100%...

GIRL! :) If Sissy looks a little dazed and confused here...it's because she has one of the nastiest colds/coughs ever. She has turned into a mouth breather. On an adult I would find this obnoxious. On her I think it's cute. I finally pulled my brain out of the attic and realized that I didn't have to spend $$$ on jammies for Sister. Of course - I do buy her the occasional new jammies - and coordinating/matching jammies to go with her brother...but we had PLENTY of jammies left over from Brother to use! And speaking of jammies - I can't wait for her to wear NIGHT GOWNS! Do girls still wear those? These are his NINE MONTH jammies. She turned FIVE MONTHS two days ago. What is the deal!?!?! So now that I am saving money on jammies...I can spend THAT money on all of that smocking that I love, right Husband? :)

Last week...

Last week we had one of those weeks where I feel like every second of every day was filled with some sort of task or activity. I say I "felt" that way - because - seriously - two activities a day overwhelm this lady. I am the LAZIEST person ever. My dream Saturday is to lay on the couch, read a book, watch TV, and. do. nothing. Oh - and stay in my jammies all day. Thankfully, this is my Husband's nightmare - so we do actually get out and about are are not typically lazy. Anyhow. Last week/weekend we had at least two things planned a day - if not three - and last Tuesday we managed a long trip to the Zoo, and dinner with friends. Here are some snapshots from the day...

Are these zoo pics not priceless??? Thank goodness for that red wagon...Love the boys...I can't wait for them to grow up together!

We have a great little Mexican joint exactly 1.08 miles from our house. We can walk there! Not the BEST food - but VERY family friendly, with good service. Last Tuesday we went with another family - and had the entire patio to ourselves. It. Was. Amazing. Not only was the beer cold and weather perfect, BUT, JM and his little friend ran ALL OVER THE PLACE and no one cared. No one else joined us on the patio either...because...who the heck wants to join two families with two toddlers and a baby for dinner? Not. Me. (Unless it's my family, of course). So - we are attempting to start a tradition - because who doesn't love traditions? Tuesdays at TJ's...with several of the neighborhood families. Here's hoping the second time was as good as the first, with Miss Priss just chilling in her seat, and the munchkins running around...

Ummm...We are here...

Soooo...we are alive...barely. Babies 17.5 months apart is rough. NOT gonna lie. I personally, barely made it through those first three months, where my sweet, sweet, sweeeet daughter SCREAMED HER HEAD OFF 24/7. Oh. And wouldn't let anyone else hold her. It was oh-so-horrible. We couldn't go anywhere or do anything. Oh...you think YOU can calm her? Go ahead. Go ahead. Don't believe me...and no one did...until they touched her and she screamed. She was that way even with her Father....and Nana, and Aunt Muffin and Mimi, and my best friend Regan. So sad. BUT - after many sleepless nights, lots of crying and cursing from me, lots of trips to the doctor (WHY is my baby screaming? you say this is just newborn rash and NOT an allergy? really?) and a trip to the pediatric gastrointerologist...things are on the up & up! :) yay! C is on super expensive prescription reflux meds, and super expensive prescription formula - thanks to her milk protein allergy. Yay. That is why I haven't blogged in three and a half months. I spent any down or quiet time just sitting. And staring. Ahhhhh....

So. Now she is finally sleeping. (She still screams a lot - and typically won't let anyone near her except for myself or Justin - you can talk to her and she will SMILE SMILE SMILE just please don't touch her). Ugh. So embarrassing. We are having so much fun as a family of four - especially now things have calmed down! They are both growing up way, way too fast!

Here is a glimpse into the past few months...

She rarely did this...

Little man still loves to play dress up!

Dinner with best friends...

Caroline's first "play" date! :)

John Marshall got his first hair cut at the barber shop!

We stuck our two month old in the exersaucer.

And Mommy never gets to wear make-up.

Caroline's first snow!

Caroline is 2 months old - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

JM'S second Christmas...

JM's first rodeo...

Daddy turned 29! :)

We did lots of this...

Caroline turned three months old! :)

She celebrated her first Valentine's Day...

He celebrated V-Day with a little huggin and a kissin...

I thought she was teething because she continued to scream all the time. She wasn't.

He likes to pretend to blog.

St. Patrick's Day at Joe T's...

"Playing" outside in his jammies. If blinding yourself and purposefully running into things constitutes playing.

JM is too cool for school...

And this was from today. We attempted "Spring Time" pics. The top pic is the BEST out of the bunch. And it's not great. The bottom pic is how ALL of them look. She already prefers NOT to be touched by him. I can hear it now - "Mom - he's touching me!" :)

Where She Will Sleep...

