Hi friends!
I am really behind in posts but I swear I have an excuse for it! (Besides the whole working mom thing) I have a COPIOUS amount of photos on my Mac and ran out of room on my hard drive...soooo had to order an external hard drive blah blah blah blah.
Anyways, as of last night, we are back on the grid! So be watching out for some fun posts of the bebes.
In the meantime, I realized I never posted Kerigan's Newborn Photo Sesh captured by Loree Alayne Photography (who also took our maternity photos).
We could not be happier with the way these turned out- there are poster-sized copies of these around my house!
Love this sweet little newborn. She has stolen all of our hearts.
Two at the Zoo!
The Zoo Cake made by Confectioneiress Bakery
Photo credit: Confectioneiress instagram
My sweet boy is TWO! I am so proud of him for all he is becoming and all that he is. He has been such a trooper with his little sister and all the transition that comes along with his new title of Big Brother. So there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to celebrate him in a way that he would love and appreciate. I wanted the day to be all about the people and the things he loved. So this is what we came up with:
If I had to sum up what Briggs talks about most right now it would be Jesus (=happy tears from this mama), Mickey, choo choos, animals and of course his family. When researching a bit, we decided that it would be fun for him to have a zoo party so he could share all his favorite animals with his friends.
For the "Two at the Zoo" party, our guest list included mostly little kids ages 5 and under. So we catered the food and activities around them.
Food:
- Frog fruit salad
- Vulture Veggies
- Moose Mac & Cheese
- Salamander Sandwiches
- Walrus Wraps
- Meerkat Meatballs
- Monkey Munch (dry banana chips)
- Crocodile Crack Dip (Chip dip)
- Chimp Chips
Do you see a theme we are going with here?
Desserts:
- Kangaroo Krunch (an amazing popcorn and chocolate concoction)
- Flamingo Fudge
- Sea Lion S'mores on a stick
- Zebra bites (chocolate cupcakes)
- Birthday Cake from the very talented Confectioneiress Bakery (their vanilla malted carmel cake is probably the best cake I've ever had)
Drinks or the "Watering Hole":
- Panda Punch
- Sodas
- Water
Decorations:
As far as decorations, I wanted to spend a minimal amount of money. After shopping around online, I found a lot of things I liked- but didn't like the price tags along with them. So I designed all of the banners, cup labels, water bottle labels, food labels and thank you tags from an editing program I have. It was nice because I was able to get exactly what I was visualizing without any cost.
The balloons and poof balls were bought at Hobby Lobby during their 40% off days throughout the last few months. (Proactive planning and keeping an eye out for sales is key)
When Briggs came downstairs the Sunday morning of his party, he was on Cloud NINE! He could not stop talking and running through all the balloons. He was frolicking around telling us all the animals he saw. He could not stop pointing out his "Big Two" balloon and then telling everyone that he was the Big Two. He was in his happy place.
Mission accomplished.
Briggy Two-Year-Old Updates:
At two years old, our boy has a heart of gold. He shares with others, he blows kisses at his sister every chance he gets. He loves giving big squeezy hugs to his mommy. He and his daddy are constantly working on their "Slamma Jamma" dunks on his mini basketball goal in the basement- and he always comes back upstairs sweaty and happy.
He of course has his fussy moments, but then we tell him, "Whiney Boy No No No" and he repeats after us- this usually does the trick in snapping him out of his fussiness. We have also really started implementing Time Out. He at first didn't care- but now he's understanding that it's not a fun place. The usual cause of his time out moments? Sharing his food with his dog, Lola. How do you teach a toddler it's ok to share sometimes and sometimes its not okay? It breaks my heart to see those big brown eyes in the corner- but I know its for the best.
His vocabulary has really started to pick up. He has full on conversations with us. Sometimes I think I'm talking to a 10 year old. He easily knows and understands over 500+ words. His verbal abilities have always been very easy for him to pick up on. However, the motor skills-we are getting there. He was such a late walker at almost 17 months and has been playing catch up ever since. He has the cutest little walk and when he runs, it looks so unsteady. I'm sure with his constant laps he runs around our house, he will be caught up to the other kids by spring.
At two years old, he is a creature of habit. He thrives when he is in a routine. For example, before nap and bed, we brush our teeth, read three books, say our prayers then sing "Jesus loves me". Then he's off to dreamland without a peep. I think that's why I am so apprehensive for him to go to a sitter on a regular basis for the first time ever. He will have to adapt. It will be good for him (and me). The good thing is, if we do have to adjust his schedule, he is usually still a pretty pleasant dude. As long as I don't make a big deal out of it, then he doesn't either.
Briggs's Two-Year Measurements
- Height: 35.5 inches (80th percentile)
- Weight: 29.14 lbs (70th percentile)
Thank you to all our friends and family who came to celebrate our "BIG TWO" boy. Thank you to my mom and sister especially, for helping with food, cleaning and decorations. My sister Kara, even took majority of the pictures so I could be in the moment with Briggs all day. You two are amazing!
