Even though both Jameson and Coraline spent most of their days at school the week before I went back to work, they still enjoyed some good times with Meemaw while Daddy was gone.
Meemaw came bringing donuts! Jameson enjoyed them for breakfast and snack in the evening each day. He was so very disappointed on Wednesday afternoon when they were all gone after school.
Coraline was tired each evening obviously, and while I helped prepare dinner Meemaw would hold Coraline and watch TV with Jameson. Meemaw also helped me make stir fry one night which is outside the scope of my usual skills (I can bake chicken, make pasta, and I did manage to heat up chicken sausages in a pan).
We enjoyed dinner outside on Monday, and played outside a little bit nearly every evening. Jameson loved playing catch with Meemaw! On the swings, they would sing songs.
The neighbors purchased a new climbing toy so one evening we spent time out there on their new playset with Lily and Peyton. Jameson demonstrated his new love of sliding headfirst.
Meemaw put Jameson to bed each evening so that I could feed Coraline which was so nice. Having an extra set of hands in the evening and morning made everything go so much smoother with minimal crying and fuss. Jameson loved the new books and movies we got out at the library while she was here too!
We are so sorry to see her go already; her help was invaluable. Jameson continued to ask to go to Meemaw’s house, which is cute and so fun to see. It has been wonderful to see them so much while I was on leave, and I’m sad to see that time go as life gets more hectic again.
This week was a hard week; Brian left last Friday morning for a trade show and then a conference and was gone the entire full week before and during my first day back at work. Coraline was great and at least slept through the night for me which was amazing!
I am so very thankful for family to help me through; on Friday, Brian’s mom came over to watch Jameson and put him to bed while I took Coraline out to a bachelorette party (I know, I know).
I was not the only one with a baby there; there was one pregnant person. Plus, I only stayed for the early eating part and not the drinking and dancing part when they left the house. Coraline was fabulous, sitting for an hour and a half looking around. She was propped up by zebra print pillows which she was fascinated with, and I was so happy to be able to see friends from college who I hadn’t seen in at least a year or more.
When we got home, she was unhappy and overtired, but all was well and she slept through the night again! I dared hold my breath for more, and she has actually slept through the night the entire WEEK. But I am not optimistic, as she continues to struggle with the bottle, that she won’t start waking up at night to eat. But I will be thankful for now and appreciate the full nights sleep I got every single night while Brian was gone.
Saturday morning I got everyone to the farmer’s market to pick up our share which included lots of lovely greens. We didn’t stay to peruse after that though because Jameson kept trying to splash through mud puddles and pick up rocks.
Brian’s mom picked up Jameson around noon to spend the rest of the day, night, and all day Sunday with her and papa!
Coraline took a few beautiful sleeping photos that day which I was excited about since I didn’t get any for her newborn ones. We also went to a birthday party where she was a little less good than she had been the night before, and I enjoyed a lovely evening to myself.
Except I was bored and lonely. Dare I say it? It was hard to be there by myself, no Jameson or Coraline awake to occupy my time and finished reading my books with no shows to watch.
Sunday I watched two movies and held Coraline most of the day since she refused to nap. Nothing much else to say about Sunday except that I didn’t really mind it; it seemed like “the last” of things since Monday she was going to start school. I know we’ll have weekends, but all the same it was bittersweet.
I did put both kids to bed by myself on Sunday which wasn’t too bad. Coraline yelled, Jameson got distracted by her, and it seemed it might never end. Thankfully it did, and the morning getting ready for Coraline’s first day of school was much better. I woke myself at 5:30 feeling uncomfortable and showered and dressed before Coraline got up. She was fed and dressed and happy and waiting then while I did Jameson and we all made it to daycare by 7:45. I couldn’t believe it!
Monday afternoon my mom arrived to help with bedtimes and morning times. She came bearing donuts! Coraline stayed til noon at school and I picked her up exhausted. She didn’t nap or eat much at all. She passed out after I fed her for hours, for the first time ever. I had to wake her 3 hours later! I tried to enjoy my last days at home less the children, so we went to a movie on Tuesday and shopping and a mani/pedi on Wednesday.
