4 weeks old!

I can't believe Aspen is already a whole month old! She is wonderful. We are so happy to have her be part of our family. She is an "easy" baby...and it is a good thing since her first few weeks her brother was so sick and her Daddy had to work about 70 hour weeks because of a big deadline at work. We have been spoiled this whole first month with meals and visits from friends. What good friends we have! And even a few "strangers". It has been a great blessing to have someone else's hands preparing a meal! She's still got night and day slightly confused (although two nights in a row she slept from 11pm to 6am! there is hope!) but she isn't much of a cryer (Sawyer pretty much NEVER cried - poor second child, already being compared to the first!) Speaking of big brother, he has done well - besides the pneumonia - but the past few nights he has been calling for Mommy after we put him to bed (usually he just goes right to sleep). So, we've come up with a plan to put him to bed 15 minutes earlier than usual, so I can stay in after prayers and have a little one-on-one time to sing and cuddle. That is the hard part about two...seeing one yearn for the attention he has always had, while holding the new one and knowing she needs you just as much. What a blessing to be part of a parenting TEAM. Anyway, Aspen has a fussy time about 9:30 to 10pm, which is when she generally "wakes up" and has her one-on-one time with us before going to bed...whatever time that ends up being (sometimes 2ish, but then again - a 5 or 6 hour stretch so really we can't be complaining!). Even though she's great, I'm still tired. It catches up to me whenever I take a moment to sit down. But all in all, things are going great. She's even fitting the newborn sizes now...soon I'm sure to be outgrown. They grow TOO FAST I'm tellin' ya...gotta enjoy every moment!

"Spirit Day" (aka pajama day)

While I'd love to pretend I'm always on top of things...I have to admit that occasionally around here we have "pajama day". I like to think of it as a "Spirit Day" (remember middle school and high school? maybe we should do "toga day" sometime...). Sawyer was so excited about his new firetruck pjs that he didn't want to get dressed (though he did get dressed after morning snack). Aspen, well, she's got it good - babies are allowed to be in pjs all day. Me...well, at least I got a shower this morning!

Do you ever have "Spirit Day" at your house?

It's kinda nice...every now and then. Especially on rainy days!

Sawyer in the Seattle Times

Remember this post?

Well, we got a few e-mails from friends who read the Seattle Times who reported finding a pleasant surprise as they flipped through the paper one morning.

*thanks to the Metcalfs who saved a couple copies to give to us!

Hair gel?

We tortured Sawyer and buzzed his hair on Saturday morning. Seriously, he used to do fine with the clippers but now he freaks out. So enjoy the super-short hair look...because from now on we're just going to let it grow and grow. Hello surfer hair!

We thought it was pretty funny when after the haircut torture was over and he had a shower, he came walking into his room with little chunks of "gel" in his hair...he had this funny smile like he was proud of himself...come to find out the "gel" was Daddy's deodorant! Oh well...at least it smelled pretty good :)

Our Leisurely Weekend

We had a low-key weekend. We had waffles for breakfast. We celebrated Aspen's 3-week-birthday by smothering her in kisses. And then we went to the beach, played in the sand, and watched the sun sink into the Olympic Mountains across the Puget Sound. We didn't do any chores around the house. Jacob even entertained the babe while Sawyer and I took a (much needed) 2 hour nap. Ahhh...life is good!

My heart skips a beat every time I see my husband being so sweet with our children. Aspen loves to have cuddle time with her Daddy. Just look at that happy smile!

As I was getting the camera out, we realized that we haven't had any Mommy-Daughter shots yet...so Jacob took the camera and caught us playing on the bed! I love how she tries to eat my cheeks! Maybe it's because I'm always nibbling hers!

*note her funky/crazy hair. It sticks straight up!*

After our quiet morning and naps, we decided to go out in the 60 degree, sunny afternoon, and check out a beach we haven't visited before: Richmond Beach in Shoreline. It was gorgeous! And a bonus: the trains also go by this beach!