As for my birthday boy, you are the sunshine of my life. I am so proud of you. It is bittersweet to see that you are no longer my little baby but so rewarding to know that you are growing up to be a sweet, kind-hearted, crazy, Christ-loving boy. You bring so much happiness and joy to our family. I thank God every day that he chose me to be your mommy. You're my mini me and my best friend. Thank you for being you, Big Two.
Two Month Smiles
During Kerigan's second month, we have witnessed record-breaking snowstorms, temperatures plummeting to -35 and below, more snow and Daddy gearing up to leave us for a bit due to Army obligations, but that hasn't stopped Kerigan from smiling.
At two months, she has developed more of a routine. She sleeps for about 12 hours at night (with feeding about every 4 hours but quickly goes back to sleep). She then has breakfast with her big brother and then takes another snooze until he goes down for his nap around 1. They never nap at the same time and while this can be tough for me to get things done, it means that I get a lot of one on one time with each of them which is exactly what my heart desires.
Kerigan has had a few tummy troubles this month, but nothing serious. She has her fussy times/days when I know her tummy is really hurting her but we have discovered ways to give her relief such as different positions, gas drops or even tweaking what I eat. It seems to be helping her. This picture below depicts her usual disposition. Such a tough life.
On New Years Day (6 weeks old) she gave us a bit of a scare. During her brother's nap, she was showing off for Ryan and I by rolling over from her tummy to her back multiple times. Then about a half hour later she started to cry because she was hungry. However, her cry sounded weak. By around 8 pm that evening, the cry turned to more of a wheeze. The on-call pediatrician advised us to take her to the ER to be sure she was getting enough oxygen. She ended up being diagnosed with bronchiolitis. They gave her some breathing treatments and steroids to help the swelling go down. I'm thankful we took her because it most likely would have escalated to RSV. It took her a couple of days to completely turn around, but now she is healthy and thriving.
She is really starting to develop her own personality. She really loves her mommy- she could cuddle with me all day. She's definitely a "wearing-kind of baby"- she could spend 24 hours in the Baby Bjorn if I let her. She still is more chill than Briggs ever was but will let you know when she is in need of something. Her cry can be heard from the next block over which has quickly brought her the additional nickname of "Lungs". I am so thankful for our sweet KerBear. I love getting to know her more and more every day. Her brother is really starting to warm up to her too. His goal in life is to make her smile. Oh, those two-month-old smiles...
Measurements
2 Months
Weight: 11 lbs 8 oz (70th percentile)
Height: 23.5 in (90th percentile)
Dear Kerigan,
Just like your brother, you have rocked my world but in your own unique way. If he is my hip hop and r&b (always life of the party that makes life worth dancing in) you are my indie rock. Your sweet acoustic melodies with the occasional jam session are notes that my spirit yearns for. You are my chicken soup for the soul in these otherwise gloomy winter months. I am ever so grateful that you allow me to walk the walk in "Love multiplies and doesn't divide" mantra. I know that I have kept you cooped up in this house for too long and in way too many layers both inside and outside- and you probably think the world is pretty crappy when you look out the window, but spring is just around the corner. That is when we really start understanding the meaning of our world. When the flowers start budding and the birds start chirping, that is the resurrection of life outside, and reminds us again of Christ's love for us through His resurrection. Just wait for that sunshine, my Sweet. Until then, lets cuddle up with your brother under five, maybe six blankets, drink hot cocoa, facetime daddy, make each other laugh while dancing to the hotdog song from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. These are the days I will treasure always...
Love,
Mommy
Mommy
From ONE month to TWO!
Happy 2, Miss Kerigan
Snow Bunnies of '14
See picture above. This is Snow Bunny. I don't know where he came from. I don't know why he likes it. He definitely did not get this gene from his mama. Snow Bunny spent over 2 hours in the blizzard of '14 with his daddy having the best of times while mommy and sister were trying to stay toasty inside.
Snow Bunny likes to sled. He likes to eat snow flakes. He likes the sound of the crunch under his toes. He can build a mean snowball and even likes to jump in the big piles of snow.
Who is this mysterious creature?
He doesn't even mind putting in a little hard work with all the shoveling he had to do.
Unfortunately, for Snow Bunny, the temperatures plummeted to a -35 degrees the next day which forced him and his Snow Bunny family to stay inside cuddled up for a few days. He ran around in his leggings asking to play in the snow the whole time.
On night two after being hunkered down, we lost heat! Our home went from 70 degrees Monday to 47 degrees Tuesday morning. NOT ideal for two little ones under two. Our floors were ice cubes and frost was creeping through our windows and doors. A little scary. I kept Kerigan in two flannel sleepers and a flannel sack with a hat on the whole time. My dad said she looked like an Amish baby. Hehe.
Luckily our basement was in the 60's, so we camped out there under electric blankets until the roads were safe enough to go to my parents Tuesday night.
Safe and sound now, we were happy to be snowed in with Snow Bunny. His zest for life is infectious and keeps our spirits warm.
Happy Shoveling!
