HOLY COW!! 6 MONTHS!!!!!

I just can't believe that Ethan is really 6 months old already! I get all weepy just thinking about how quickly he has grown. It is incredible watching Ethan and Abby grow and learn new things every day.

Abby's favorite things right now are: yogurt, playing "tea party," building castles and towers and tunnels with blocks (and then knocking them down), playing "monster" with Daddy, and playing with play-doh. She also loves to sing songs, read books, and mix (cook) with Mommy. She is amazing and brilliant and funny, and I love to smell her sweet little curly head.

Ethan is doing great too!! Our little man is rolling over both directions, and in fact is always on his belly grinning ear to ear when I get him out of his crib in the morning. He loves teething biscuits, wagon wheels, and his TOES!!! Changing diapers takes forever these days because as soon as I get his diaper off, he grabs both feet and starts cramming his toes in his mouth!! It is so adorable. A few nights ago in the tub he discovered SPLASHING!! My oh my, he is in heaven. He thinks it is the funniest thing in the world! He is getting pretty good at scooting around on the floor, and he is well on his way to crawling.

We decided to take advantage of a cool, overcast morning here in Houston by having a morning picnic at the duck pond.

So apparently I am lazy, with a HUGE baby

Usually when I go to get Abby out of her crib in the morning I am greeted with a cheerful "Hi Mommy!!! Good Morning!!!" But not this morning. This morning I was greeted with "I wanna go bye-bye with Mommy!!!!" You see, I had to water the front yard this morning, which meant throwing some clothes on so that I didn't have to run around my front yard in pjs. Normally I would just throw on some shorts and a t-shirt, but today I decided to go all-out and just get ready for the day. Abby is so used to seeing me in either my pjs or lounge-around-the-house clothes that she of course assumed that dressed like this I MUST be going somewhere!! Ahhh, nothing like the innocence of children to point out my laziness. So it looks like we are getting out of the house today!

In other news, I took Ethan to the pediatrician on Tuesday for his 4 month check up. My little chunk weighs 17 lbs. 12 oz!!! That puts him in the 97%ile for weight!!!!!!!!!!! He is about 3 1/2 lbs. heavier than Abby was at 4 months, but sadly, he is about a 1/2 in. SHORTER!!! The Dr. said that we could begin solid foods, and Ethan is enjoying rice cereal twice a day now! :)

Bueno Dia!!!!

This is what Abby cheerfully said to Carmen this morning!! Then she turned to Ethan and said "Bueno Dia Ephin." That kid is So.Stinkin.Cute!

So, did I tell all of you about my little garden? I am growing myself a few vegetables, and apparently they don't know about my black thumb! I am so excited! It looks like I might really have tomatoes!!

Can you believe that Ethan is 4 months old already!?! I realize looking at him it looks like he is 6 months old! Look how my sweet boy is growing! It is so fun watching him grow but so sad at the same time. The babyhood goes by so quickly that I just wish I could hold onto each of this precious moments forever!

Poop & Jam

Man, I always hate when I have gotten away from blogging for too long. There are always 100 things that I want to discuss, but that would make for a really long blog entry. So instead, I am going to skip over all of the stuff that I want to discuss from the past few weeks and hope that I will be able to cover them later in detail.

Instead, I would like to brag about my Betty Crocker moment!! On Sunday we went to a farmer's market right next to our house. While Greg and I were wandering around, Abby got into a bag of strawberries. The ladies behind the counter were laughing, but I was so embarrased! I offered to buy the bag, but they told me not to worry about it....until I looked in the bag and realized that she had taken a bite out of a dozen or so strawberries and then put them back in the bag!!!!!! So I insisted on buying this giant 4 lb. bag of strawberries. Luckily they were bruised strawberries (strawberry rejects?) so it only cost $1.50!

Once we got home, I had no idea what I was going to do with this huge bag of strawberries that were on the verge of going bad. So, I looked up a recipe for strawberry jam, and that's what I made!! It was really fast and easy, and it tastes great! But I have waaaayyyy to much jam now!

The other fun story I have to share happened today. Some days being a stay-at-home-mom is the most rewarding job on earth, and then there are other days that are....less....rewarding. Today was one of those days. Ethan was jumping in the jumperoo in the living room and all was well with the world until Abby said, "Mommy, Ephin made a mess!" And I look over and see this...

If all you saw in the top picture was a cute, happy baby, LOOK CLOSER!!!!

What does it say about me that the first thing I did when I saw what happened was to run and grab my camera?!? I figured the poop wasn't going anywhere, and I have to document this for later for when Ethan brings his first girlfriend home! :)

For the record, Greg does not endorse this post nor does he support the use of the pictures.

8 Hours!!!!!!

That's how long Ethan slept last night!!!! I couldn't believe it! Of course I didn't get that much sleep last night though! Since he decided not to wake up in the middle of the night to eat, I had to pump. And then starting at 6 am I checked every 5 minutes to make sure he was still breathing! Isn't that crazy? I couldn't wait for him to start sleeping through the night, and then the first time he does it I'm afraid that something is wrong with him. And when he FINALLY woke up he was in such a great mood. He was smiley and giggley. Gosh I LOVE being a Mom!

