Lazy Newborn Days

Well, the blogging has taken a bit of a hit during this maternity leave but I really have been just soaking up my time with both Olivia and Eric.  While I do have a 6 month maternity leave that I will be forever grateful for, the shortness and preciousness of this time off is not lost on me at all.  I can't even really talk about (or apparently blog about!) how much it means to me without getting choked up.  I enjoy working and the flexibility my job allows me, but uninterrupted time with these kids is a precious gift that I am in no way taking for granted!

But, I do want to remember it all - so on to the blog! ;)

We were blessed to get a visit from the McGuires for the 4th of July.  During the last few tough months of the pregnancy, this trip was something we were all looking forward to.  We unfortunately didn't get many pictures of the whole gang, but Aunt Jennie gave me a tutorial on the elusive Moby wrap and we got a glimpse of what life will look like in 6 short months via sweet baby Grady.

 

Our actual Fourth of July was quite uneventful - Eric was his usual sleepy self and even Olivia (clearly worn out from her weekend with the McGuire boys) fell asleep around 5:30 while watching a movie!

In an effort to fully cement the notion that we spoil our kids, we started taking Eric to a baby spa. The spa boasts that their treatment (floating in this ridiculously cute baby tub & baby massage) leads to happier, sleepier babies.  So clearly I was all over that.  I do think he slept better after we went, but the cuteness of the experience alone was worth the money.

Olivia has been getting a little stir-crazy staying at home, so we have been trying to think of indoor activities that wouldn't be too crowded.  Our local tennis club has a bowling alley that was the perfect answer for a Sunday afternoon (and E slept the entire time!).

We also got a visit from Matt's Grandma Geri - the kids' great grandmother.  It was so nice for them to spend some time with her.

 During the visit, Olivia accidentally bumped into Eric.  It was a complete accident and he was fine - didn't even cry.  But I could tell it scared her and she immediately ran upstairs yelling "I need a bandaid!"  I knew she didn't hurt herself and figured she got embarrassed and needed a minute.  I gave her a few minutes and then went to check on her.  She was busy at work in the playroom making a card for Eric. ("To Eric.  I am so sorry.  I did not know that you were that close.  I love you.  Your big sister Olivia.")  I know I am completely biased but this sweet girl has such a good and caring heart.  She doesn't like to be mean to people or when Matt or I are mad at someone.  I try to be more like her and I just hope she can always maintain that sweet soul of hers.

And..best of all...this month brought SMILES from baby Eric.  And we all are huge suckers for his toothless grin.  In all honesty, Olivia really does get the most consistent smiles from him, but he has been giving them to Matt and I more freely lately too.  He's a pretty smiley guy this month!

One evening I was nursing him and he stopped and just grinned up at me.

As I sat there alone with him in the living room, I couldn't help become emotional at his very presence.  And thinking about how close he was to NOT being with us is pretty scary...a lot of "ifs"...if we hadn't done another round of IVF, if Dr. McKnight hadn't used that particular hormone regimen, if his little embryo didn't implant and/or make it.....a whole lot of science and love and luck brought this little guy into our lives and I don't know if I will ever stop marveling at his very being.  Before he was born, I wasn't concerned about whether I would have enough love for him but I was sort of worried about the magnitude of my love.  I mean I've had 5 and half years to fall madly in love with Olivia and to say I'm obsessed with her would be putting it mildly.  So I was somewhat concerned that this little guy would take a while to reach that level.  But, I'm happy to say that in the 8 short weeks he has been with us, my love and obsession with him is really at full peak.  So, we can all relax - I'm about as attached to these 2 kiddos as can be! ;)

We also took Eric to meet Sofie, Minah and Henry.  Like us, he will learn to fall madly in love with this family.  Aunt KK, Sofie and Minah made Eric this amazing mobile for his room.  Not only is it visually amazing, my favorite part are the love notes hidden inside.

After a failed attempt to make slime last month (the directions failed to mention that the contact solution had to contain boric acid!), we finally succeeded when Doug & Charlie came over.

We are loving our happy 2 month old!

At 2 months old, Eric is still pretty sleepy.  We are on somewhat of a schedule - he eats every 2 hours and is awake for about 45 minutes before its back to sleep.  He has a little trouble during the witching hour but its not terrible. At night we have been getting some stretches of 5/6 hours of sleep, which really makes all the difference.  He doesn't love being swaddled but we keep trying.  When he falls asleep his face goes through every emotion (sad, angry, worried) and usually ends on happy.

And, I can't help but compare my 2 babies at 2 months each.  To Matt and I, they couldn't look more alike!

And of course, lots of cuddling and snuggling!

(This is Matt, scared to move, after he finally rocked E to sleep!)

I walked in one morning to find Olivia like this before school.  Really could not love this any more!

And, I had my first mini solo adventure in watching the kids.  Matt went to Dallas to play tennis with Uncle Lloyd so the plan was for me to have the kids Fri-Sunday.  I did pretty good and was patting myself on the back Friday night when I had them both down by 5:30 pm (another sleepy movie for Olivia!).

And luckily Matt/Lloyd won their Friday night match.

On Saturday night, I sent Matt this picture as we were about to all go to sleep.  Again, pretty proud of myself for surviving 2/3 of the trip.

Unfortunately, about 20 minutes after I sent this,  I got super sick.  We still aren't sure what it was (current thinking is a vertigo episode, but I've got a doc appointment next month to confirm) but needless to say I was in no shape to take care of myself, much less the kids, alone.  So Matt's parents rushed over to take care of me, armed with some antinasuea medicine that saved me and then sweet Matt drove home in the middle of the night to take care of us.

So not a great way to end the weekend, but I did get a little sneak peek into what life will look like once Matt begins traveling this Fall.

And finally, our little guy had his 2 month check up.  He got 3 shots that he took like a champ and is growing well:
Height: 23"
Weight: 10 pounds, 13.5 ounces