I love this look of anticipation on Sawyer's face as he waits to see the train coming around the corner.

Today, we got to all go to church together. It was so nice. It was only Sawyer's 2nd time going to the nursery class. Some of the kids his age cling to their parents...but he is like waiting at the door, ready to rock the joint! He just loves it, which is such a good feeling for us, knowing he enjoys it when we leave him there to play, make friends, sing songs etc. Whew!

Man, oh man. I just love lazy weekends with my favorite people!

Aspen's Newborn Photos

Is there anything more perfect than a new baby?

I just love her dainty little eyelashes, her tiny little toes, her perfect little lips. Everything about her is so petite and beautiful! I could easily pass the entire day just looking at and admiring our tiny daughter. She looks a lot different than her brother...and we're hoping the dark hair stays!

*at her two week check-up*
-back to birth weight (6lb 12oz) [and i'm back in my jeans! ohh la la!]
-doc amazed at how alert she is (and already smiling, just like her bro!)
-doc confirmed we've been blessed with a mellow gal with an awesome complexion
-she is awake from about 10pm-1:30am and then sleeps until about 8am. (she has a "dream feed" about 6am) i think it's because she knows that's when she'll get 100% of the attention. and i won't complain about her night owl habits, as i'm one myself...i won't complain b/c after she does fall asleep she lets us get a pretty good long stretch ourselves!
--i almost passed out when they did the second pku test, i had turned green, had tunnel vision, and had to sit down on the floor. how embarassing!

Baby in a Basket

She's pretty sweet, huh? This was my first attempt at some newborn photos for her. She was something like 4 whole days old here. Nothing like keeping it simple. I tried one more time and you'll get to see her official newborn photos tomorrow (yes, I do a lot of my posts in advance so I can get it all done in one sitting and just schedule them to post...that way it seems like I'm on top of it and busy blogging, when really I'm just lounging around playing with my babies!).

Sometimes I wonder...

How this little angel ever fit inside my belly! She's still at the stage where we can fold her up and it truly does amaze me thinking how squished she must've been inside my body. I guess it's a good thing she didn't have anything to compare it to...otherwise I'm sure claustrophobia would've set in several months ago and she would've made a much earlier appearance! We're just glad she's out here in the world with us now. We're enjoying all of her new-born-ness.

A Breath of Fresh Air

Yesterday morning, the sun was shining gloriously through our windows. I did some laundry, cleaned the bathroom, did a little post-preggo Cindy Crawford workout, and then asked Sawyer if he'd like to go for a walk. The answer was "YES!!!" The truth is, when my Mom was here (and Aspen was 5 days old) we took them on a walk to the park. I had her all bundled up snug to my warm body in the Moby Wrap, and Grammie pushed Sawyer in the stroller. BUT. Yesterday was the first time I hauled out our huge double stroller and took both of the kids on a walk in the neighborhood. We listened to the birds chirping, looked for squirrels, enjoyed the sunshine and some smiles and conversation as we met people along our way.

Since Sawyer has been so sick (not to mention me recovering from having a baby and Aspen being so tiny and new) we have been pretty much house-bound for the past two weeks. Sawyer is just about done with his antibiotics and the past couple of days he seems to be just about back to his regular self (thank goodness!) I decided a walk was a perfect way we could all get some vitamin D and some fresh air. It was SO REFRESHING! Aspen, of course, pretty much slept the whole time. But I think she liked it, too.

When I brought out the camera to document the first trip in the double stroller, Sawyer looked at me like "what are you doing? let's just go on our walk, already!" I know, I'm a bit too camera happy sometimes...

We ended up walking around the neighborhood and then over to the park to watch the ducks at the lake. Sawyer enjoyed pushing the stroller part of the way. He was so worn out by the time we got home, he ate all of his lunch and took a 3 hour nap. Fresh air is an awesome drug!

