Jam-Packed Weekend

We had a very busy weekend that had us spending a lot time with family and friends. Now it's back to another week-one that has me scrambling to start getting ready for my classes since school starts 3 weeks from today, summer has gone fast!

Avery thought Spencer needed a swinging buddy and graciously lended her baby to her little brother for company! Note: I don't think I have posted any pics yet of Spencer in the swing...I want to explain that this was Avery's swing, we didn't get him a pink one:) We decided that we didn't need to buy a new one in "boy" colors since hers worked perfectly fine!

Uncle Chad, Aunt Jamie and Cousin Garrett came by to visit us Friday on their weekend visit to Fort Wayne from Indy:)

Avery is becoming quite the little chef these days-I think it's all of the cooking shows she has watched with me since she was born! She goes around saying "I cooking"...she is always mixing something up for us to taste. Here, Garrett is getting an Avery lesson in cooking:)

We were so lucky that Aunt Beth and Uncle Dave were able to squeeze us into their very busy weekend in Ft. Wayne to see us, meet Spencer, and sort of say goodbye on their way to moving to Charleston this week. We never like to say bye to them, just countdown the time in between when we get to see them next. We love you guys so much and miss you being in the Midwest already, but can't wait to head south and visit you at the beach:)

These two are so incredible good with and to our kids...here Beth just had the magic touch and Mr. Spencer made himself quite comfy for a little snooze! (We missed you, Cindy, and talked about the potential reunion of all of us in Charleston next summer!)

Saturday, we took Avery to a splash park for the first time. We didn't really even know these existed in our area until our sister-in-law, Jamie, mentioned one to us. So we checked into it and found out that Ft. Wayne has 6! We knew we needed to take Avery because of her love of water...and sure enough our little girl ran right towards the water, she's so fearless with anything that involves the H2O!!

Splashing around...while all of the other kids were running around barefoot, Avery had her sandals on. She usually insists that she has her sandals on-even when she swims! For some reason she doesn't like the feel of her bare feet on the ground!

Being very animated in telling mommy all about the fun she was having:)

Yesterday we got to enjoy a family birthday party-the weather was so perfect. They had a slip-n-slide, which Avery had not experienced before...she couldn't wait to try it out and get in the kiddie pools they also had set up for the kids. Here, she is taking a break to give the puppy 'kissies'...she seriously loves dogs.

Naked Avery (the terrible parents that we are, we didn't bring her a bathing suit, thus she had to bare all in just a swim diaper), had her first big-girl-swing experience. Once she gets on a swing, you really can't get her off...except in this case because she isn't used to having to hold herself on and let go to point at something and took a face plant:( She was okay, just a little shaken up at what her beloved swing had done to her!!

Pop Pop enjoying some Spencer time, trying to keep him occupied while I was making him a bottle!

My beautiful little girl with one of her favorite things in the world-a balloon:)

Um, do we have a little Mozart on our hands?! How young is too young to start piano lessons??...Aunt Beth, I thought you would be proud:) Seriously, she absolutely loved this and, uh, looked like she really knew exactly what to do!!

We are in trouble! Avery discovered the joys of Power Wheels-Ford Edition! At one point she was riding shot gun with the birthday boy and tried to push him out of the driver's seat saying 'I drive'! Do I see a Barbie Power Wheels Jeep in her future??!!

Here she gets to put her driving skills to the test without competition! She knows what grocery store has these carts and runs right to them...they are pretty nice to have to get to be able to do a quick shopping trip without having to battle her to stay in the cart!

So, we are now trying to recover from a very busy weekend-though it was nice to see everyone:) And just a little Spencer update-I am so happy to report that we are making some progress with him. He has been smiling a bit and cooing a little. We are also getting into a pretty good routine with him and he is sleeping about 7 hrs straight through the night. I have to admit that I cried this weekend while holding him and talking to him as he gave me a smile that seemed to be in response to me interacting with him. I know it's always so great to see your infant hit these marks, but seeing Spencer do this just made me feel so relieved!

Have a great week, everyone! xo, steph:)

A week in random review

So, I am still getting used to being home with 2 kids...not sure when I will actually get used to it...therefore, our lives are filled with randomness and chaos! I am pretty much freaking out about prepping for the two classes I start teaching in less than a month-I've never used either book before so this is completely new! Plus, I'm totally neurotic about Spencer and milestones he's supposed to be hitting. At his last Dr. appointment we were told they would give him a few extra weeks to start doing some of the things he should already be doing before we have to "explore other options" (not sure what that means...). Basically, because he was in the NICU for so long and during such an important time when babies are developing skills, he is behind. He should have been smiling and cooing weeks ago, but barely does it now-though he's starting to more:) I tell you, we may be out of the NICU (four weeks now!), but reminders of that time will never disappear and there will always be lingering effects:(

At any rate, we have been pretty crazy around the house. I can't get a darn thing done or keep the house clean! But, I'm spending some good time with my kids and watching them change every day-literally-and that means so much! Avery continues to be a fantastic big sister. She just has so much love to give her brother (which occasionally includes a poke in the eye!). Avery is also chatting up a storm and repeating everything we say. It is so amazing to watch the person she's becoming. Love her so much:) Spencer's doing alright with being on a schedule. He has been sleeping most of the night-huge plus-but continues to cry a lot during the day. We can't figure out if it's still lingering effects from being in the dark hospital room all day, every day and not having any stimulation OR if he's just an unhappy baby...hopefully, he will become happier to play with his toys or be content to just look around!