Tuesday and Wednesday were much harder for Coraline. She did a little better on Tuesday than Wednesday; Tuesday I picked her up at 2 and Wednesday at 4:30. She did as she does at home and took 30 minute naps. She tried 4 bottles both days and drank about 3.5 ounces total each day (really like the equivalent of one bottle). They tell me she didn’t do much screaming at the bottle, so even though she isn’t taking much, it doesn’t seem to be a fight at least.
She didn’t have any wet diapers in the afternoon on Wednesday so with trepidation I put her to sleep that night thinking she would wake all night. Instead, on Thursday, my first day back at work, I tried to use her as an alarm clock and she didn’t wake until 7!
Needless to say, my first morning going back to work was hectic (and rainy). I do hope things get easier for her (and myself) soon; thankfully Brian returned Thursday night and I have a flexible work allowing me to leave early for the next week or so to make sure I can feed Coraline twice in the evenings since she is not doing well during the day.
We’ll just keep working at it! Until then, I expect sleepy and hungry evenings for Miss Coraline!
We are done with formal weekly photos since I am returning to work soon (don’t worry about second child syndrome; Jameson only had 10 weekly photos too), but I will document these weeks where I have time.
We just loved having the family home for our 4 day holiday weekend. Dad took off work on Friday for the Thomas the Train outing, and Coraline was just an angel the entire time. Saturday we enjoyed a visit from Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Melissa for Dad’s birthday, and it is always nice to have another pair of arms holding and occupying her for a little while.
Sunday of course was our visit with JP & Lisa and Jonathan and Coraline enjoyed being outside on the cool day. I’m sad that she won’t be able to spend as much time outside once she starts daycare.
Coraline is still taking 30 minute naps but is happy between so I try not to worry about it much. About once a day I try to take her out for errands long enough for her to sleep a little more.
I washed her 6 month clothes, which was weird because she’s not even 3 months old yet. I have a lot of sleepers that we’re not using yet because she still likes being swaddled, so at night she’s typically just in a onesie and swaddled that she throws her arms out of.
Bottle feeding is still unsuccessful. She no longer screams since we found that she is okay with the latex nipples on Playtex bottles. She particularly likes the fast flow though and doesn’t suck much, maybe a half ounce per bottle.
Coraline loves bath time until we have to get her out and she’s cold. She has a little cradle cap and dry skin but baby acne is mostly gone.
The other day after bath Jameson spontaneously did “this little piggy” on her toes and hands which was so cute. They are getting along so well and she enjoys watching him.
On Brian’s birthday, his parents and sister came over. Coraline was dressed to impress Grandma with her I <3 Grandma shirt on.
Jameson insisted on blowing out the “birthday” candle again, as we did for my birthday. In fact, he got it out as soon as everyone arrived. We told him he had to wait for the candle until later but that we would sing happy birthday. We sang, and then Jameson immediately asked for cake! No no, not yet!
Grandma brought over a fruit salad which Jameson wanted to dig right into while Grandpa and Dad finished the ribs off on the grill. This boy was obviously hungry.
And the birthday boy himself, enjoying ribs from Grandpa. We made the pasta salad to go with it, and Aunt Melissa brought over ice cream cake. It’s too bad it wasn’t a little warmer so we could eat outside with this great summer meal!
Coraline turned 9 weeks old at Meemaw and Grandpa’s house, so we made sure to bring the blocks!
She had a big week this week; not only with her first visit to Meemaw and Grandpa’s house but also her baptism; she got to see Meemaw and Grandpa 5 out of 7 days during her 9th week of life! Lucky lady.
I’ve already shared the details of her baptism, but I just love this photo of her and I. It was such a special Mother’s Day!
We took a few other photos before the service, which included this one that both cracked me up and made me nervous that she wouldn’t be good during the service! She started crying while she sat there, and Jameson climbed right up and tried to give her “knuckles”. Since her hands are in natural fists, he was excited that she had indeed given him knuckles back!
