Adjusting to Parenting 2 Children

Okay, so I admit, I honestly thought parenting one child was pretty easy... And maybe once I figure out this mom of two business I will say the same thing, but lately I honestly feel like everyone around me has thier shit together and I am over here with the following going down:

- my house is hit constantly with hurricane Noah. I have been working hard at getting him to pick up his toys before meals, but sometimes a few toys end up staying out all night. You bet it is those few toys that I end up tripping over when I get up to pump during the wee hours in the morning. I do blame the renovation and having more toys on the main floor than usual. I also pick my battles. 

- my kitchen... Oh my word. I am grateful for a husband who deals with the kitchen for the most part, because sometimes during my day, getting the dishes off the table from lunch, or cleaning up my mess from preparing just doesn't happen because I don't have enough hands balancing a newborn in one and preventing Noah from diving off his chair with the other. 

- dinner. We should just leave it at that. Hardest part of my day - hands down. Heck even when I have it prepared and just have to put it in the oven, I have miserablely failed because I forget to do it on time. Not only is it Noah's hard time, but now it is also Emilya's time to eat. 

- getting out of the house with two whether on my own or with M, usually results in someone crying. Emilya hates her car seat and Noah is just plain old slow or distracted. I end up frustrated, usually forget the keys or something else I will end up needing. Sometimes I feel like it's not worth all the hassle and arriving anywhere on time is a joke. Clearly I need to get more practice. 

- recovering from a c-section and following the restrictions - another joke. No lifting is the one I fail at most. I could likely get away with following the rule if I didn't have a toddler. But in order to make things happen at a reasonable pace and without exhausting my patience, lifting is required. I will say, it has left me feeling very insecure with leaving the house on my own with two though. I know I don't have the stamina to chase after a toddler in public with a newborn in tow. I know I just need to start doing it and it will come, along with my patience. But we have been practicing with walks and in the backyard and we just aren't there yet. Listening ears are the main issue lately. 

- potty training. Noah luckily has not regressed. We have had accidents, but not consistently. He is actually getting better at telling us in time and is even becoming more indenpendant in this department with helping pull down his pants and what not. But I have also started putting a towel down under his potty for the mess. Boys are messy and towels are easy to wash instead of constantly wiping up and disinfecting each time. Doing it once at the end of the day is fine. I'm hoping to get him going on the regular toilet soon, but the stool is an extra climbing hazard in our house... Unless you like seeing your toddler standing on the toilet seat balancing (not with the seat down either). 

- bedtime. I feel like we deserve an award when it actually happens on time, especially with M working so late with the spring rush. We work hard on avoiding the over tired melt downs, but they usually come. We are also trying to get Emilya on some sort of schedule and it's working. She's usually asleep by 9 pm, which should give M and I an hour to get stuff done around the house and then an hours time to ourselves if we are lucky, however more often than not, I'm heading to bed by 10 anyways. Even on the days both kids nap at the same time and I am able to nap too, I'm just tired. I often remind myself I am still recovering from my csection and I need to listen to my body over tackling the ever growing to do list, mostly filled with jobs that require lifting or vacuuming.

- renovation. This was just extra added chaos. M and I actually got a chance to talk last night while I snuggled a sleeping newborn before putting her down. We both admit we are struggling to get back on track, because we just have no time to get everything done. There is not enough time in the day. We want to get the basement put back together, but when? M is working his spring rush hours, by now include Saturday's, so that leaves Sunday to get the house cleaned and caught up and to tackle the to-do list all the while trying to fit in some fun activities with Noah and family time. I know it will get done in some sort of time and when it does our life will become a bit easier with just maintaining the house. Maybe that will be the goal this weekend. 

You bet I felt like an even bigger hot mess express when I had to take Noah to the hospital on my first week alone with two kids. It was not a boost to my mom confidence one bit. I did manage to keep it together and I know accidents happen, especially with a crazy climbing rough and gruff little boy.