Abby at 3 months (look at all that hair!!)

Ethan at 3 months

Abby in the jumperoo at 3 months:

Ethan in the jumperoo at 3 months:

And...Abby in the jumperoo this morning :o)

Ethan is 3 Months Old Already!?!

Where has the time gone? My babies are getting big too fast. Ethan's babyhood is just flying by. He has had so many nicknames in his short 3 months of life, and the latest is...scooter! That's what he's been up to the past few days. I put him down on his little playmat, and when I walk back in the room a few minutes later, he isn't on the mat anymore! The first time it happened, I thought I was nuts. I figured that I just hadn't had my coffee yet, and that I didn't put him all the way on the mat. Nope, I'm not crazy, he's just a little scooter!! And he laughed for the first time last night, while I was drying him off after his bath! Oh my God, it was the cutest laugh I've ever heard. Ethan has so many rolls, I swear! I just want to nibble on his delicious chunky thighs! :)

And here is a random photo of Greg, fast asleep with Abby's baby doll, and a video of Abby singing! Enjoy!

My Baby Girl is 2!!!!!!!!

Gosh, so many things to talk about!!!

Abby turned 2 on Monday!! We celebrated her birthday at the beach over the weekend with a few family and friends and it was so much fun!! The weather was great, and everyone had a great time! Here are a few pictures:

And here are a couple pictures of the two cakes I made, with the help of Brian & Vanessa (it was a group effort!). The first was supposed to be a sandcastle, but it didn't work out so well. The second is a sand pail cake and it looked pretty cute!

At the pediatrician on Wednesday, Abby weighed 27 lbs. and she is 33 1/4 in. tall. I am just in awe of how much she has changed in the past two years. From this:

To This:

A man of the Cloth...

In an effort to be more green (and possibly save a little green), I have decided to give cloth diapers a try. I have wanted to try cloth diapers since Abby was a baby, but I'll admit, I was a little intimidated. And then overwhelmed by new mommyhood. But this time around I feel a little more prepared. I've had more time to do research and to slowly build up a small stash of diapers in order to give this a shot. As Greg has told me that he absolutely refuses to participate in cloth diapering, it will be part time at best. And I think I will be sticking to disposables when we are out and about, or when we go out of town.

But here it is...our first attempt at cloth diapers. Doesn't it look like Ethan just loves his Bum Genius 3.0's?? :)

NIAW

In honor of National Infertility Awareness Week, I wanted to do my part by offering a shameless plug for one of my online blog-friends' book. It is titled, Navigating the Land of IF, and it is available in stores TODAY!!! I haven't read it yet, but now that it has finally hit the shelves, I intend to run out later today to get my copy!

Now that I am a happy, busy mother of two, my every thought isn't consumed with my infertility. But it is still very much a part of who I am, and it is the "where I came from" that has contributed to the "where I am now" and "where I am going." I never wanted the burden of infertility, but because of it, I learned a lot about my inner strength, the strength of my marriage, and the strength of my faith.

Melissa is the author of not only the book, but a brilliant and funny blog about infertility and mothering. It is one of the first blogs I stumbled across after our infertility diagnosis, and her blog really gave me the support I needed during a tough time. I will add a few of my favorite infertility blogs to my sidebar in case anyone is ever interested in checking them out. There is also a link to more info about Melissa's book in my sidebar...so check it out!

My Little American Idol

Abby is always wandering around the house singing. The girl LOVES to sing, and it is so stinkin' cute listening to her. But of course, as soon as I pull out the video camera, she stops singing, and I am left singing alone, which no one wants to see or hear! But finally last night I pulled out my camera while she was singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" while we were all hanging out in Ethan's room. So, here she is, my future American Idol....

Extreme Couponing

So, I have a new passion. I have become completely addicted to couponing. I have found several couponing websites and blogs and I have dipped my toes in the water, and I never knew how much fun it could be!! I love to come home and show Greg all the stuff I got, and then tell him how little I paid for it. And I love when the store actually pays ME to take the stuff away!

So, being the silly blogger that I am, I actually took a picture of today's trip to CVS. I spent $10.01, and got back $13 to spend next time. So, essentially, CVS paid me $2.99 to take all this stuff away!!

So here's what I got:

• 2 Dreyers Maxx ice cream-16oz.
• 1 Garnier Fructis spray gel
• 1 Viactiv 60 ct.
• 4 Visines
• 2 Gerber stage 2 mixed fruit
• 1 Huggies Clean Team wipes
• 2 Maybeline mascaras
• 2 bottles All small & mighty
• 2 Colgate wisps
• 3 boxes Hello Kitty band aids
• 3 packages of Mentos gum
• 1 Dora birthday card for Abby

I got back $10 in Extra Care Bucks for the Visine, band aids & Viactiv; $2 for the spray gel, and $1 for the mentos gum!