Then we were off to Meemaw and Grandpa’s house! We loved spending time on their deck out back which had some shade constantly throughout the day. Coraline just loved sitting outside there.
We also enjoyed taking her on our long walks to the park where she would tend to nap. Alas, she did not want to nap when we tried to go shopping our last full day though!
I love this photo in particular because it captures her smile in the moment, at it’s widest. I get a lot of happy faces, but it’s hard to capture the pure delight on her face when her smile is biggest!
This week she continued to work on finding her thumb. Still no dice, just a fist.
The vaccines from her 2 month shots made her a little fussy initially, but seemed to be gone by the next day. She seemed to have some bouts of gas though that made her a little fussy at times. She slept great in the pack and play though at night, and she’s still a noisy sleeper!
We planned the trip so that Grandpa could be there since he has been traveling for work on occasion; but Brian wasn’t able to join us this time. Instead, Aunt Holly joined us for the ride down to Meemaw and Grandpa’s house, which was an event! After Coraline’s doctor’s appointment, I picked up Jameson from daycare right at naptime. All was on schedule with the hopes that both of them would sleep in the car. Alas, it wasn’t meant to be.
We did have about 45 minutes of quiet and Jameson actually did fall asleep, but Coraline woke up screaming in pain in the middle of nowhere. I didn’t have any Tylenol with me; we had only had Advil at home which you cannot give to babies her age, so I was going to pick some up when we arrived. I should’ve listened to my initial instincts and picked some up at home and pre-dosed her before the pain set in. She was so unhappy that nursing didn’t help either when we finally stopped about 45 more minutes later. She finally fell asleep from exhaustion and slept most of rest of the trip.
When we arrived later that afternoon, all was well. We were all excited to get out of the car, and Jameson managed to hold his bladder for the entire ride.
Even though we just introduced Jameson to the big boy swings on his swing set at home, he was more than happy to get into the baby swing so he could swing higher! higher! in Grandpa’s home built swing set.
Grandpa tried to get Jameson to fly a little remote airplane, and even though Jameson loved looking at the airplanes in the basement, he kept telling Grandpa to “put away” the little one that scared him when it buzzed too close to his head once!
Our days went something like this: wake up, pass off a child or two so I can shower, eat breakfast, play inside, play outside, watch tv, play outside more. — Oh, and snack snack snack! Meemaw had to go out to get popsicles and fruit snacks which were requested.
Our first full day there we went to the park just Jameson and I to meet my friend Katie and her son who is Jameson’s age, Mark. We also got to meet her daughter, a few weeks older than Coraline, named Finley.
When asked what he did at the park, even though we went three or four times after that first visit, he remembered the first and told us that he played with Marky!
Jameson just loved to help Meemaw water the flowers each day. He very much wanted to do it himself, but he couldn’t until the watering can was light enough.
Coraline turned 9 weeks old at Meemaw and Grandpa’s too! After this was taken, we changed, came back downstairs, spit up, and went back upstairs to change again. Then had a nap. Phew!
The days were so warm while we were there that we could enjoy breakfast outside. Meemaw bought Jameson his special baby oranges for his visit, but when he saw the big oranges, that is all he wanted to eat all week for breakfast, snack and dinner! So Meemaw is left with all her baby oranges, and no “big” oranges left. Oops!
Coraline also loved the time outside, relaxing in the warmth with a nice breeze.
We went to the park a few more times, and even made it to the library once to pick out some movies. We saw baby geese in the pond and Jameson told them bye bye when we left without prompting; so cute.
He wanted to push his stroller himself.
On the warmest day, we brought out the sprinkler. Jameson didn’t want to run through it, but he was happy to put hands and feet in it. Or run through it with mommy!
One of the most hilarious moments was learning the “open shut them” song. Jameson had clearly heard it before but no one knew all the words. So Meemaw looked it up one night at dinner. While we sang the song, Jameson told us he needed a shirt for the “creep them crawl them” part which made all of us laugh.