And to think this mama hasn't even had a drink after some of the most stressful days, but in all honesty I'm just to tired! I keep saying it will get better when we get the house put back together post reno, but finding the time to even make that happen proves to be a challenge with M's crazy spring work schedule. 

So yes, it appears that I do not have my shit together. In order to shower, I am showering with my toddler before his bedtime to ensure I get one. 

But at the end of the day, I have two beautiful children and I couldn't be happier. I remember the days I used to pray for these "problems" - okay not the renovation part, but the parenting parts. I know this time with them is soo precious. This post is not to complain about all the above, but it is to remember this struggle and share with other new moms that not everyone has their shit together. We will all have good days and bad, easy or hard. 

Being a mom is one of my very best accomplishments I will ever do and I honestly couldn't be prouder. Our life in my eyes is perfect, even when it isn't. Even after the hardest days. It's beautiful chaos in all reality and the best kind to have. I am blessed beyond words and I couldn't be happier. 

Weekend Rewind... On Thursday

Yup, just recapping the weekend on Thursday... No big deal!! This week started off really good, but then Tuesday turned into Monday and today feels like it should be Friday. I did get Emilya's newborn photos back, so stay tuned maybe next week for those!

Friday night we did end up having visitors, but they came after Noah was in bed, so it worked out not too badly. Emilya is slowly getting used to others holding her. 

Saturday rnorning we got everyone ready to leave the house. M dropped Noah off at the farm for a breakfast date with Grandma, while I fed Emilya and got her ready to go to her first trip to IKEA! 

She actually did pretty good in the truck, for hating her car seat. She is much better at self soothing and putting herself to sleep than her brother ever was! But Noah was also better in the car seat than she is! To crazy how similar they are, yet soo different!! 

We got prime parking at IKEA, the store wasn't too busy, but busy all at the same time. We didn't really know exactly what we wanted, so we had to walk the show floor. Emilya was ready to eat again, so I walked and while nursing her and she fell asleep! We managed to find just what we needed and headed downstairs to collect the goods.

Emilya needed to eat again and we had brought a bottle, so I attempted to push our regular cart while giving her a bottle, which proved quite tricky, as I had 2 ginormous rugs in it. M went to collect the furniture. We lucked out with no line ups at the check outs and no wait time for loading up!! 

All smiles for her first IKEA trip! 

When Noah woke up from his nap at the farm, M went and picked him up and then it was time to get building all the new furniture! Noah was all about helping...

While Emilya was all about smiling and snuggling! 

Sunday morning we worked on finishing the furniture and cleaning the basement. Noah's new favorite hiding spot - until we put shelves in it.

Noah and I got a little one on one time while Emilya napped. Love this squish:

Carrie and Steve came over to visit, which of course Noah loved:

We had a great visit and wish they lived closer!! 

Once Noah was down for his nap, I worked on getting Emilya down for hers, so that I could have one myself. M's Mom ended up coming over to help with moving stuff back into the basement. I was going to help them with whatever I could, but this damn lifting rule really limits me, so they told me to take my nap. I managed to get an hour in before Emilya woke up. I also got the dining room all dusted and cleaned. 

We had a nice roast beef dinner with M's parents over and enjoyed a little visit. 

Most of the furniture is out of the bin, we just have all the boxed up stuff, but we plan to go through that as we bring it in. 

So we had a productive weekend to say the least. 

Emilya - Week 2

2 Weeks... Man time flies when you are having fun!!! Luckily this past week didn't seem to zoom on by now that we are home. I can't say we are settled, because let's face it, how is anyone settled in the midst of a renovation? But the light at the end of the tunnel is here and I am happy to say the Reno is mostly done!! 

This past week I have been soaking up all the newborn snuggles I can, it also included my first day alone with 2 kids and it went pretty smoothly, as I mentioned in the previous post!

