Sleeping Beauty

Abby is such a good baby! She is a very good sleeper and now she is at the point where she just wants to be put down awake and alone and fall asleep. Though we still get some cuddle time in. Look how long she is!

Eva Painting A masterpiece! And gum

This is one of the very first times Eva actually chewed the gum instead of swallowing it.

The Dentist

Justin and I took turns with the girls while we each had our dental check-up and cleaning. Neither of us had any cavities! Woohoo! I took the girls for a walk around the neighborhood nearby and Eva and I found lots of fun things.

Wonderfully Ordinary Day

Eva being cute, Abby being precious as she sleeps and just going along living our day.

Dinner with Aunt Jes

We went out as a family with our dear friend Jesika. It was fun and a successful trip out with Eva in underwear :)!

Eva wearing queso

Just the girls being so cute!

Bunny Hop

Here you go Daddy! I got the video on Easter and am finally getting it up for you - instead of sleeping! Feel loved!

Aimee Gets a Makeover - by Eva!

This video is too cute and will make you smile all day long.

First Outing

1st time taking the girls on an outing alone. We went to the park, WalMart, and downtown for the Birth Cert. Eva and I had pizza and Starbucks too. The park wasn't too busy so it wasn't stressful at all. I would just keep the stroller near Eva and I. I had a lot of fun and the girls behaved well. At WalMart Eva insisted on being WITH Abby in the cart. She held her hand and cuddled the whole time :). Downtown was fun, but the fountains weren't on :(. A very fulfilling day.

Here are some fun pictures from the past couple days.

Necessity isn't the only mother of invention - so is the desire for convenience.

My catalog model

I found her in her room reading the bible saying, "Trust in the Lord"

Today has been the polar opposite of yesterday. We have had a very blissful day. We went for a walk, played inside, played on the patio with chalk and bubbles and even painted Eva's finger and toenails as seen below. We also did some laundry and clean up. I taught Eva how to use the power sweeper today - Go me! Go Eva! The third day of potty training has been successful too! Tonight we will have our first outing in underwear. Wish us luck :).

Also Eva took a nap without sucking her thumb! I told her if she wanted me to paint her fingernails that she wouldn't be allowed to suck her thumb while they were painted and she wanted to go forward. So after the nail polish dried I put the "thum" stuff on her nails that tastes nasty. At nap time she was a little upset but I let her sleep with Pooh and Piglet, problem solved! Hopefully this will work at bed time :).

As Abby napped Eva kept wanting to see Abby. She would check on her frequently and update me on how she was. At one point she said, "Abby needs a couple toys." So she brought a couple to her (as seen in video). Also, when it was almost time to for Abby to wake up Eva wanted me to get her. She said, "Cuddle with Abby. I need to give her a hug." Reaching her arms out to receive her little sister :).

See Eva's toes and nails - so pretty!

Playing with chalk

What Abby looked like in my tummy :)

My sleeping queen! Such a wonderful baby, she is truly a joy - my Abby Joy

Eva wanted to be with Abby while she slept - lasted all of 10 seconds.

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Getting Better All the Time

Well today is my 3rd day on my own with the girls. It was much more orderly and productive but has been challenging. I love this job but it definitely requires your strength and heart. One minute I'm laughing, another crying and the next aggravated. I took them on a walk today and Eva cuddled with Abby in the stroller for a few minutes, but when Abby started to fuss she kind of sat her up and told me, "you take her." lol so funny!

Being consistent with Eva seems to pay off - but not like I thought. Sometimes she is happy and joyful but she seems angry lately. I guess her moods are like mine. She is aggravated and frustrated. The pleasant moments we share seem to end with her somehow hurting herself. Today we both cried. Yesterday and today have been milestone days for Eva in the potty arena. Yesterday and today she has been in underwear all day and has not had one accident! She spent the night in a pull up. She did poop in the pull up and it looked she peed a couple times but it was so much less than usual I knew she was trying. Lately she has peed so much at night that she peed out of her diaper. We are very excited and proud of her!

