Hair Chop...

I used to have long hair when I was in high school, but I got in chopped VERY short during my first year in college. I grew it out for my wedding ten years ago, but then have kept it pretty short ever since. I enjoy the easiness of caring for shorter hair, although being able to pull it into a pony tail has been fun as well. I have spent the past two year or so growing it out again. It's been fun to have long hair again for the first time in 10 years!

However, with a new baby and two preschoolers to care for, it's just not practical. In just six short weeks of life, Sarah has spit up in my hair more times than I care to count! And she's ALWAYS pulling at it, and I feel like I'm constantly pulling long strands of hair out of her hands. :) Soooooo...I have gotten it chopped once again! And it feels SO nice to have it off my shoulders again. It's weird to not be able to pull it back, but I'll get used to it.

And who knows...maybe I'll let it grow out again...until we have another baby! Hehe. :) Anyway...here's a pic for comparison. I do miss my long-hair look. But I'm enjoying the newness of the short. :)

Sarah's First "real" Smile...

So far, Sarah has been our smiliest baby yet! In her sleep, that is. :) She must have some beautiful dreams in that little mind of hers! It brings us SO much joy to see her smiling all the time. And today, I am documenting her first REAL smile! I didn't catch it on film, but it was priceless! She had just woken up, was looking around for a minute, then locked eyes with mine. She studied me for a second, then her entire face lit up with the biggest grin ever. :) After a few weeks of lots of fussing, it was a very welcomed surprise!

{sleeping beauty}

Six Weeks Old...

Playing with Trains...

Some days these two play SO well together. Today was one of those days. :) Thank you, Lord!! :)

Follow-up...

I took Sarah in for her follow-up today. Her lungs sound MUCH better (praise GOD!). And here are her one-month stats:

weight: 10lbs, 8oz (80th percentile)
length: 22in (70th percentile)
head circumference: 15in (65th percentile)

Doctor said she looks great! :) Over the past few days, she has really started in with some awful colic. We're talking crying, retching, and screaming ALL. DAY. LONG. And some nights too. It's been rough to say the least. We just started her on reflux medicine tonight, so we'll see if that helps her little belly to feel better! We NEED some relief around here. :) Here are a few pics I managed to capture between crying spells...

Potty Training Update...

Since we did the 3-day potty training method last year (in May) Isaac has kept up with it, having VERY few accidents...just at night. He still wears pull-ups to bed, but when he wets them, they soak through as if he were wearing underwear. I can probably count on one hand how many times he's done this...so he's done REALLY well. He'll be switching to undies right after his fourth birthday (when our stash of pull-ups is gone).

We took a long break with Naomi, and even went back to diapers for awhile. She has been showing a lot of signs of being ready over the past few months, but given that I was pregnant and now have a newborn to care for, I've really been putting it off. I was also hoping to wait until after our trip to Disney World in a few weeks. Taking a newly potty-trained toddler to a place like that is not my idea of fun. ;)

But over the past month or two, Naomi INSISTS that she be changed the moment she wets herself. We had been making her wait uncomfortably for a little while (not long) until it was convenient for us to help change her. But we recently switched back to pull-ups so she would have the freedom to just change herself. Over the past week, she has shocked us with her determination to use the toilet! She is basically potty training HERSELF! Haha! It began several nights ago around 2:30am. She woke up and came out of her bedroom. After I asked her to go back to bed, she said, "But I have to go pee-pee."

Seriously? At 2:30 in the morning? You're gonna start using the toilet NOW? LOL. And she did. And she's kept up with it pretty well ever since. When we are away from home, she seems to prefer to use her pull-up over a toilet...that or she just forgets. But while we're home, she has peed in the potty 100% of the time for several days now! Totally unprompted. Pretty cool. Now if only we could get her to poop in the toilet too! :) Either way, it's really fun to see her taking the initiative and doing this all on her own. We're just gonna follow her lead.

Sick Kids...

It started last month when Naomi began running a high fever (around 105 degrees). Her fever last for five days, then just went away. We were all miraculously healthy over the holidays. Praise God!! :)

Then starting on New Year's Eve, she started in with a nasty cough and snotty nose. There was no denying that Naomi had a nasty cold. And this time, Sarah began showing signs of stuffiness and coughing as well. A few days later, and Isaac joined in the fun. Three kids, three colds.

Naomi has slowly gotten better and is currently snot and cough free. :) We found out on Friday that Sarah's cold has developed into pneumonia. And found out today (yes, our FOURTH doctor's appointment in ONE week!) that Isaac has a double ear infection. Oh the joys of multiple kiddos exchanging germs!

Hopefully they are getting it all out of their systems before our trip to Disney in a few weeks!! :) Here are some pics from all the madness...

One Month Old!!

Sweet, sweet Sarah,

I can hardly believe you're already one month old!! Life has been a whirlwind between your birth and the holidays. This month has gone by SO quickly, yet I can hardly remember what life was like without you here! You are sweet as sweet can be! And by far our calmest baby so far. :) Your brother and sister are absolutely, positively IN LOVE with you. They ask to hug and kiss on you non-stop. Which is probably why you've gotten the nasty cold that they have had.

But sadly, your cold has actually turned into pneumonia. You sound so pathetic when you cough and wheeze. And then you look at mommy with sad eyes and your little lips quivering, as if to say, "Please help me feel better!" :( And as a mommy, that is the hardest thing for me to deal with. I wish I could take it all away and make you feel all better. But healing takes time. We've been giving you breathing treatments and antibiotics and hope you begin to feel better VERY soon!

You had been gaining weight very well, but since being sick, you've actually started losing weight. We'll find out how that changes next week when we go back for your one-month check up/follow-up. You are generally a happy baby with big, beautiful, blue eyes! I love, love, LOVE it when you smile in your sleep! And you do it ALL the time! :) We look forward to seeing you smile in response to us in the next few weeks!

We can't wait to watch you continue to grow and learn! Everyone says that you look JUST like your big brother. We'll see if that changes as you grow! You are such a blessing to us and SO beautiful. We love you, sweet baby girl!

Poop in the Tub...

Something to add to our circus: having the two-year-old unload a HUGE turd while taking a bath with her brother! She was frantically worried about the surprise that just came out of her rear end while her brother was laughing HYSTERICALLY! I needed a good laugh today! :)

Baby Comparisons...

This first one is an uncanny comparison between Isaac at a week old and Sarah at a week old...

And these are photos of Isaac, Sarah, and Naomi, respectively...