Newborn Pictures and New Girlfriends

Angela here!  Hope everyone had a great weekend.  Ours was fairly low key and relaxing, which I had no complaints about.  Having a newborn can be exhausting, but we could not ask for more from our sweet little girl.  Miss Adley has been rocking out in the sleeping department.  She's been consistently sleeping five straight hours at night, which is deemed amazing in my book!  And she's smiling and making funny noises when she's awake (which isn't much time at all - but it still counts).  Her cute little personality is blossoming and we're excited to see it.  She's almost 7 weeks old!!!

I forgot to post some her newborn pictures that I took when she was just a week old.  Can't believe how much she has already changed....

And below is how I had to take the pictures.  Taking pics of newborn is soooo challenging.  Not only are they floppy and constantly spitting up, but you have to maneuver them into darling little positions all while trying to keep them asleep.  Luckily, I had a good helper who demonstrated the art of sleeping anywhere in any position...  

Adley has been busy meeting her future girlfriends as well.  My girlfriend Abby and her crew stopped by last weekend and Adley was introduced to Miss Stella.  Stella is Hudson's age so Chris keeps saying she is Hudson's future wife.  But I think the girls will more likely be besties.  And hopefully they will soon learn that boys have cooties and they cannot date until they are 30.

We've also had a few play dates with Miss Charlotte, who is almost 15 months old.  They've already been to the zoo, the park and the neighborhood playground!  Charlotte seems to think Adley is more of a doll or toy, but I see best friend material is these two as well.

And now that fall has arrived, Ohio has a million and one festivals, pumpkin patches, hay rides and more.  We recently scouted out pumpkins and mums, two of my favorite front porch decor items.

And I hate to say it, but Mr. Jack is still feeling neglected.  I keep finding him in random, obvious, look-at-me places around the house.  Poor kitty just needs a lap to sit on.

Hope everyone has a great week ahead!!

More Horses and Family

Angela here!  Happy Friday!  Baby Adley finally got her first bath the other week.  She took it like a champ and didn't scream till the end.  Big brother Hudson wanted to help out so he jumped in the tub and made sure to point out that she was screaming.  Such a good helper.

We found Hudson more "horsey rides" last weekend!  We discovered the Renaissance Festival, which had jousting, pirate ships, mud pit battles, meat on a stick and so much more.  It's a month-long festival and they built an entire town to honor the time period.  Chris was in heaven.  And the horses this time were not little ponies; they were legit full-grown horses that were at least 16 hands tall.  Which is ginormous when you put a two year old on top of it. 

We got a special drop-in from the Wilsons as well.  My brother and his crew were driving back from Florida and stopped by to meet Miss Adley.  Hannah was a great big cousin, as she treated Adley like a porcelain doll.  Cousin Nate was the typical boy who didn't know she existed.  But the kids played well together for a bit with Hudson's kitchen set. 

Hannah might be Hudson's favorite cousin.  He thinks she is hilarious and will always laugh at her jokes.  Which then makes Hannah adore Hudson.  They are cute to watch.

With a new baby in the house, I feel as though the pets are getting neglected.  Penny Lane does get a long walk everyday, but that's about it.  As for Mr. Jack, he is trying to make his presence known.  Whenever Adley is swaddled or in my arms, he takes the opportunity to try out all the baby devices and toys..... 

The best way to walk the dog.  She loves this sling!

And with Chris back at work and always working late, I have both kiddos by myself in the evenings.  It's been a challenge to keep a toddler entertained and a newborn happy.  Every time I turn my back, Hudson wants to "play" with something that's not a toy.  I've found that getting frustrated is not the best way to handle these situations.  The other day he got into the coconut oil tub.  He always sees us lather up the baby in coconut oil, so I'm assuming he was trying to "help."  He flung it everywhere and rubbed it all over himself and the dog.  Instead of getting mad, I decided life would be easier if I turned his greasy hair into a mohawk and we played outside.  I'm sure the neighbors didn't judge me one bit.

         

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Perfect Adley and Horsey Rides

Angela here!  It's been three weeks since our princess entered the world and things are going great.  She has already been dubbed "Perfect Adley" because, well, she is perfect.  She sleeps about 20 hours a day and knows that her mama needs rest at night and will give me a 4-5 hour stretch of sleep between feedings.  She doesn't mind car rides and understands that when her brother is having a meltdown, she is to remain asleep.  Other than pooping and spitting up WAY too much, I could not ask for a better child.  

Now Hudson never had a great adjective in front of his name as a baby, but he is definitely making up for it in the big brother department.  Every time Adley makes a peep or spits up, he comes running to let us know.  "Daddy!  Baby Addie 'it-up' (spit up)."  If she cries, he immediately shoves a paci down her throat.  And he throws away all her dirty diapers after announcing to the world "PeeU, Baby Addie pooed!"

 Chris had the past two weeks off so we could enjoy some quality family time.  And Hudson was out of daycare for a week so we all got some extra LolliPop time as well.  Hudson lovesssss his Pop; they are best buds!  He is always most excited to see his Pop and it is so sweet to watch.  Mowing the lawn is their new favorite hobby together.

We did a lot of fun activities this past week since Hudson was home.  I was so proud of myself that the family managed to pack up and head out for daily trips.  Life is so much different with baby #2...your anxiety is less and you feel like you can conquer the world.  At least, I keep trying to convince myself that.  We first hit up the Cincinnati Zoo, which Hudson LOVED!  He can tell you any animal and the noise they make.  He kept pointing out and showing Adley all the animals.  Again, adorable to watch.  Good thing Hudson didn't notice that Adley slept the entire time. 

He still loves to hug the goats....

I needed to run errands one day sans children and came home to the picture below.  Chris and Adley were both snoring on the couch and Hudson was happily chomping away on some crumbly substance that ended up all over my couch/carpet/blanket.  Chris mentioned how tough it was to watch two children at once.  He must be Superman if he can manage a nap between watching children.... 

Our next activity was Parky's Farm, which has a petting zoo, tractor rides, a play park and lots of space to run around.  We packed our lunches and headed out with Lolly and Pop.  Hudson even got to water the vegetables and flowers, which continues to fascinate him.  Every morning, we have to water the plants on the front porch.  He's going to have a great garden one day.

   The hanging vegetable garden...

Perfect Adley again slept the entire time.  The most she ever moved was just to stretch...
 

And Hudson's favorite part was the ponies.  Ever since July 4th weekend, he has been asking for "horsey rides."  We thought he would forget, but he has persistently been asking on a daily basis.  I'm just glad we were able to find some "horsey rides" for him.  And if you try to correct him and say "horse," he will insist that you are in fact incorrect...it is a "horsey ride."

 

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week!  Chris is back at work and Hudson has returned to daycare.  So it's just us girls hanging out and on a mission to find more "horsey rides."