Have a great weekend everyone:)!!

Bubble machine + swimsuit = one happy little girl:) She just loves playing with bubbles outside while she's swimming!

Really digging the PB&J this week...she ate almost a whole sandwich-that's a lot for her!

How do you make an almost two-year-old happy? Give her a juice box and Elmo:)

Notice how they both have the same look on their face?? They are already ganging up on me!

Avery really crawled up next to her brother on the couch and put her arm around him...as you can tell, Spencer didn't know what to think about that!

Avery looks so darn grown up in this picture...she's got her two best girls-Tink and Snow White

Spencer is rocking the faux hawk-love it!!

My little man spending some time in the jumperoo already...he maybe gets 10 minutes in before he starts screaming, but it's a start-he really loves to look at the birds that hang over his head.

Such a sweet sibling moment:)

My little princess with her best blankie

This little girl really does adore this little boy...I can't wait to watch them grow together!

Bath Time

...for the puppies, that is!

Yesterday, we enjoyed a beautiful family afternoon in the backyard. We fed Spencer outside while we sat and watched Avery play in her pool. The dogs had a blast playing with Avery and seemed to enjoy the family time as well...until we decided that it would be a great time to give them much needed baths!! 

Artie's week off is coming to an end and I'm going to miss the extra hands. Spencer is spending more time awake and on his back-this is a major accomplishment! Sometimes we forget that he's 9+ weeks old because we've only had him home for 3 of those weeks. He had his 2 month check up Thursday and it's just so hard to be with him at the doctor's. They are constantly concerned about hernias because of his surgeries and honestly I'm just so worried there will always be something! He had his shots and what a difference from Avery! He barely cried...but I think that's because he must be a pro by now at being poked with needles. He is up to 10lbs. 8oz. now, which is great (up from the 10th percentile to the 25th)! They are also so concerned about him gaining enough weight and making sure that he's absorbing enough nutrients...ugh, the things that are of concern when your infant goes through major bowel surgery:( Our next step will be to see the surgeon for another check up in 3 weeks and hopefully Spencer will be put on regular formula...with that comes a lot of watching to make sure his bowels can process the new food, and extra check ups with the pediatrician for weight checks...For now, we're trying to be as normal as  possible and make up for all of the lost time in the hospital. Getting Spencer on a regular schedule has been extremely hard and he is still having a very hard time sometimes. Avery is the best big sister. She takes everything in stride-even when Spencer is waking everyone up in the middle of the night! She's a great helper and loves to tickle and hug her little brother-it's magical watching them together:)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Domer isn't too sure about this bath thing, but Avery was right there to help daddy out! 

Rocco's turn...he has the cutest look on his face when he's so sad to be getting a bath:) After he was nice and clean though, he rubbed himself all over the dirty yard-ah, dogs.

Mama's back in the workforce

So, since taking time off to have my two beautiful children, I have really been itching to get back to doing something that uses my educated brain cells. On a whim, I submitted my resume to a community college here in Fort Wayne and it was a success because I will be teaching 2 classes there this fall:) I'm really excited to get back to teaching since it's been about 3 years since I was teaching college classes. Lucky for me, this school is really flexible and I will be teaching in the evenings, so I get to spend the days with my kids and then teach 2 nights a week! This semester I will be teaching a public speaking course and a lifestyle course in finance (I know, way out of my comfort zone since I'm a communication person, but I thought it would be a great opportunity to try something new!), plus getting certified in online courses so I can teach those in the spring. 

Other than that, we have been enjoying having Artie off work this week. It has been so nice to have extra hands during the day! We haven't done much and are basically just trying to establish some order in the house, finally, since having Spencer home. Ok, time to feed the little guy-hope everyone's having a great start to the week:)

The solution to crazy Avie in stores...the popcorn combo with an icee (at least at Target). Many have suggested this before and I finally got brave enough to introduce Avery to popcorn (her pediatrician said they don't like kids to have popcorn until the age of 3). We also found that at a local grocery store they have cars on the bottom of carts for the kids to ride in and she enjoyed that long enough for us to do our shopping!

My grandparents finally got to meet Spencer this week! They were beyond thrilled to get to meet our little miracle:)

Avery thought it was the coolest thing that Great Grandma and Grandpa had a bird in the house-their pet, Angel!