And of course we couldn’t help but do some Trotty off to Boston; only Meemaw does it right.
This photo seems to sum up Jameson’s excitement while he was there:
When it was time to go, Jameson told me he didn’t want to leave; and when it was time to get in the car, he asked each of them Aunt Holly, Meemaw and Grandpa if they would “come to my house?”
It was a tough drive home because a half hour in, we got caught in traffic due to an accident which set us back by an hour. Which took the 3-1/2 hour drive to 4-1/2 hours! Coraline woke up during the stopped traffic and cried. Jameson slept for about an hour total, but was a real trooper for the whole trip and didn’t need a lot of occupying with toys or snacks. We even stopped so we could all go potty, and Jameson went in a public restroom! That took the drive from terrible to awesome just like that, I was so proud.
Coraline, after crying on and off for the hour before that, was actually happy after her diaper change… and then, in the last 30 minutes, screamed her head off all the way home from hunger. She got fed immediately before even unpacking the car when we finally go home. Phew. We made it!
Even though we got way out of routine (and by Sunday, Jameson was totally exhausted from not napping all week long!), it was totally worth it. And I enjoyed having some moments without either child or household chores to do. Mom even did laundry for me, so it really was like a mini vacation with kiddos.
Coraline was baptized on Sunday, May 12, which was Mother’s Day. We thought it appropriate, since I was baptized as a baby on Father’s Day. Coraline wore a hand made dress by her great grandma, my grandmother who her middle name Genevieve was after. She made the dress originally for my sister’s baptism, and I love that she was able to wear it. It was just the right size, and not too hot to wear in mid May. It actually was rather chilly that day, colder than Jameson’s baptism which was in April.
She also wore a bonnet made from a hanky I carried on my wedding day and will likewise save for her on her own. How sweet she looked! I arranged her baptism a little earlier than Jameson’s, remembering that his hanky hat was a little tight on his head at 4 months old.
It was a happy Mother’s Day for everyone, spending time with family. My parents and sister arrived the day prior.
Both my kids love their Aunt Holly. Coraline gave her lots of smiles!
Sunday morning was a little hectic getting everyone ready! Thankfully, service wasn’t until 11 so there was enough time. Jameson looked like he was off to school in his little polo shirt and backpack full of quiet-church-time toys (which we actually didn’t have to use after all; he went to the childcare room during the sermon and was good during the baptism though a little active!)
I then dressed myself and Coraline; just in case, I put her in a bib (also made by her great grandma). We managed to get through the service and photos after without soiling anything!
And I even got this wonderful Mother’s Day photo with both my children. Perfect!
Yes, Jameson’s shirt is that beautiful coral/salmon color that matched my dress on purpose. I spent a long time shopping for that! From Gap Kids.
Like we did with Jameson, we had both sets of parents stand up with us for the baptism. Coraline wasn’t at all like Jameson though; she stayed awake during the service! He had been asleep for his baptism.
We stood up to the baptismal font during the song “Borning Cry” which I thought was so appropriate. I do love that song.
Jameson was able to participate by helping hold her candle. He was fascinated, and helped blow it out carefully. I was proud of his steadiness!
Pastor Mike again incorporated Coraline’s baptism into the sermon, which was nice and extra special since it was Mother’s Day. Coraline got her certificate, and a keepsake candle and medallion and handkerchief.
I love the family photo with both sides of the family in it, as we were able to do with Jameson. We did miss Uncle Tyler again, but it is wonderful to have grandparents and aunts in the photo.
Aunt Holly, holding her niece in her baptism gown.
Great Aunt Carol and Uncle David also came as they were able with Jameson. There is so much love for little Coraline!
She was good for the service overall, though she spent much of it awake. Luckily, sitting her on my lap and patting her back would put her back to sleep. She tolerated her photos after fairly well, but when we got home we needed to change and feed her quickly! Her patience was wearing thin!
We changed her back into her outfit for some more pictures, but this time Jameson didn’t want to sit still for them. He had had enough!