Ethan's 2 month Checkup

So, I completely forgot to tell you all about Ethan's 2 month well-baby visit!!! He weighed 13 lbs. 7 oz. which puts him in the 90%!!!!!!!!!! He did a great job getting his shots. Greg was able to calm him (and me) down pretty quickly afterward.

And...his first smile! April 1 he gave us his first adorable gummy grin, and he's been doing it ever since! And he is cooing so much now. It is so cute to hear his sweet little voice!

On Friday night I dressed Ethan in real pjs instead of the gowns he has been wearing for the past 9 weeks!! He looked like such a big boy. I can't believe how quickly he is growing!

Where has the Time Gone???

It's hard to believe that our sweet baby boy is already 2 months old. I remember from Abby's babyhood that the time flies by quickly, but this time around it seems to be going by at record speed!

I can't believe that it has been 5 weeks since I last posted. It certainly isn't for lack of things to write about!! A lot has happened in the past 5 weeks.

I've thought of a million things to write about...if I only had the time. If I had the time, on the 18th of March (the day after my last post), I was ready to write all about Ethan's first month of life, and how much he had grown, and how much I could already see his sweet little personality coming out. In that first month he had already met both his grandmothers, one of his grandfathers, his Uncle Brian, Aunt Vanessa, and 3 of his 12 cousins. He had just celebrated his 1st holiday (St. Patrick's Day), and we had already given him so many nicknames!! I wish I could have written all those things and more, but it didn't seem that there was any time left in space on that day.

Instead, only hours after that last post, I learned that my amazing and beloved grandmother was not well. Time feels like it sped up and stopped at the same time from that moment on. My grandma was reunited with her husband on Friday, March 20. I know that she was ready to go, but it really hurt to say goodbye, and still the sting of it all lingers, and sneaks up at strange times and in odd spaces. I have really great memories of her, and she knew and loved Abby & Ethan very much. I hope that someday I am loved by my grandchildren as much as she was loved by hers.

By the time Ethan was 5 weeks old he had met his other grandfather, his Aunt Erin, and way too many other relatives to list. He also experienced his 1st plane ride. He also got to experience the beach for the first time! He slept just about the whole time, but Abby had a blast. She loved the sand, and I will never forget the memory of walking along the beach her, collecting shells and rocks along the way.

Last weekend was Ethan's first trip up to Dallas. It was strange driving into town, remembering that the last time we made that trip was before Christmas, when we were just a family of three. For some reason, Dallas felt different to me this time. Maybe because no matter where I've lived, for me, coming to Dallas has always felt like coming home. But now, for Ethan, Houston is the only home he has known. It will always be his birthplace. I wonder where "coming home" will be to my children as they get older.

Saturday was an AMAZING day. It was a day to celebrate Ethan. Niki did an incredible job putting together the most perfect Sip-n-See ever. The decorations, the food, the company, the gifts, the hostess-----all amazing. I feel honored, and so lucky to have such a great friend who would throw us such a great party. It was really great to see all my friends and family, and I was so excited for everyone to meet my little (not-so-little) man!! It was also a really special opportunity for me to finally meet Kevin's wonderful girlfriend, Heidi. Not only beautiful, but warm and kind too!! I'm so glad that fate brought you to Dallas, and I can't wait to spend even more time getting to you even better Heidi!!! :)

Easter was so much fun! Abby really embraced the Easter egg hunting, and she had so much fun playing with all of her cousins. Ethan enjoyed his first Easter, and he got in a picture with every single one of his cousins! Heading back to Houston on Sunday afternoon was bittersweet. It was nice to come home to our own bed, but gosh I really miss our playdates with Niki, Brayden, and Alexander. And I miss hanging out on my sister's patio, talking non-stop for hours while we watch the kids jump on the trampoline. And I miss reading the paper and drinking coffee with the girls on my mom's patio, and I miss birthday parties, and family gatherings at Kay's house, and a million other great things about home. It makes me homesick for sure.

But luckily, we brought back a small piece of Dallas with us, in the form of germs! In all the excitement of the weekend, Abby managed to pick up a cold, and ear infection, which she has kindly shared with her baby brother, and now ME (serves me right for always nagging her to SHARE)!! So this past week and weekend has been quite a snotfest, and now that she is on antibiotics, a poop-fest as well (I won't gross you out with all the details, but lets just say that there are couch cushions in my washing machine right now).

Whew! That should bring everyone just about up to date...I think!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Last year...

And, this year...

What a difference a year makes!! Looking back at the pictures of us at the St. Patrick's Day parade last year, I can't believe that one year ago today was Abby's 1st St. Patty's Day!!! She was 10 months old, no teeth, and couldn't walk yet. And now look at her! Exactly one year ago today was the iui that resulted in my ectopic pregnancy, and today I am holding a handsome baby boy. It is amazing how much can happen in one year, and just how fast time flies by! We are feeling especially "lucky" this year!

In other randomness, I walked by Ethan in his swing earlier to find that Abby had given her sleeping brother one of her baby doll's pacifiers. Too cute!