Eating: This girl was pretty much born to eat! She is still latching good and my milk supply is definetely in! I am happy to report pumping this time around is much more productive! I am pumping up to twice a day, depending on Emilya's sleep schedule. I started pumping in the middle of the night when I wake up, instead of waking Emilya, and I am able to pump a total of about 4-4.5 oz, something I was never able to do with Noah! We were finding when I fed Emilya after a long stretch, I would have more milk than she could handle and she would end up overfilling herself and spitting half of it up, so pumping was just an option that made sense. If she only does a 4 hour stretch I nurse her, but if she is still sleeping at 5/6 hour stretches, then I pump. This works out nicely and allows M and I to get more sleep, I get up and pump for 10 minutes and back to bed I go. M gets up with Emilya, changes her, gives her the bottle and back to sleep they go! M is pretty adamant that he wants to get up with Emilya in the middle of the night, which is a huge help and it gives them that one on one time that he misses throughout the day and most of the evening. She takes the bottle like a champ and takes about 3 ounces, sometimes needs that extra ounce to fall back to sleep. Depending on how long she has been sleeping, I will try to pump again when I get up at 7 AM.

Sleeping: This little lady enjoys her beauty sleep to say the least and you will not find me complaining about her sleep pattern one bit at this point! She is going to bed between 9:30/10:30 and depending on her day she will sleep a 4 hour stretch if she slept a lot in the day or she will sleep a 6/7 hour stretch. Either way we count our blessings! She is still in bed with us (in her Bummzie) but we are hoping to transition her to the bassinet this weekend. Emilya is quite the snoring machine though, it is crazy how loud she gets, but it is reassuring that she is breathing. She is awake for longer stretches in the day now as well, but I work really hard at getting the two kids to nap at the same time, so I can too!  So far it has been working great! 

Clothing: She is still wearing newborn diapers, that I am hoping to switch to size 1's soon because they are cheaper! But we will have to see how big they are on her! Outfits are size newborn, sleepers are 0-3 or 3 months, which she swims in! I have bought a few lots of girls clothes used and I can't wait to see her in some of the outfits, not to mention the outfits I have bought or received as gifts! 

I made her first top knot headband and can't wait to make some more with the fabric scraps I have!! I also purchased some headbands for her, but they are still a bit big, but we try to make them work:

Bathes: are still hit and miss, sometimes she screams through them and sometimes she enjoys them and relaxes. I think it depends on how long she has been awake and how hungry she is! I have been bathing her more often, as baths are usually M's thing, but just with the way timing has been working lately, and trying to get Noah to bed on time (which we have failed at more often than not), it just works out easier for me to bath her, as long as M gets the tub ready for me (damn lifting restriction). 

Skin and Hair: Her hair appears to be lightening up already. Her skin is still nice and clear. She still has what they call a "stork bite" above her right eye, but they say it will go away on its own. It just looks like a red mark. Noah had a small one on his eye lid. 

Weight: Emilya is up to 8lbs 7 oz at 2 weeks old, or at least that is what our scale says, we will find out how accurate it is at her next doctors appointment! 

What The Doctor Had To Say: Emilya doesn't see the doctor until she is one month old unless we have a concern. We bought a scale for here at home since they don't offer weekly weigh ins anymore, so we can keep track of her weight. I did have to go back to see the doctor for my blood pressure, but more on that below with my recovery. 

Nicknames: Emma, Em, Emy, Baby, Little Miss, Littlest Squish

Big Brother Update: Noah is still doing great! He likes to go in an say good morning to Emilya when she wakes up, wants to hold her, sings her songs while I change her or when she cries and Emilya seems to really love her brother too and stops fussing. Noah also gets lots of smiles out of her. Listening ears have been this weeks struggles, which I am not sure which is worse... No listening ears or tantrums, but luckily the tantrums have subsided for the most part! Noah is also Mr. Independent, which is a struggle all on its own, especially when it is things he actually needs help with. But overall with all the change going on in our lives right now with the new baby, the renovation, not having his play area, he is doing exceptionally well!! 

