Random Pictures

Some recent pictures for Gran! We love you!

So fresh and so clean!

Where's Hollins?

Sweet Hollins!

Ready for school!

Playing on my new swing set!

Sweet sisters loving on each other!

Hollins is 2 Months Old!

Sweet Hollins...

You are 2 months old and I cannot believe it. Time has passed so fast.

You really are the sweetest baby. You only cry when you are hungry or very tired and even then you stop crying when you are held and cuddled. You only wake up once a night and could probably sleep a full twelve hours if I really pushed it. But I enjoy that time with you. I love you so much and I am going to be devastated on October 24 to leave you and your sister to go back to school.

You have started to smile at us and are able to hold your head up so well. I am going to have to break out the Bumbo soon. Your skin has really cleared up and you aren't spitting up nearly as much. Nutramigen is good stuff!

At your 2 month appointment you weighed 11.9 pounds (50%) and were 21 1/4 inches (25%). Maybe you are going to be more petite. Hadley has always been in the 100% for height. I looked back at the baby book and she was 2 and a half inches longer.

This is Hadley at 2 months. When I was looking back at Hadley's pictures, I can't believe how much they look alike. Except one has dark brown eyes and the other has bright blue eyes.

We are still shocked that Hollins is going to be a blue eyed beauty. Eric and I both have dark eyes.

Weekend Wrap Up and a Checkup

This weekend was crazy and busy.

The girls and I went to my parents house on Saturday to spend the night. The Gamecocks had a late game and I wanted to go shopping. My parents live in a town with the outlets!!

We decided to let Hollins sleep while my daddy watched TV and mama, Hadley, and I decided to shop. We only made it through one store (Carter's) and we were done. Hadley hadn't had a nap and had had a cold for about a week. I was able to get them a few things but not stock up like I had planned.

I bought Hadley all 2T things to get her through the year but they are hanging off of her.

The girls went to bed easily and I watched the Gamecocks struggle to win....

At 11:00, Hollins woke up and she had gotten the cold that Hadley and I had all week. She was pitiful and I felt so bad for her knowing I couldn't do anything to help her. She ended up getting up quite a bit through the night but we salined, sucked, and ran the humidifier through the next night day and night and today she seems much better!

This morning Hadley and I had her 2 year well visit. She weighed 26 pounds and was 35.5 inches tall. She's tall and skinny, not like her mother at all! The doctor was very impressed with her health and development. She knew all of her colors, counted to 10, and (dare I say) potty trained! Now to get rid of the paci...

First Day of School

Last Thursday was Hadley's first day of Mother's Morning Out. Can I just tell you how wonderful MMO is? Six free hours a week to sit, clean, run an errand, the possibilities are endless...

Oh wait! I have a newborn! But one kid is so much easier than one when they are both crying and needing something.

Isn't she the cutest thing ever? I wasn't able to take any pictures with her because I was by myself and I also didn't take any pictures once we got to school. Sad...

My hands are full and she started to cry once we got there.

She ended up having a great day and I know we are going to have a great year!

Growing Girls

We started off this morning a little rocky. Hadley has started refusing her nap occasionally and is a bear the next day. She was great yesterday but I did make her play in her room by herself for an hour. This mama needed a break!

She ended up pulling every single book out of her bookshelf, but she was so cute talking and reading to her babies.

We finally made it to MMO this morning and Hollins and I headed straight for the pediatrician's office for her one month check up, even though she is 6 weeks old this week.

Her stats were 10 pounds and 21 1/4 inches long. Her skin has been broken out now for about a month and I thought it was the dairy I had been consuming so I have been slowly stopping nursing and made the transition to soy formula. Well, the pediatrician said the rash is cradle cap which could lead to eczema and maybe allergies. She also seems to be having some reflux issues. Yay for another high-maintenance child. I finally was able to take Hadley off of expensive Nutramigen only to now give it to Hollins. Oh well, no one said children were cheap. I would rather her be on the Nutramigen and feel good than not. I really think all of Hadley's medical issues are what made her such a cranky baby-she felt bad all of the time and no one knew. It breaks my heart to think about how miserably she probably was the first year of her life. So, hopefully, we are starting Hollins off better.

