Easter

This Easter was really nice. I was able to use decorations from previous years, plus a few new touches to add some spring to our home. Spring is such a special time! I love the colors, the flowers, and the excitement and anticipation for summer. All except for my extremely white legs (sorry everyone!)- I could do without those :)

For Easter dinner we were able to have another couple and their cute little baby over for dinner. It's always nice to get together with another family. We had some pretty yummy food, and even better company. Easter is such a nice, calming holiday. We used a few different activities to try and teach PK about Christ and the Resurrection. I know he can't verbalize everything he understands, but teaching him things is also a great reminder for me. I'm grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of his life and Atonement, as well as the Resurrection, I have the ability to be with my family forever. 

Now that I have two boys, it is so fun to make them match. I LOVE it. Anyways, after starting to make matching ties for the boys, Jed was feeling pretty jealous. Well, his tie required a lot more fabric (which I did have) but also a lot more work. I definitely cut a few too many corners, but it didn't look that bad on (with a suit coat covering half of it, of course...) Now that I know how to make little boys ties, I have a feeling I will be making a few more matching sets. 

I mean, can you blame me????

Daily Life

With all the time at home, we've been making our own fun. I've had to be a bit more resourceful and creative to keep my very active 2.5 year old busy. After not getting too much snow during the winter, we got dumped with snow in March. Though we did have to drive home during a snow storm, it was nice to come home to a snow day. We played and played and played. I don't know who likes snow days more in our family. I think it might be a quadruple tie :)

(Jed is wearing a front carrier with baby M)

(The picture on the left is M and on the right is PK!) 

(This photo makes me smile)

Once the snow all melted (within a week) we have been able to enjoy warmer temperatures. It's been really nice outside lately! Today it was in the 70's! Man, for as much as I like snow, it's really, really nice not having to get all bundled up just to go outside. I pulled out PK's sandals for the first time this year. YAY! Because PK is in that "fun" independent stage, he can't stand having me put his socks on, but is too frustrated that he can't do it himself yet either. So after months of struggling just to get shoes on- I told him he didn't need socks. It's the little victories, right? 

We've had this tricycle for awhile now, but he is now really starting to enjoy it. He still hasn't learned how to pedal, but he likes riding around our quad- just shuffling his feet to move. 

Baby M loves being worn in a carrier, so whenever we go get the mail or go for a walk or whatever he is perfectly content being worn. I'm happy with our garage-sale-find front carrier- it was less than $5. We didn't use it much with PK, but I use it weekly if not daily with M. 

(Having cabin fever. He wanted to spray the spray bottle, so I told him to get in the tub. 

He had a blast!)

(This was one wicked tantrum. After being sent to his room for a time-out, he destroyed his bedroom. Took everything out of every container- you name it. Yes, that's a lamp hanging by its cord. After a few minutes I heard silence. Terrifying. I came in to find him asleep. Poor kid :) )

{He is fascinated with the bracelets we all got in the hospital. I put them in that blue basket to save them for a memory book. So he pulled over the pack n' play and the bird cage in order to reach it. I give him props for being resourceful!}

{I decided one day to clean the house during a nap-time so it would be clean when Jed got home. PK woke up from his nap a bit early. I went upstairs to comfort M, and PK had "un-cleaned" the house.}

Of course, having 2 kids means that a lot of things have changed. I'm still managing getting my daily tasks done each day. Between the breast feeding, two diapers to change, getting everybody dressed, meals, lots & lots of playtime, and nap times, I am still trying to manage laundry, vacuuming, dinner etc. etc. during the day. Luckily, both boys are sleeping SOO much better now (10-12 hours each night) so I try and get them to bed and then hurry and get my chores done (yay for sleep training!). Life is busy and fun and come 9pm each night I am running to bed! :) 

Jed has been a trooper through all of this. I don't think either one of us were anticipating just how much of a change it would be. He has changed countless diapers, has encouraged me to do the cloth diapers (which is working great BTW), and gives me the much needed breaks I need. His schooling has become a bit more stressful lately (if you wants specifics, ask him. Something about computer coding...haha) So at night when I'm getting chores done, he's doing homework or contacting professors etc. It will be fun this summer when all he has to do is work- I'm thinking picnics, parks, bike rides, and lots and lots of smoothies :) 

Obstacles

{Brothers} 

These two boys couldn't be more different. As far as babies go, they have been complete opposites. PK was more easy going, content, & textbook baby. M has been a bit more fussy, needy, and timid. Both babies have taught me so much!

With PK the thrill of being a new mom was pretty exciting. I knew nothing about the realistic day-to-day life of being a mom. It was rough for awhile, but I learned what I needed to learn. Luckily, PK was a pretty easy baby, otherwise that time would have been even more difficult.