Fur Baby Update: Poor Gracie is getting the short end of the stick in the walking department, hopefully that will change after this coming weekend and the renovation is done. She is still pretty mopey from losing Lily. The cats are loving the baby and all the baby's things. Lux is loving the bouncer and bummzie, and Jazz likes the breast feeding pillow. 

Personality: Emilya is super laid back. You would think after going 7 hours without food she would be starving and angry, but she tolerates a diaper change and doesn't fuss for food instantly. She does not love her car seat. She loves her brother and when he sings to her. Emilya is a smiley baby like Noah was, and it instantly brings a smile to my face everytime I catch a glimpse of the gummy smile!! She is getting better with tolerating other people holding her and will now settle for Daddy. She is liking her mamaroo and bouncer now as well! 

My Recovery: Is going great!! I think all the rest I am able to get with napping and sleeping most of the night is a huge key to my success. I have tried hard not to lift Noah, but I have broken that rule a little bit when trying to get him up to bed. Overall I feel pretty good and I look forward to being able to drive, even though I won't be taking Noah out with me for a little while, as getting him in and out of the car is a trick. 

Weight-wise I have just under 15 pounds to go (which is similar to my last pregnancy at this point), but I will say I am impressed with how my body is bouncing back this time around and I am chalking that up to having an active pregnancy this time around! 

My blood pressure is borderline still, I ended up having to go back and see the doctor because of it and we decided to just watch it. She checked my home machine to make sure it was accurate as well and discussed starting on meds, but I did tell her if I could avoid the meds, I would prefer to do that, because I don't feel great on them. My readings at home are not that bad and seem to be improving, so she agreed that we could just watch it and reassess at Emilya's one month check up or if I find it going up at home. 

5 Things Friday

We have made it to Friday!! Wow, we are all still alive!

1) I am officially sporting my boy mom badge after our first trip to Emerg for Noah yesterday. He was sitting in a storage cube, fell backwards and hit his head on the bench, with lots of tears, but even more blood - oh boy was there a lot of blood! I was greatful for my medical background and was able to handle the blood and managed to get the bleeding to stop with candy and peppa pig, but I was afraid he needed stitches. So I called up M's Mom and off to Emerg we went, 2.5 hours later we were out of there with 2 staples in the back of his head. Emilya was a super little sister during the whole thing and really let me focus in Noah! 

He really has had a rough week, falling off a bench at the farm on Monday, scraping his chin as well! 

2) I thought for sure I would need a drink after yesterday's adventures, but by the end of the day I was just too exhausted. 

3) We are super happy to report that the bulk of the basement renovation is done!! The flooring, trim and paint is done and it looks like a totally different space down there! We are waiting for the new windows to come in and we will be installing new carpet on the stairs soon as well. An IKEA trip is
happening tomorrow to get a desk and some new storage solutions, along with replacing the shelving unit we lost with the flood. 

4) We have mostly survived my first week alone with two kids and only one trip to Emerg... I'm not sure if I should call this a win or not, but I am. Cooking meals is a bit tricky with Emilya's schedule right now,  even when I had them planned out or premade. So there are definitely areas where I will be working harder at. 

5) Today Emilya has her hearing test and I have a few errands to run on my own with her, while Noah goes to the farm for lunch and naptime. M and I are both very greatful for grandparents that live near by lately with all the renovations and extra help we have needed with Noah in order to get things
done more quickly and efficiently. We are really looking forward to getting our lives back into some sort of normal without the additional tasks tacked on with the renovation! That and getting our house back into a clean order!! We look forward to being able to welcome friends and family over after this weekend to meet Emilya, as we put a hold on visitors because it was just too much with the renovation mess. 

Hope everyone has a great weekend!! I'm hoping we have a productive weekend!! 

First Day Alone with 2

The day finally came and I was a bit nervous in all honesty. Mostly nervous over the fact that I am recovering from a c-section and have limitations with lifting and what not and secondly nervous about lack of sleep and functioning a full day with enough patience and no help!