Three generations of ladies: Mom, myself, and Coraline.
And both sets of grandmas! Another special photo.
We enjoyed lasagna for lunch before my parents left. Aunt Holly stayed behind so that she could help me on our drive the following day! We spent the week with Meemaw and Grandpa so there is more fun to come!
The weekend before last, Jonathan came over for a visit on Saturday afternoon, followed by a beautiful Sunday with neighbors and even the grandchildren of our other next door neighbors popping over to play before my celebratory birthday dinner.
After exhausting themselves outside, they came in and JP and Lisa offered to help try Coraline on the bottle (relatively unsuccessfully again…). Jonathan and Jameson watched a little tv, mesmerized.
Brian brought out the Elmo Telephone app on the ipad which is always a hit, and then a little cookie monster. No one wanted to leave!
Sunday, we brought out the bounce house again for Jameson and Lily. It is nice to have it in the backyard this year now that we have a yard again!
Brian’s parents and sister came over to celebrate my birthday over dinner. Coraline just loved being outside enjoying the evening air before dinner time.
Both neighbors came over. The older couple on the other side of us had their adult children and grandkids over, and it was wonderful to see the swing set fully in use!
After our dinner, it was time to sing! When Brian said we didn’t have any candles, Jameson ran to get a regular yellow candle on the entryway table. He was so excited to be helpful! So we lit that candle and Jameson helped me blow it out.
Jameson asked if Uncle Tyler was coming back several times after he left, he enjoyed his time with his uncle so much!
They watched movies and tv shows together, and Uncle Tyler got introduced to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, a replacement for the childhood series Mr. Rogers Neighborhood that Jameson just adores.
Brian and Uncle Tyler also found the time to put together Jameson’s new swing set on Saturday, though we didn’t get to spend as much time on it over the weekend as we would’ve like since it was rainy on Sunday!
They watched a lot of Disney movies too while Brian worked on getting materials for our garden and beginning the building. I figured it was the perfect time to work on building the garden so that we’d have a spare set of hands to either watch Jameson or help Brian out when needed! It worked out even better than expected, since Coraline was so needy over the weekend.
Sunday it was time to load dirt up into the garden, and Jameson insisted on helping out, even though it was lightly raining almost the whole time and a little chilly.
This photo of them and the wheelbarrows just cracks me up. Jameson had trouble loading up his shovel with dirt, so Uncle Tyler was happy to help, but Jameson insisted on pushing his own wheelbarrow back and forth to the garden.
We didn’t actually complete the dirt-loading process, but with Tyler’s assistance we got it much closer to completion than we would’ve on our own! (That is, on Brian’s own!) Don’t worry, we fed Uncle Tyler well for all his trouble, with breakfast casserole, ribs and spaghetti dinner. Although I think he’d agree that the hardest part was keeping up with Jameson!
Uncle Tyler even wiped a few noses for Jameson by the time he left. When Jameson saw me take another photo of Coraline and Uncle Tyler, he insisted on one for himself too.
Sunday, my parents came up to visit so that Coraline could meet her Grandpa on my side of the family. He has been traveling for work so hasn’t been able to meet her previously. She was obviously an angel for the visit.
Jameson was a little trouble maker as usual and promptly covered grandpa’s leg in stickers.
Meemaw occupied him with the traditional trotty off to Boston poem (absolutely no irony intended with recent events). Jameson loves anything that gets him swung or tackled or just a little bit risky, so he kept asking for Meemaw do to ‘gain over and over.
It was nice outside so we had to show off Jameson’s new kite which he got in an Easter basket from his other grandma. We had already flown it a couple times, and Jameson in particular likes to try and pick it up when it falls. You can’t really trust him to hang onto the line by himself just yet!
After the wind died (it wasn’t a very windy day to begin with), Jameson and grandpa played basketball and Jameson learned the word “score!”
This photo seems to make him look much older.
We even managed to tire him out enough that he sat still for a photo! With his snack, of course. Coraline was likewise passed out. Love this photo of them and the grandkids!