Big Sister, Little Brother

Avery is really enjoying having Spencer around-at least we think so.  She gets up in the morning and comes to find him, unless he wakes her up because he's crying and then she matter-of-factly tells us baby's crying. She always says hi to him wherever he is-even if he's sleeping she makes a point to say hi. Avery really has been amazing with the whole transition. Thank goodness she's such a great sleeper because she usually stays zonked out when he screams at night or she just goes right back to sleep. I have to say that having 2 so young isn't the easiest thing. It makes me feel like I don't have enough time to spend with both of them individually. I have a lot of guilt already about Spencer taking mommy/Avery time that she's used to. But really, Avery is doing a wonderful job with it. I'd have to say that the absolute hardest part is worrying that Spencer's crying will wake Avery up. We are constantly stressed about it and it makes it hard for us to let him cry a bit to sooth himself. Spencer is doing a bit better adjusting to home life. He has been sleeping from about 11:30 pm - 6 am the last two nights (yay) and is finally getting into somewhat of a daily routine where he will actually stay awake after a feeding and swing or look around-before he would just scream his lungs out. A possibility of this slight happiness may be that his diaper rash is clearing up! We finally got a prescription which started to help and then the miracle of all rash creams-flander's butt ointment! You can only get this down south and luckily some people from Charleston were at Artie's work this week and brought us some!! Beth, I'm hoping you will be our source for this wonderment in the future:) Other than that, we are still majorly adjusting. Because Spencer is still having late night feedings, Artie and I have virtually no time just the two of us...we're going to have to get out soon, kid-free! 

Hope the weather is nice where you are and you are enjoying some "summer, summer, summertime, it's summertime"!

Avery's thinking, "hmmm, okay, mom this is cute"

What is that you say little bro? You want a hug from your big sister?

Well, I'm enjoying this, how about you, Spencer?

One thing Avery loves is to give her brother 'kissies'...hey could mom and dad get some of that every now and then!

Aw, more hugging

Just know, Spencer, I'll always be the BIG sister, even if you do get bigger than me one day!

My mom came over to lend an extra set of hands yesterday, and found a little helper:) Avery insisted on wearing her bib backwards like a cape and had her own sponge. She went around saying 'clean' as she wiped everything in the kitchen!

Grandma's famous salad with homegrown veggies...Avery thought it was yummy!

Spencer actually spent a few minutes on his floor gym before he got angry

This is for Aunt Cindy...Avery loves Elmo:)

For Aunt Beth...Avery looked so adorable in this headband from you:)

A beautiful little princess

A Break with No Doubt

It has been a long week, the first full week with Spencer home. It has been wonderful having him home, but besides the adjustment Avery, Spencer and I have been sick. Nothing like a nice summer cold to welcome my baby home from a long stay in the hospital! Besides that, Spencer has the most awful diaper rash turned into the skin being burned off of his bottom. We cannot get this thing better and he's had it close to 2 weeks now. Part of the problem is because of how his stool is right now...speaking of, Spencer had two doctors appointments this week. One with his regular pediatrician and one with his surgeon. I'm pleased to say that besides the horrible pain he's dealing with on his tush, Mr. Spencer is doing great! He's up around 9 1/2 lbs and 22 inches:) They are so pleased with the weight he's gaining-which is a concern due to his bowel surgery. At his check up with the surgeon, we learned he will be on Pregestimil formula for probably another month...this is because his doctor wants to give his bowels time to adjust for the portion of his bowel that was taken out. Basically, the part he had removed was a bottom portion that absorbs the excess water. Without that section, Spencer is having very watery stools-thus the terrible diaper rash that won't go away! It will take some time for the rest of his bowel to pick up the slack for that missing section, but it will happen and Spencer will have a normal life (we do have to worry about scar tissue blockages, but I'm not going to unless it happens)!

Ok, now to the title of the blog. Artie and I had tickets to the No Doubt concert last night in Indy. However, since the kids were sick and I was pretty sick we decided not to go. But then my wonderful husband said that he would stay home with the kids so that I could go and get a break. I am so glad that I decided to take him up on it!! I went with my sister, mom and stepdad (originally it was supposed to be me and Artie with my sister and her boyfriend...but this foursome had a blast!). It was so freakin' amazing. Paramore opened for them-which I'm a big fan of this band too! I just really can't put into words how AWESOME this concert was! Cim and I have listened to No Doubt since Tragic Kingdom came out in the early 90s and it was unbelievable to see them reunited and performing all the greats. If this tour is coming your way, I highly recommend it-great music and lots of energy:) Thanks, Artie, I had a great night (though I missed you!).

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Sisters getting excited for the fun to start! We ended up having great seats:)

My mom and stepdad, Tom, joined in on the fun. We originally had lawn seats, but were able to upgrade to pavilion seats-way worth it!!

Let me tell you, Paramore's lead singer's red  hair says a lot...this girl is a firecracker!! She was even a little sick and still sounded awesome!

It was so great to be at a high energy concert where the performers didn't lipsync-incredible!

They had really cool backdrops the entire time, including a home video montage of when they first started out.

Ms. Gwen Stefani is my hero-she also has two young kids and looks unbelievable (she's even like 13 or 14 years older than me!) there's no reason I shouldn't have as much energy!! I really wish I could grow my hair long enough and pull off the faux hawk like she does:)

Just outstanding!!

This is a concert I won't soon forget. I have been to quite a few concerts in a range of genres, but this one ranks at the top. They had such great interaction with the audience!