And I Thought I Had It Bad....

O-R-E-O

Memorial Day Fun

We had a great Memorial Day this past Monday. After spending the morning at home, Jonathan, Nora, Liam and I headed over to Jonathan's parent's house for a cookout with some family and friends. There was a ton of food and lots of fun by the pool.

This is Jake....cutest.kid.ever. AKA "Charlie Brown"

Amy taught Layla, Jake & Nora how to blow bubbles.

She's so grown up now.

This is how Liam spent most of his Memorial Day.

Robert and Layla

Hey! I like your swimsuit! (No this was not planned)

Dalyn, Jessica, Nora, Casey, Amy, Jonathan, Robert, Layla & Amy

SO cute and loving the pool!

Seeing the Light of Day

Well, we are finally seeming to break out of the house around here. Jonathan, Nora, Liam and I headed to the mall for a (brief) outing today! We let Nora walk around and had our family favorite...Chick-fil-a! Nora even learned that the Chick-fil-a experience gets better than just chicken and fries. Cookies and cream milkshakes are delicious! Poor Liam stayed in his carseat the whole time, sound asleep.

Tonight, Jonathan's parents are graciously keeping BOTH kids for us so that we can go out to dinner for our anniversary. I am leaving a bottle for one of Liam's feedings, which we haven't done before, so pray that he does well for his grandparents!

Quick question for moms who have/do breastfeed their kiddaloos:

Liam seems to be one quick eater. I'm talking less than 10 minutes and he's done! I, however, try for like 45 minutes to get him to latch again to see if he is still hungry. I just want to be sure that he isn't simply sleepy and falling asleep before he's done. Every once in a while I will get him to latch back on, but as soon as my milk lets down, he pulls away. AHH! Anyway, I typically give up without much success in my attempt to get him to eat more. He seems content for the most part and goes 2.5-3 hours between feedings, but I am still wondering if he is getting enough and if my milk supply is getting stimulated enough to hold on. Any comments or advice? I'm probably worrying over nothing, but any help will be much appreciated. Thanks.

5 Years Ago Today....

Needless to say, this has been quite a busy month. Thankfully, we get to celebrate another wonderful occasion: our 5 year anniversary. It has been a wonderful and adventuresome five years together. Just for the fun of it, here are a few things that we've experienced together since being married:

*Finished up dental school (Jonathan)
*Had first teaching job (Casey)
*Lost our home due to Hurricane Katrina
*Moved to Baton Rouge for two years
*Had more jobs than I care to recall (Casey)
*Lived in a motor home for 7 months
*Lived in our first apartment
*Found out we were expecting our first daughter
*Moved to Knoxville, TN, 9 hours away from home
*Bought our first house
*Gave birth to our first daughter
*Welcomed our first son

We have made amazing memories and have grown so much as a couple thanks to all that the Lord has allowed to happen in our lives. We are so blessed. I end this post by sharing a poem that I gave to Jonathan one Valentine's Day while we were dating. He later used this poem in his proposal. I think it is so beautiful. So much of what this poem says is true of my love for Jonathan and how I feel for him because of the work of God in our lives and marriage. (I did not write this....and I believe the author is anonymous).



I Love You

I love you not only for what you are
but for what I am when I'm with you.
I love you not only for what you have
made of yourself but what you are making
of me;
I love you for putting your hand into my
heaped up heart and passing over all the
foolish weak things you can't help dimly
seeing there, and drawing out in the light
all the beautiful belongings that no one
else had looked quite far enough to find;
I love you because you are helping me to
make of the lumber of my life not a tavern
but a temple, out of the work of my every day
life not a reproach but a song.
I love you because you have done more than
any creed could have done to make me good
and more than any fate could have done to
make me happy;
You have done it without a touch, without
a word, without a sigh;
You have done it by being yourself.
Perhaps that is what being a friend means,
after all.

Nora Belle at 21 Months

Hard to believe, but my baby girl is 21 months old today. Only three more months until she's a two year old! That just sounds like a big girl age....two. How sad! She is changing so much everyday and is just growing before our very eyes. Her looks, her vocabulary, her ability to comprehend, her sense of humor, her love for her new baby brother, it just keeps changing and growing. We are so in love with this little girl!

Here are some things I am finding myself repeating A LOT lately to Nora:

** "Nora, how do you ask for something?" To which she replies, "Please" but rarely says "Please" of her own accord.

** "Nora, be careful."

** "Don't kick your brother."

** "Nora, be gentle. He's very little."

** "Don't touch his eyes."

** "Nora, can you bring this to the garbage for Momma?"

** "Nora, that's not garbage, so please bring it to Momma."

Nora is a GREAT big sister and loves to help me care for Liam. She is adjusting so well, much better than I anticipated. I am so thankful to the Lord for his graciousness in this area. It is not easy caring for two children of such young ages, but He is faithful!

Two Weeks Old

Well, we've maded to the two week mark. For whatever reason, the first two weeks seemed liked the roughest to me in my memories of Nora's newborn days. I am glad to be to this point, but I do feel like the sleep deprivation is hitting me. I'm feeling more tired these days and a bit more weepy (which is most likely a mix of hormones and being so tired). However, I am trying to cling to the Lord's promises and in the strength He provides. I am also trying to cherish these moments with my two precious babies.

Liam went to the dr. today for a quick weight check. Ideally, newborns are to regain their birth weight by two weeks old. Liam Piper did not disappoint! He weighed in at 8 lbs., 3 oz., which is about 4 oz. more than his birth weight. It appears that he is eating well, so no worries!

Besides eating and pooping and pooping and pooping, Liam has been busy this second week of life. My sister, Emily, came down from Brooklyn for a visit. It was her first trip to Knoxville ever, and even though I didn't get to show her any sites besides the four walls of my house and my front yard, she had a great time visiting with us and spending some quality time with Nora and Liam. I am so glad she came! We love you, DeeDee!

Liam also lost his umbilical cord! I'm always so glad when that happens because it makes diaper changes so much easier. Also, I feel like I am sorta getting the hang of the diaper changes for a boy thing. We haven't had nearly as many "episodes" this past week, so the amount of laundry is a little more normal.

As far as Nora goes, she has had an eventful past week as well. First of all, she had her first major fall at the playground one night and busted her head on the concrete. She has hit the same spot several times already in falls around the house, but this one involved a brush burn. Poor baby. She also got her first "car" (see previous post), and she went on her first boat ride with Granna and Granddaddy over the weekend. She loved it!

Here is a picture of my two week old little man and my 21 month old maniac. They are so loved by their Momma and Daddy.

Loving the Outdoors

Watch Out, World! Here She Comes!

Yes, it's true. Nora now has her own set of "wheels.' Jonathan broke down and bought Nora her first car the other day. Man, oh, man! She LOVES it. We have been cruising the neighborhood since we got this new car and she is having a blast with it!

Feeding the Ducks on Mother's Day

I Think She Likes Him

Nora and Liam were snuggling on the sofa with Granna and Granddaddy on Mother's Day. We looked over and spotted this priceless moment where Nora was loving her brother. So precious!