Well I am 3 days in and it's a heck of a lot easier than what I had imagined. We definitely have some work to do in the toddler listening department, however I am really happy with how it's gone down this far! I am not naive enough to know that we will have some really really rough days ahead, in the meantime I am taking each day minute by minute/hour by hour and we are doing great! 

A huge credit goes to Emilya, who is super laid back and an excellent sleeper. I am waking feeling soo rested, which is also key to my csection recovery and sanity. I am waking up around 7 AM when Noah gets up and Emilya is usually sleeping from about 5-9 AM, giving me time to pump if needed, feed Noah (and myself) and give him some one on one time! Having a renovation going on during our first week has had its challenges, but I am happy to say it is almost done - I am hoping by the weekend we can start moving stuff back in and make a trip to IKEA to get some storage solutions. 

My biggest goal, now that I am a mom of 2 is tandem napping, giving me time to myself to either just relax or attempt to get something done quietly or to nap, which is exactly what I have done all 3 days, is nap! Another key to feeling soo great post csection! 

On Day 1, M was home in enough time to help with preparing dinner, which was one less thing I had to deal with. It's rough timing trying to get dinner going, feed the baby - who is usually awake and wanting to eat from about 4:30-6:30, feed Noah, etc. Day 2 was dinner at the farm and yesterday was my first day to prepare dinner... M got a casserole out of the freezer in the morning, so I had to do was put it in the oven and of course I forgot! Didn't help that Noah was not listening, and Emilya just wanted to eat. 

So there we have it, we all survived, we were all tired by the end of the day, but overall, it was great. Yesterday was a true testament of my patience with Noah, as he must have lost his listening ears over night, so that was fun, but we made it. We will have our good days and our bad days, and believe it or not, this mama still hasn't HAD to have wine yet!! 

Being a mom to two is such a blessing and I truly am loving every single moment of it! 

Weekend Rewind

Well it's officially my first day on my own with 2 kids and suprisingly it is going better than I expected. I think I was most nervous about not being able to lift Noah, especially when he is being a typical 2 year old and doing what he prefers instead of what I ask, but with patience we making it by!! I may need a glass of wine tonight!

This weekend we had amazing weather and took advantage of that for the most part. 

Friday night we had company over to see Emilya and it was after this, that I have made a new rule that there will be no more company coming over until the basement is finished because I simply cannot have the house looking the way I would prefer when company comes over. As much as we are trying to keep the dust to a minimum, when new drywall is going up, it's pretty much impossible and not being able to vacuum myself is driving me nuts!! I know most say to enjoy the break, but vacuuming is my thing. 

Our visit was nice though and Noah had fun playing with thier son, but by the end of the visit he was spun like a top and it was time for bed! We kind of sucked at getting him to bed on time this weekend, but for the most part he was in a great mood. 

Saturday morning Noah went with Daddy to get the tractor so we could get rid of the dump wagon in the driveway, now that most of the gutting is done. This gave me some one on one time with Emilya, which I of course soaked up all the newborn snuggles I could.

I also got a bit crafty and attempted my first jersey headband for Emilya!

It's not perfect, but soo cute and soo fun!! 

When Noah got back he requested to hold Emilya!! 

They worked hard on cleaning up the back yard after naptime! Noah just soaked up all the time outside!! 

Emilya wasn't complaining much either!!! 

Noah went with M to take the backhoe back and ended up having ice cream with Grandpa. He came home singing "yummy yummy in my tummy" but when I would of ask him if he had ice cream he would say "no" with this cheeky grin! 

Silly kid! We finally got him to bed and then worked on getting Emma to bed next. She pretty much binge eats from 8:30-10:30 and then sleeps straight until 4/5 AM. This seems to be her trend lately, which I will not complain about. 

Sunday morning I pumped for the first time and was pleasantly surprised with the amount I was able to get!! My milk supply is soo much better this time around!! 

