Well, I'm back.

So I closed the blog down for a while because things were getting crazy busy at home and I had the best of intentions to do a huge redesign...well guess what I never got around to it! Oh well. Here's the updates on the last several weeks....

Allie is almost 6 months old (in 16 days) and she's doing fantastic! Dawson is an amazing big brother and a crazy into everything always asking why 3 year old. It's been so warm here (like 88 degrees today) so we've been spending massive amounts of time outside....and that's about it!

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well, she tricked me.

When we brought Allie home we knew we had a better sleep than D. She would pretty much only get up 2 times a night and then shortly thereafter she was sleeping 5 and 6 hour stretches (which is textbook STTN) I was so excited to have a good sleeper. That meant I could function as a mother to my 3 year old as well as a mother to an infant.

Then a week and a half ago I'm 99% sure she started teething and now...we're up EVERY. 1.5 HOURS. I'm so tired again. I know this will pass b/c I've been on the other side of this. But I was really looking forward to a good sleeper this time :(

Comparisons

Two babies. Brother and Sister. Roughly the same age. Sharing the same hat.

Allie: 3 Months and Counting

I can't really tell you everything I've learned in the last 14 or so weeks. I've grown so much as a person, a mother, a friend, a wife that I've lost track of all the lessons. I know I'm a better mother to 2 than I was to 1. I know I love my family and my life more than I ever thought I could. I know that my heart has grown so much in the last 3 months and that I love my little girl just as much as my little boy. I really didn't know it was possible to love 2 little people so much. My life feels complete. We might be broke but I'm home raising my babies, I might wear yoga pants more than I want to admit, I might have to find tricks to get a shower in, but you know what? These really are the best days of my life. I wouldn't trade them for the whole world. I love these two little faces more than I could ever explain. They light up my whole life.

Allie 12 weeks

You read that right...she's already 12 weeks (and 2 days) old. So what have I learned?

My heart and hands really are big enough for 2!

After the initial adjustment period, I've found that having 2 children is SO much better than 1 and I can't wait...I mean absolutely can't wait til they play together. Dawson is already so good with her and loves her so much.

co sleeping works for us and I can guarantee if I had another, I'd co sleep with her/him too. I'm 2 for 2 so far.

McDonald's is the perfect place to take D when he needs to get energy out and if you go around 2pm it's not crowded at all and Allie isn't bothered. Ours has an indoor play place so if it's cold or windy it's still okay. And it doesn't hurt that nuggets are one of the about 5 foods that he'll actually eat.

Slowly but surely my body is going to back to normal and I feel great.

It's true when they say you don't rush your second to do things like you do your first. By the time D was Allie's age he was swatting at toys and I think he may have rolled over a time or two. She's watching toys and smiles and talks all the time but I'm in no rush for her to roll. At least right now she stays where I put her.

I'm SOOOO much more relaxed with Allie than I was with D. I'm not worried about everything and I can really just go with the flow. So what if we don't get out of our pajamas til dinner time or if the kids only get a bath every other day. Whatever works right now is what we're doing.

25 Ways you know you're a mother...

I found this article earlier today while browsing (yes I had 10 minutes to myself) and I wanted to share b/c it's SOOO true.

25. Your new accessories consist of boogers, spit up and pieces of food on your outfit. -- Monica

24. Your kid starts to throw up and you hold out your hands to catch it because you're no where near the toilet. Then you hold the crying child, getting barf in your hair and that's the least of your concerns. -- Amy

23. When going grocery shopping alone is considered "Me time" -- Lizette

22. You quietly wipe a butt (and remember to not flush!) while on a business call. --- Laura

21. Your six year old daughter has more shoes and a cuter wardrobe than you. -- Patti

20. You pick someone else's boogers and it's no big deal. -- Melissa

19. You actually like driving a mini van. -- Jody

18. When you know 1 million things to clean with BABY WIPES! -- Diana

17. When you feel the need to stick a bottle in the mouth of anyone upset. -- Michelle

16. You carry human teeth in your purse. -- Penny

15. You just forced them into bed and you've had enough then an hour later you're bawling your eyes out at their baby pics. -- Nermeen

14. You hold your poop till 11 p.m. so that you can go without an audience... -- Evin

13. ‎"What kind of poop was it?" counts as stimulating conversation. -- JoAnna

12. When you jam out to the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse song while driving and realize you just dropped off the little one at daycare. -- LeKisha

11. When you have extra underwear and leggings and emergency fruit snacks stashed in your purse and glove compartment at all times! --- Kathryn

10. You can do 6 different things at the same time. -- Donna

9. You hear a kid going bananas in public and as soon as you see it's not yours, you're thrilled. -- Stacey

8. Walk out of the house, realize there's poop on your shirt, and scrape it off with your nail instead of going back inside to change. -- Erin

7. When you hear someone else's newborn do her little gurgle cry and you think "awww, I wish I could hold her" rather than "OMG make it stop!" -- Brandy

6. You are more likely to find cheese sticks, diapers and yogurt in your purse than mirror. -- Liana

5. You spent half the day with a "You Went Potty!!!!" sticker in your hair and no one told you. -- Tiffany

4. You have embraced the fact that an uninterrupted nap excites you more than uninterrupted sex. -- Kimberly

3. You clench your nether regions just before a sneeze so you don't pee. -- Kelly

2. You eat a rogue Froot Loop off the floor and never think twice. And you don't even look around to see if someone's watching. -- Susan

1. The last thing you do on a vacation is relax. -- Kimberly

2011 and Allie 11 weeks.

I'm a little late, but better late than never.

2011 started of with one whole month of not being pregnant followed by 10 of being pregnant. We camped, we spent a week at the beach, we spent lots of time at the pool, and then fall came and we had a baby. Dawson became a big brother, I became the mother of 2, Daniel became the father of 2, and Allie brought in a whole new joy that I didn't even know was possible.

Now at the beginning of 2012 and the 11th week of Allie's life we are adjusted to having 2 small children and I'm working on bettering myself. Physicallly, mentally, emotionally, and maybe even spiritually. 2012 will be a great year.