Abby is sweet and trying to sleep on her own. Yesterday she was so sleepy that she would eat a little bit and fall asleep. I couldn't rouse her. Then she would wake up in an hour and a half or 2 and want to eat following the same pattern. She was more cranky too. So today I am trying to help her going longer between feedings so that she will eat more in one sitting and sleep more soundly in between the feedings. She has been awake for good chunks of time too. Maybe I'll get more sleep tonight! The other tow things that I have been trying to work on with Abby is getting her use to sleeping in the crib and not just with me or in the bassinet and putting herself to sleep. All is going well!

Justin is back at work and it hasn't been the hurricane that we anticipated. Also he doesn't seem as stressed. He is still doing as much as he can to help me when he is home which I really appreciate.

As you can see above we had a visit from Aunt Terry! She happens to be in the Jensen area for a little bit and came down to see us :).

Growing

Eva has been growing so much physically and mentally. She has been talking so much. Yesterday I checked on her during her nap and she said, "I want twinkle high and cuddle in Mommy's bed too". She has been combining things and using the word "too" a lot. Also she can convey things that show that she conceptually understands so much! This morning Abby was fussy because of her tummy. Eva asked, "Whats wrong? Her tummy hurts?"

She is quite the little gymnast too. Yesterday she did a handstand! Last week she literally did a back bend. She loves to walk on the parking stumps and calls them "beams". She even jumps off the end for a dismount. She tried to a handspring, which was really just a handstand then she fell flag on her back, LoL. Sometimes she grabs Justin's hands and 'walks' up him, but the other day she kept walking up his body until she literally flipped back over onto her feet!

Mommy in Town

Well my mom came for the past week to help us with the house and the girls. It was so great to be together! I miss you already! Hurry back :).

Happy Easter!

Thank you!

This time around we have so much more support than the first time and it is making all the difference. So many people have stepped up and gone out of their way to bring us meals, miscellaneous supplies, visit with us, during the first 48 hours when I had to have a constant companion several friends came to stay with me so Justin could run out and most precious to us is paying special attention to Eva during their visits at the house or even taking her to the park. Thank you to all our friends for taking time out of your busy lives for us! By the end of this week we will only have had to fend for ourselves for dinner 2 out of 10 days. This experience has been so positive and such a blessing to know that we have people who really care! Thank you so much.

Abby Is One Week Old!

Abby is one week old today. Things have been going so fast. The first 4 days Abby was so peaceful and sleepy. She still is, but has had more awake times the past 3. Her cord fell off on day 5 so we have already been able to give her a bath on day 6 :). She had her first Doctor visit on Monday. They gave her the PKU test, which is a heel prick but apparently didn't do it right because they had to prick her other heel! I was so upset to see Abby upset that I cried. It was ridiculous. They tried to give her a hearing test but were unsuccessful because her ears are too small :). We have to try again at her two week appointment.

Weight: 6 lbs 7 oz

Length: 20 1/2 (which at the birth she was measured at 19 1/2) So she's 20 in, right?

Head: 13 1/2 in

Eva is trying so hard. Monday and Tuesday were really good days for her. She wants to be where Abby is and is always making sure she knows where she is. She Wanted to cuddle with her the other day and even checks up on her often just to look at her. She is acting out, but not too bad. Today was the first day that she seemed a little disgruntled :(. I can't wait til I am feeling better so that I can devote more play time with her that she needs.

I needed to measure Eva too. The past two weeks she has had a growth spurt. Almost all of her 24 month clothes looked obviously too small. She is a taller girl and I am going to break out the 2T cloths this week! She is growing into a sweeter and prettier girl everyday. She is more loving and playful all the time. By the way she is a perfect helper for mommy with Abby! Ready to please :).

Weight: 27 lbs

Length: 33 1/2 in.

Head: 19 in.

I am feeling OK. I over did it a little bit over the weekend. I was picking Eva up too much. I just wanted to and now I realize I need to cut that back and be more careful for the next week so that I can heal faster.

Justin is a saint, diligently trying to keep order and peace :).

upside down..