We dropped Noah off at the farm to help pick up sticks from the ice storm, while M and I attempted to run into town to get paint, trim and groceries. I say attempt because Emilya was really not feeling it. 

We had to stop to nurse her 3 different times, but managed to get the paint and groceries. We had a tight deadline being Noah's naptime and we didn't even make that, he ended up going down for a nap an hour later than we planned. We ended up waking him after an hour, as we had a birthday party to attend to! 

This little man had fun at the party:

And this little miss slept through the whole thing:

We bbq'd some chicken up and enjoyed a nice Sunday dinner! After dinner we surprised Noah with a bubble machine! We had talked about getting one for him for a while and I finally found one at Walmart! Needless to say it was a hit! There is a pretty funny video on Instagram of him loving it!! 

We got Emilya to bed by 10:30 and followed suit! I woke her up at 4 AM to feed! I will share our first day on our own in a seperate post. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!! 

Emilya - 1 Week

And to think I thought time went fast the first time with a newborn, now it literally just zooms on by!!! But our first week has been nothing short of amazing!! 

Emilya was not a happy camper on her first day. She wasnt making any plans on being born anytime soon, so her exit was rather dramatic! I could hear her crying inside of me before they were able to get her out. She was wedged right up in my ribs and she came out crying and hungry!! She was born feisty and wanted to be heard. Once I made it into recovery I was able to hold her and it didn't take her long to latch on and breastfeed! She was born to eat haha. 

Weight: Coming home from the hospital, she was down to 7lbs 11oz

At one day shy of a week old, she was up to 8lbs.

Eating: Emilya had no problems latching and feeding right away. We were working on feeding every 2-3 hours in the hospital, but just before leaving we were already getting longer stretches. She is pretty much a binge eater. She will nurse both sides twice, sometimes 3x before snuggling in for a sleep. But it works, because then she started sleeping longer too. So far we haven't had to deal with spit up or reflux and she is pretty good about burping and will actually let me do this, not just Daddy like Noah would prefer. 

Sleeping: I will say what a difference there is having a full-term baby compared to a preemie. Emilya is a rockstar at sleeping. Her first few nights in the hospital were rough, she ended up sleeping with either M or I. She is a mamas girl and prefers to fall asleep on my chest and has been a stinker for falling asleep for M at all! She also prefers to nurse herself to sleep. Our first night home was our best night compared to the hospital, but in all honesty she has only gotten better! She is giving us 4-6 hours of sleep in a row. She sleeps in bed with us, but in the Bummzie pillow - seriously best pillow ever!!! We swaddle her up for sleeping. I have been nursing in bed at night just put her in the pillow when she falls asleep. She is awake for about 2 hours over night, but most of that is spent nursing. We were waking her after 4-5 hours before our doctors appointment, where we found out she was gaining weight like a champ and we could let her sleep. Now the only thing waking her up from her long stretches is a diaper blow out! 

Clothing: Is a tricky subject! Newborn is too short for the most part, we have a few sleepers that work in that size. For the first few days we were trying to use sleepers that had the fold over hands because her nails were soo long and they reccomended waiting to trim them. So we also had to pull out the little mitts! Newborn onesies and pants are good. 3 month sleepers are big, but we are making them work!! Little miss is just long and lanky! It's also crazy not having any hats that fit her because her head is soo much smaller than her brothers! Haha. I had a Vance hat made for her in newborn and it is also big! 

I will say having a girl to shop for, especially after having a boy is soo much fun!! I need to get ordering some headbands!! 

Diaper Changes: We are going through less diapers than we did with Noah, but I think maybe because of the way she eats and she isn't too bothered with dirty diapers, like Noah was! But we have had 3 diaper blow outs in the middle of the night, something else we never had with Noah! 

First Bath: Emilya had her first bath at the hospital and she was not a fan! She was also not a fan of her first bath at home!! Her second bath went a bit better, but it was also just a quick bath before her newborn photoshoot! 