My two sweet girls loving on one another!

Hadley has been hilarious lately. Two is a hard age but she is also so fun! Some random things are her nursing her babies, pumping her boobies, and praying for boobies. You can definitely tell there is a baby in the house.

I also find Elmo in random places. My favorite has been in the baby bouncy with a paci in his mouth. That sneaky Elmo taking the baby's paci!

The Tuesday after Labor Day

I don't know about everybody else but I am exhausted and my patience is so thin. I'm thinking long weekends and birthday parties are enough to wear a girl out. Hadley is also not in a good mood either. We are trying to wean her from the paci by only allowing it when she is taking a nap and going to bed and she is not happy about it! But I know I have to stick to my guns-she's getting a little too attached to it.

Our Labor Day was very relaxed! We started the day by taking a walk and taking the girls to the park. We played with Play-Doh, puzzles, and musical instruments the rest of the day because the bottom dropped out of the sky. We are currently still under tornado warnings. Hadley and I also cooked Double Chocolate Banana Muffins, which are a healthy alternative to all of the birthday cupcakes we have all been eating.

On a happy note, baby Hollins gave us her first smile this morning. We have seen a few that could be smiles, but this one was a definite!

I am not typically a SAHM, but I feel like I have definitely got to get us on a routine. Everyday I am at the end of my rope and I feel like Hadley hates me. I am just exhausted and something has to give. I can't get anything done and I when I do have a small break, I just want to zone out. Which in turn makes me feel guilty and frustrates me even more that I can't get my act together. Ugh...

Thankfully, school starts Thursday! Is this typical? Do all moms feel this way? Is it typical two year old behavior?

So I am going to start setting goals for the week to, hopefully, have some accountability.

1. Finish ALL thank you notes.

2. Complete Hollins' bow holder.

3. Send out Hollins' birth announcements.

4. Get fabric and t-shirts for the girls matching seasonal outfits.

A sweet and relaxed moment with Eric and the girls. The best part of my day is hearing Hadley be so sweet to her sister. I was so afraid that Hadley would resent her and not be nice to her. I know I need to change my perspective and just enjoy my time at home with them while they are so little. They grow so fast and I will be back to work in two short months.

Hadley's Birthday Weekend

My sweet girl, Hadley is now 2! Heartbreaking....I feel like I just had her! We started off the weekend celebration by going out to eat Mexican and she was a wild one. This mama celebrated with a margarita while trying to wrangle the birthday girl!

On Saturday, we had her birthday party at Monkey Joe's and that was a hit! The kids had a blast and the adults were able to relax and chat. I think the daddies had a lot of fun too! I don't have any pictures of the actual birthday party because I was busy helping set up and greeting our visitors. Eric's sister is our official family photographer and I will post those pictures when she sends them to me! Her theme was girly Elmo and everything was so cute!

After the party, we came home to open gifts and take naps before watching the Gamecocks. I thought for sure that girl was going to sleep FOREVER. Haha...joke's on mama! No nap, at all! Thankfully, my parents spent the night and were there to help me while Eric went to the game.

Here she is, thrilled to be taking another picture! But how cute is she in her Gamecock gear!

On Sunday morning, the plan was to bring Hadley her birthday cupcake with a candle and show her her birthday present. However, Hadley woke up very early and I was nursing the baby Eric did it all by himself. I felt horrible about not being there with her but Hollins was awake all night.

I also wanted to make her sprinkle pancakes in the shape of a number 2-another FAIL. I feel horrible now! Maybe this week we will have a special breakfast.

Hadley's birthday plate!

Eric and Hadley went to church while I stayed at home with Hollins to rest after a long night.

She did take a good nap this afternoon which was followed by a bike ride and a trip to the park.

We ended the weekend with a visit from Mimi, Pop, Auntie, and Grandmama and another birthday cake and more presents!

We had such a fun weekend and now its sad to me that her birthday is over but I feel like I have run a marathon this weekend. Hopefully, we will get back into a good routine (MMO starts this week-thank you, Jesus) and I am getting back on Weight Watchers and Hadley is going through a sugar detox. We are also very thankful that Eric is off of work tomorrow!

Hope everyone has a great Labor Day! Yay for Fall coming!

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