So This Is Why

Amidst my postpartum hormone crash, random nightwakings from our almost three-month old son, eating issues, gas issues, nighttime crying spells and refusal to be put down after falling asleep, I have started to wonder "Why on God's Green Earth did we decide to do this baby thing AGAIN?!?" I really think that some sort of amnesia falls over parents after their children become a little older, more manageable, more interactive, and more fun, and it makes you somehow forget all of the really miserable things about caring for a baby. This in turn leads you to think..."hey, the kid we have is fun...why not do it again?". And so we did. And here we are.
*Sigh*.
So, where were we. Ah yes, "why did we do this again?". The answer came to me this week in the form of my dear Emily. As I was having one of my crazy moments that I wasn't sure just how I was going to make it through the day, my darling daughter came up to me (out of the blue), put her little arms around me, put her little hands on either side of my face, looked into my eyes and said "I love you mama". Tears sprang to my eyes. I hugged her back, thanked God for my two beautiful children, whispered "I love you too, Emily", and recognized that THIS is exactly why I would do it all over again.

The Word of the Day

I swear it seems like Emily is coming at us with new words and phrases every day. Being a first time mom to a toddler, I didn't realize what little sponges they are, picking up everything and spitting it back at you when you least expect it. We have learned this lesson the hard way when Emily repeats less-than-choice phrases when we have forgotten to watch our language around her. I'm finding that she is learning so many new things that I can't even keep up with her, I don't even know how much she knows. Today, for instance, she was putting some costume jewelery in a little purse, narrating her actions as she did them; "Emmy puts her necklaces and her rings in her purse for safekeeping.". SAFEKEEPING??? Seriously, did she just say SAFEKEEPING??? Where on God's Green Earth did she learn that one? It seems that she says at least one or two things a day that procure that reaction from me. Emily's word of the day never fails to raise the question of the day...what on earth will she come up with next?

Whoo-Hoo She's Two! ...and Adam's first smiles

I can't believe it, but somehow my baby turned two years old this month. And such a milestone called for not one, but two birthday parties! Emily thrououghly enjoyed every minute of both of them, and the best part about two parties was (of course) two cakes! She was so enamored of her birthday cake that I went into her room to get her the next morning and the first words out of her mouth were "birthday cake!". She insisted that she be allowed to have some for breakfast (AFTER she finished her cereal), and she demanded that I sing Happy Birthday to her first, reciting her newly learned Birthday rule:"Emmy not eat the candles". How could I resist :)

Books are always a favorite, especially the pop up kind!


Glasses and jewlery from Aunt Gina were a big hit.


Cake....YUMMY!!


Now that's a big one!


Much better than drawing on the walls...thank you Grandma and Grandpa!

In other news, Baby Adam has been growing by leaps and bounds, and has even started smiling and "talking" to us. Six weeks at home alone with a newborn baby and the stinker decides to flash his first smiles (awake smiles, that is) while his mom was at a 12 hour crop. Luckily, my mom thought fast and was able to catch them on camera for me. Thanks Mom!

He's Here!

After nine (ten!) months of preparation and anticipation, our little boy Adam Michael Herron arrived on March 14th. Labor and delivery went smoothly again (thankfully!), and we got to meet our baby boy a scant 50 minutes after arriving at the hospital. He weighed in at 7lbs, 5oz at birth, and measured 19.5 inches long.

Now four weeks old, Adam is growing seemingly right before our very eyes. He eats (and eats, and eats...) like a champ, and he weighed over 9lbs at our Dr.'s appointment last week! Big sister Emily is taking nicely to her new role as older sibling, and wants to hold and help feed and burp baby Adam, and even insisted that he be included in a family walk we took the other day ("Bring baby Adam too!" she exclaimed). Now that the excitement of the birth and the newness of the baby is wearing off a bit, we are all settling into being a family of four. It's amazing how fast they change and grow, and even more amazing how quickly you forget all that is involved in caring for a newborn! However, baby Adam is taking it fairly easy on us. He is generally only up once or twice a night to eat, and usually settles back into sleep upon finishing his meal. So far, he seems pretty laid back, and we're hoping that he has more than a little of Emily's temperment in him! Now, if I can only be as laid back as he is trying to manage being mommy of two! I've had a lot of help so far, Greg was able to take two weeks of paternity leave, and my mom and sister have been here quite a bit helping out with the kids so we've been able to ease into things slowly. So far, so good!