This time around I know how to change a diaper, have the basics of breast feeding down, and though nothing prepares you for the lack of sleep, at least this time around I knew it was coming. M just has required a lot more patience from me- a skill that I haven't had the "privilege" of really honing.

He needs more from me. Though I am an extrovert, babies- specifically snuggling babies- is not in comfort zone. I prefer to "get the job done." Feed the baby, burp the baby, change the diaper, do tummy time or set him on his back and then lay him down for a nap. This was the routine I was expecting, and though baby M is on a very similar schedule, his personality prefers more snuggling and attention from Momma. While this may seem like heaven to some, it has been something that I've had to learn to do. That's what's neat about being a mom though. Kids require us to get out of our comfort zones and to stretch and grow as people.

Because of his touchy/shy personality, I have had to adjust my lifestyle a bit to fit his needs. M prefers the familiar sounds/smells/surroundings of our home. He really doesn't like his car seat (though he's getting better about that) and with any new surroundings he needs even more from me. We learned this very quickly when at our first trip to Walmart. HAHA. That was funny :) We looked pretty crazy- what with me pushing the cart with the empty car seat, PK trying to climb out of the basic of the cart the entire time, and poor Jed trying to soothe our obviously overly excited infant. Oh, how long ago that feels...

I'm still trying to find a reasonable balance between PK's overly social personality, "Hi. My name PK!" and M's very sensitive personality: "Mom, there are way too many people and too much noise around here. Can you please take me home, and hold me tight for a few minutes?"Not to mention my own need for social interaction. Though I still haven't been able to be nearly as social as I would like, I did put both kids to bed and then spent a few hours shopping at Target. That was magical :)

I'm sure this will be something we'll be figuring out for awhile, but I'm pleased with the progress we've made so far. It's been helpful to have a sister that's dealt with a similar thing- thanks sis!

Engineering Open House

A few weeks ago, our family ventured out to the Engineering Open House, here at the U of I. It was so neat! There were so many exhibits to look at, things to touch/smell/listen to, and of course- PK loved it! It was one of the first "big" outings with our whole family- and it went pretty well. 

We parked and rode the shuttle up to the campus- which may have been PK's favorite part. He sees Jed riding the bus each week, so he felt pretty special riding a bus too! 

We stood in line awhile for this exhibit. It was a remote control digger made of Legos. Pretty cool! We waited for our turn to use the remote control to pick up balls from the pit and drop them into the bed of the big truck. PK loved it! He was getting a bit impatient while waiting (about 20 mins) but it was well worth it! Jed helped him maneuver the machine, and he was able to pick up & move a few of the balls.  

It was a fun little "field trip" & really the first time I've walked around campus. We're looking forward to a few more strolls now that the weather has warmed up. It really is a pretty campus, and I spotted out a few places to go and take some pictures of the kids. Though I will always be a Cougar, (haha) being an Illini is pretty fun too.  

M's Life {Weeks 1-4}

A lot has been happening here in the Alvey household, none of which I want to forget. Here is an outline of what we've been doing the last 4 weeks. It's been packed with feedings, diaper changes, sleep (by some), yummy food, and lots of good company. Here goes:

M's Life- Week 1: Jan 25-Feb 1
My mom and younger sister were able to be here for the first week that M was here. I can't say enough good things about their visit! They kept PK entertained during the day, did laundry and cleaning for me, and even took baby M around 4AM every morning so that I could get 2-3 hours of good sleep before he needed another feeding. It was marvelous!

This week was a bit rough for PK, as was anticipated. He had a hard time going to sleep most nights- I think because we had guests he didn't want to miss out. He would get out of his bed and lay back on the ground in front of his door and kick it. This usually lasted less than an hour and he would end up falling asleep right there, so we would go in and move him back to his bed. Honestly, I was pretty happy about this (let me explain). I knew that something was going to happen, and this was a lot better than what I was expecting. I also did want something to happen- meaning, I wanted to him to show us that he knew something big had happened, rather than completely ignoring it. So yes, the kicking was pretty annoying, but I just kept reminding myself of what he must be feeling. Nap-times were usually a bit more rough as well, but I was able to go up and help him fall asleep while my Mom or Alyssa cared for M.

This week we had 2 doctor's appointments. 1 to check M's weight- which he was gaining just fine! And another to the lactation specialist. (I may do a post all about this later- it was AWESOME!)

We worked the first week on keeping M awake to get a full feeding. Meaning, I would do whatever it took for him to not keep nodding off so that he would actually get a full feeding rather than eating for 10 minutes and wanting to nurse again in an hour. Usually putting him on the ground for a minute when he fell asleep would work, but sometimes I needed to undress him or even change his diaper. Of course there were the times when nothing I did would keep him awake, but I knew that it was important to do it if I wanted him to have a good schedule in the future.