Skin and Hair: Her hair is dark and quite long in the back - almost ponytail worthy. I guess you could say she is sporting a bit of a mullet! Her skin is pretty fair, especially when you compare her to her brother, Noah came out with a dark complexion and Emilya did not! 

What The Doctor Had To Say: Emilya was born weighing 8 lbs 3 oz and dropped to 7 lbs 11 oz before leaving the hospital. Almost a week later she was back up to 8 lbs! Emilya was born with a sacral dimple, which is closed from what we have been told. She did have an ultrasound to confirm this and we are awaiting the results. We will be doing her hearing test again in a few weeks, because she was too mucousy when they tried to do it. She passed the one ear and showed signals she could hear in the other, but not for the full length of the test to consider passing her. Other than that, Emilya has a clean bill of health! 

Nicknames: Emma, Em, Emy, Baby, Little Miss, Littlest Squish

Big Brother Update: Noah is doing great! He loves his little sister and watching him with her just melts my heart! He doesn't show any signs of jealousy yet and is not upset with her presence at all! Our biggest issue has been the tantrums coming back, but we have gone back to diverting the crisis before it starts and he is doing much better! The bigger transition will be when M goes back to work, but I'm not too concerned, as he is pretty independent. My biggest issue will be the not lifting him. 

Fur Baby Update: Gracie doesn't seemed phased by the new baby at all. She will growl when someone other than M and I go to pick her up, but wags her tail at the same time, so we aren't concerned. I recall her doing the same with Noah! She is just a bit protective. The cats are loving the baby. Binx just wants to sit by her at all times, which is really odd because she is our least social cat. Lux comes running when she is crying. 

Personality: We were sure with her entrance, that she was going to be super fiesty. She was not a happy camper in day 1, she liked where she was and was not impressed to be out of the womb. But she quickly settled after I fed her. Eating is her thing. She is super laid back like her brother was for the most part. She started off hating her bathes, but they aren't soo much of a scream show by the end of the first week! 

My Recovery: Is going great!! Waay better than last time! I actually feel like a human thanks to my blood pressure co-operating! The first few days I was really tender (obviously) but coming home was probably the best medicine - sleeping in my own bed as well made a huge difference. I've managed to find a way to sleep on my side, giving my back a bit of a break! I made it out of the house on a few brief trips to the grocery store and Costco to pick flooring and I was able to complete both tasks without feeling like crap after. 

I came home on just Tylenol and Advil, but after the first few days I am only taking Advil 3x a day to help with swelling more than pain. If I've done too much I will take a Tylenol, but it's often a good reminder to slow down, because I do not feel like I just had surgery! Especially with this Reno going on, I just want to clean!! I really look forward to driving again and not having to rely on M to get me places, but getting Noah in and out of the car will be a trick. Luckily the weather is supposed to get nice and we can get outside for walks at least! 

Coming home to another renovation has not been any fun at all. Luckily we aren't the ones doing most of the work, but M has ended up doing some of it, like knocking out the brick fireplace hearth and we decided to take out the old office and make one big space for a play area, craft space and office. But we will definitely enjoy having our basement back to use. I know a lot of people live with out finished basements, but when you have one and then you don't, you miss that seperate living space! 

Life as a mom of two, so far has been pretty great. Yes, my patience level needs some work at times when Noah is being a typical toddler, but that will come with time. It still feels crazy to say "kids". Having a little girl is a dream come true. We never expected to have a boy, so we were blessed and couldn't believe it when Noah came along and having a boy first was something I always thought would be soo cool to have the "older big brother". I would have been happy either way if it was a boy, but shopping for a little girl is just soo much fun!! 

Seeing our family grow has been the most beautiful, hard journey, but one that I couldn't be prouder of.  Knowing all we have gone through has brought us to this point in our lives makes it all worth it!! I couldn't be happier with the way life has shaped up and I promise myself and my kids to not take one moment foregranted!