Thanks once again goes to my parents, who gave us the double stroller as a gift. They usually give a nice crib to us when we have our first baby, but since we received a super nice crib via hand-me-down when we had our first, we made a request for a double jogging stroller instead. We don't have a lot of storage space and knew we'd have two kids soon...so it has worked out well. Give me a few more weeks and you might even see me jogging around Greenlake with my precious cargo! Company is welcome!

The Truth about Two...

(So far, at least):

The biggest difference I have noticed in having two babies, is that...

THE LAUNDRY HAS QUADRUPLED.

(not to mention my love for each of my babes continues to multiply at great speed each day...)

Seriously!

happy "heart" day...

*i was snapping a few so we could make a card for daddy...and i just had to share, these kiddos are just too cute!*

oh...remember that itty bitty baby dress i made?

...i think she'll wear it to her first day of church next sunday!

from our little sweethearts to all of you: may you have a wonderful day celebrating those you love!

ps-my valentine's gift this year is that Jacob will finally be released from his service in the university ward bishopric of our church, a service he's been giving whole-heartedly for two-and-a-half years. our family has been greatly blessed by his sacrifice and service...but it will sure be nice to be able to go to church and sit together again! job well done, Jacob!

Tiny Dancer

It has been a little more difficult than I thought it would to get some newborn photos taken of our dear little Aspen. I have found 5 minutes here and there between feedings, taking care of our sick little boy, and trying to get some rest myself, but now I have to find some time to edit the ones I got. I will just have to be happy with "less is more" at this point and know that when people hire me to come do their newborn photos...there is a reason why they hire me (time, regular sleep schedule, etc. :) I think I will have something to show by next week :) Why do I put such pressure on myself? I'm sure the world can wait to see her...although I know family and friends are anxious to get to know her a little through images. So, here's just a couple from a random 5 minutes I found before doing some laundry yesterday. Just a reminder of how cute and tiny our girl is! We are in love!

ps-Aunt Tia, these are for the ballerina in you :)

My New Job

Today is my first day at my new "job" (mother of two!)...well...it's actually my 10th day, but my first day flying solo the way it will be most days. So far, it seems to be a very natural transition. First thing, we made the bed. I am one of those people who feels like starting out the day with a freshly made bed makes a difference. We also managed to do a couple of loads of laundry, have some joint tummy time, build a "super Thomas" car out of legos, build a train track and make it over the mountain a few times (Sawyer love the Little Engine That Could and shouts "hooray!" when his cars go over the bridge, which he calls mountain). Let's see, we also had some meals and snacks, read some books, changed several diapers, nursed the babe a few times...and I could've taken a shower before noon if I didn't choose to blog instead. Yes, life is happening around here. We are getting into our groove, if you know what I mean.

I am happy to report that Sawyer is doing amazingly well with his sister. I think his only disappointment is that she can't play trains with him yet. I was a little concerned about how he would do because two days after we brought her home he all of a sudden became very whiny and clingly - normal, but very uncharacteristic of our boy. Turns out it had nothing to do with adjusting to his sister - and everything to do with a case of pneumonia. Yes, so sadly, our little son has been very sick. Luckily, I recognized a few signs (having cared for some of the kids I've nannied who also had pneumonia) and we got him to the doc and he now gets that yummy pink amoxicillin twice a day for the next ten days. His spirits are better today than they have been for the past few days, which is a good thing to see. Wish us luck as we all recoup!

PS - I've got to say a BIG THANKS to my Mom, who was able to get away from a lot of other responsibilities to come be with us and help us out the first few days after Aspen was born. I am a hard one to help, I am pretty stubborn, but she ignored my "I can do it all myself" and her hands cleaned our whole house, read millions of books to Sawyer (who was fevered, crabby, and sick), and drew a gazillion trucks with crayons all over the easel paper on our table, just to make Sawyer smile. She even left us with fresh flowers on the table. Thanks Mom. We love you!