He slept in our room this week (in the pack n' play) and got up every 2-3 hours to eat. Often he was wide awake and wanted to be held in order to go back to sleep (which meant little to no sleep for Jed and I).

(Put him in here for a second... look how tiny!) 

Sisters :) 

M's Life- Weeks 2 & 3: Feb 2-Feb 18
After my mom and sister left (and several tears were shed by me), Jed was able to have 2 weeks of parental leave from work. He still had classes to go to, and he still went in to work for a few hours, but mainly he was at home helping.

PK and I went to the library this week. It was nice to get to spend time just the two of us. I was sad on the drive home (rushing to feed M) that PK was no longer my baby- that that time in my life was over. I'm so glad that I did have over 2 years with just the two of us. Those years are so precious to me. Anyways, M was crying when we walked in, and those feelings were quickly replaced by the reminded of my current situation, which is different, but still very fulfilling.

I went to church when M was 2 weeks old. Jed gave a talk in sacrament which was just the motivation I needed to get to back to church. It was really nice to be surrounded by such supportive women, and M did very well. He LOVES being held, so as long as he was in a comfortable position, he was just fine. I was also able to have a nice conversation in the mother's lounge with a new mom and it reminded me of how fond my memories are of mother's room chats with friends back in Provo. I guess that's what happens when 1/3 of church is spent feeding.

PK didn't kick his door that much these 2 weeks (that I can remember), and took a nap most days as well. I let him have some "alone" time with M also (I stood out of sight, watching.) He liked to hold a pretend car and run in up and down his brother's legs, saying "Don't worry, M" if M started crying (haha). He did have a few time outs from being too rough with his brother, but also some melt-momma's-heart moments too.

M slept in PK's room at about 12 days old. I transitioned him by having him take day time naps in that room, and after about 2 days, had him sleep over night in there as well. PK loved sharing his room, and often I could hear him saying, "Don't worry, M" if M was upset.

We had M wear a swaddler (a blanket with velcro so they can't kick out of the swaddle) and he slept so much better! He would go 4-5 hour stretches at night! I felt like a whole new person (though still pretty tired) but really hopeful for a full nights sleep in the not too distant future. I focussed on feeding him every 3 or so hours, still working on getting full feedings each time, and focussed more on keeping him awake a bit after his feedings before naps.

These 2 weeks we also spent doing some shopping (and learning more about M's personality), planning the blessing brunch, and cleaning the house in preparation for our next visitors.

(Out shopping- just nursing in the car)

(Working on projects)

(Valentine's Crafts)

(My boys)

(Pk and daddy)

(brothers)

(that's more like it)

(homemade matching PJ's)

(PK and daddy playing play-do)

M's Life-Week 4: Feb 19-Feb 25
Jed's parents were able to come to visit for a week as well. Kate did most of the cleaning while they were here, and of course kept Parker busy with books, walks, stories, and long naps (they wore this kid out!) It was sad because Jed had to work this week, so he wasn't able to spend quite as much time with them, but it was nice for me to get to know them better. We packed lunches and went and met Jed for lunch one day, and another day Kate and I shopped for a few hours. It was so nice having them here- I definitely wasn't ready to be by myself yet!

Baby M did just fine in PK's room by this week, and slept 6 hours two nights in a row! I really credit this to working on his schedule from the get go, the swaddler, and his own need for sleep (he's like his momma!) PK kicked his door a bit this week too, but Grandma and Grandpa wore him out so much, that naps and bedtime came a lot quicker than before.

The Saturday of their visit, some of my family came to visit because they were staying in a hotel until the baby blessing the next day. None of them had seen M yet, so it was nice to continue to show him off!

The next day was the baby blessing, and it was the perfect day. The morning wasn't rushed, we had all slept well, and getting ready went pretty efficiently. Kate, Eric, and PK went ahead to the church to save everybody seats, and I was able to get myself ready, feed M, and then get M all ready.

The blessing itself was given by Jedediah, and was so perfect. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of gratitude for my sweet little family, for the family that was there, and for the family that wasn't. After sacrament meeting, we took some family photos and then went back for a brunch.

Everything went exactly how I imagined, and it was so nice to have so many loved ones here.
From throughout the week:

("Grammer" & PK)

(M with a new blanket from Grandma)

(Play-dough with "Gramper")

(Ta-da!)

(Everyone at the blessing)

(Headed home after church)

(Oma with M)

(Grandma Ashley)

(Look how cute!)

(Grandma with M)

(Our family of 4)

(4 Generations)

(Gramper with M)

(Happy 1 month!)

(My job is pretty awesome.)

The first month of baby M's life was a crazy one! So much happened! At his one month check up he weighed 10 lbs 8 ounces (HOLY COW!!) and was 22.5 inches long. I can't believe he's already a month old. Time has gone by so fast- I'm just so grateful for all the help we've received- it wouldn't have been the same without it, that's for sure.