Soooo...here is where she will be sleeping...of course I did what I SWORE I wouldn't do. What I DIDN'T want to do. What I DIDN'T like about having a girl: PINK. And what color are her walls? PINK. What color is EVERYTHING in her room? PINK. Ohhhhhhhh well. The story behind the wall color is just ridiculous. This is the second coat of pink we paid to have painted. It's not my favorite - but I was over having it done again. I am still missing coordinating pillow shams for her bed - those are on back order. I still need WALL DECOR in a MAJOR way...but I have some Beat.rix Potter prints ordered, that of course won't be here for 6 weeks...but I don't really care! :) Also - I need something cute for her bedside table...but quickly decided it might be awhile before she gets cute things on her bedside table since her big brother LOVES to destroy everything in her room. I wonder how long it will take before I train him NOT to empty all of her diapers and burp rags on to the floor? Or when I will learn to put the diaper wipes and bottom cream up, and not in a basket that is accessible to him?

Her room...

My favorite part of her crib...

I really like her curtains...

The shelves above her changing table...The top shelf has my baby book, and some of my Bunnykins from when I was a little girl...My Mom started collecting them for us when we were little...

Looooove this book. It was mine as a little girl, and my Mom included it in one of her gifts to me at Caroline's "sprinkle" - I remember reading this as a little girl and wanting soooo badly to be a Mommy and take care of a baby :)

Every girl needs a picture of her big brother...

Most likely where she will REALLY be sleeping...

And Just Because I Love Him...

Folks, We're in a Regression

That's right. A regression. I guess we are in a Recession as well...oh wait...didn't the Pres make a big announcement one day and say it was over? That's right. So anyway. We are out of the Recession, and I am in Regression.

Those non-stop Braxton Hicks? GONE. The occasional REAL contractions? GONE. The low pressure and constant urge to go to the bathroom? GONE. The occasional cramping that goes along with labor? GONE. I have even SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT recently. WHAT. THE. HECK. Soooo...I am regressing. I feel like I am back at week 23. Seriously. If I didn't have such bad low back pain - I would forget I was pregnant. And - no - the low back pain isn't because labor is near...my massage therapist lady thinks it's because of how the baby is sitting she may have pushed my lower spine out of alignment. WHO IS THIS CHILD? I would love to know. Soon. Also - I thought babies were supposed to run out of room, and stop moving as much? She is a little gymnast in there. Flip-flops, cartwheels, rolls. (Side Note - I am not a gymnast. Confession - I cannot do a cartwheel. Will this make me a bad girl Mom? Or can I lie and tell her I used to do cartwheels and round-off back hand springs all the time?)

Even though the ticker says I have 18 or something days left - I am starting to not believe it.

I am driving my husband CRAZY. I just know it. He doesn't have to tell me. When he is smiling at me - I see that look in his eyes - the "Geeeeeeeeze - she is so hormonal/crazy" look. I might have even shed a tear last night when Suzanne told me her cousin (who is due a few days after me) has already lost her mucus plug. How sad and gross is that? I cried over someone else's mucus plug? Lord. Help. Me.

Sooooo...I guess I will continue on like nothing is about to happen...Hanging out with my cute little man who is currently sporting a monogramed jon jon (which his father says is GIRLY enough) AND several of my acrylic bangle bracelets. Because of him - I am typing this post with one and a half hands...he is leaning on me with his arm on Caroline watching a little PBS while I drink my coffee and blog. And then we are off to music class....which I hope we can make it through without him running to the door and shouting "GO! GO! GO!" a million times.

I hate Regressions.

Pumpkin Patch - Attempts 1 & 2

Attempt 2...was at the little Methodist church that is just blocks from our house...walking distance in fact. A walk, I will NOT be making until after I have a baby...the Children's Ministry there sells pumpkins and has a pumpkin patch every year! I would say the second attempt was MUCH more successful...we might even go for a third try at a Patch out in Grapevine...3rd time's the charm, right?

Me and my Pumpkins...JM at exactly 17 months, and Miss C at exactly 37 weeks...

***Sidenote***Ummmm...wish I was a photographer and knew how to mess with color/exposure/all that jazz? Maybe I will attempt it with these...just not for blogging purposes...

This one below cracks me up - it's JM attempting to "hug" W...

Attempt 1...was at the Arboretum (which is GORGEOUSly decorated with pumpkins, pumpkin houses, patches, etc.) where Summer arranged a fun picnic with lots of little ones and their Mommies. I would say (for us) it was a failure with regards to cute pictures, but JM had a BLAST running away from me, and throwing the "balls" and breaking their stems off, and throwing the occasional tantrum or two! :)

I got ONE of these types of pics. Seriously. That's it.

I got lots of cranky-pants pictures...(while his bff smiled, and smiled, and smiled, of course).

But MOSTLY...I got back and side of head pics...busy little man!