 

Happy Tuesday :)

-T-