Mikesells!

My parents and baby sister (okay, she's 16) flew out for Catherine's blessing, but then got to stick around for another week.  We were really exciting, too.  They've already done D.C. and New York and we were not up for a tour of Philadelphia with a month-old baby.  So here's what we did instead:

Played with Grandpa (who ended up on the couch most of the time with an injured knee...boo...)

Got a haircut:

(He screamed bloody murder last time--this time he was all grins.  Explain that one, please)

Read books with Grandpa.  Grandpa especially loved 'Once Upon a Potty':

Showed off:

Went to the library: 

(Bad idea--Seth was grumpy and BOTH kids pooped. Oh, joy.)

Played cars: 

Went to White Marsh Mall and Ikea:

(Sorry, Beth--this really was the best shot)

(Catherine enjoying her first trip to the mall)

(Riding the cars is great fun until Grandpa puts money in them--then they MOVE and are SCARY)

Went to 'the pumps':

(Beth and Catherine were thrilled to be there)

Helped Grandpa feel better:

Went to the temple:

(Mom & Beth took the kids so we could do a session together.  Awesome date--thank you, Mom & Beth!)

Took lots of naps:

Began potty-training:

Definitely not our most exciting hosting, but they swore they just wanted to hang out with us.  Hope you meant that, cause that's what you got!  

My mom, of course, was amazing--laundry, dishes, and cleaning were magically done; babies were held so I could nap; and pictures were taken since I never seem to remember my camera.  My dad was a pro at getting Catherine to nap, plus he cooked us AMAZING meals.  And Beth was very good at letting Seth jump all over her while she slept and at introducing us to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Justin Bieber (and yes, I just had to Google their names for correct spelling).  We are all a little dumber now (love you, Beth!).

I know I say this a lot, but I really feel like families are meant to live near each other.  Not necessarily next door, but close enough that a mom with a newborn could call for help when things are getting too overwhelming.  I know my mom would LOVE to help--not living near us is very hard for her.  So we are so grateful for the time we do get to spend with them!  Thank you for everything (and see you in a couple of weeks!!!).

Blessing Day

We blessed Catherine on March 20th at our ward here in Maryland.  Once again, we were lucky to have both of our families there.  Okay, SOME of both of our families, but we'll take what we can get.  Beth and my parents flew from Tucson (and stayed for a week--more to come!) and Jon's parents plus Stephen & Claudia, James & the twins drove from West Virginia.

Times like this make me wish we weren't so far away from our families.  Seth was in HEAVEN--so many people to show cars to, wrestle with, and take him outside to play.  And Catherine was in heaven, too--I don't think she was put down that entire weekend, which is exactly what she prefers.  I think she spent most of the time in Stephen & Claudia's arms--they're getting in some good practice before their little girl arrives in August (yay!).

Catherine's blessing dress was the same one my mom and her sister Lori were blessed in.  Since she's named after my mom, Mom & Lori decided it was only fitting to pass the dress on to Catherine.  Please excuse the slightly yellowed color--I took it to the cleaners and they wanted to charge me $45 to whiten it.  No, thank you...

And can I just say that I'm in LOVE with her little booties?  Possibly as much as I'm in love with her ruffle-bottom tights?  Little girls are SO FUN to dress up.

Sara Catherine was given a name and beautiful blessing by her father.  In the circle were her dad, both grandpas, Uncle Stephen and Bishop Brady.  She was very cooperative--no screaming and no pooping on her dress (my two biggest worries).

And now for picture overload:

Our family.

The attending Bloods.

The attending Mikesells

Sara Catherine & her two namesakes (Grandma Cathy & Grandma Sara)

And yes, she's totally covering her face.

I was not kidding about her being constantly held:

Catherine & Aunt Joanna

Catherine & Aunt Bethany

Catherine & Tia Claudia

Catherine & Mommy 

(Notice the angelic glowing?  From my legs, I mean.)

A smile (for real!)

The reason we have so many pictures:

My dad's favorite--tongue out!

And just so you don't forget, we also have a very handsome son:

Even with only one eye...

We are so grateful to have this little one in our family.

Sethisms

I figured it's about time I spent a little blog time on Seth.  Poor kid is being neglected at home--wouldn't want to neglect him on the blog, too!

So here's Seth, at a little over two-and-a-half:

*He is still VERY much into cars.  But now he wants to know their names and what they "say."  Luckily he hasn't caught on to the fact that I only know how to make five different car sounds and just rotate through them...

*Actually, he does this with pretty much everything right now.  "What's that?" "It's a woodpecker." "What a woodpecker say?" "[insert woodpecker sound here]"  Sounds cute and easy, until he asks you what a basketball says, or a cloud, or his cereal, etc.

*He loves taking his fingers and running them up your arm or across your face.  "It a spider."

*We've been watching a LOT of youtube videos of race cars and monster trucks.  Jon taught him how to use the mouse on my laptop and he can actually pick his own videos now!

*Newest phrase that will offend Grandma: "What the crap?"  We really don't say this very often, so I have no idea where it came from...

*Yes, we are still using a pacifier.  I'm currently not willing to give up anything that means more sleep for me.

*He's in that awkward limbo between 2T and 3T clothes.  He's either walking around in floods or his pants are rolled up.

*Potty training is (possibly?) starting to stick.  Thanks to a friend's suggestion to bribe him with prizes along with another friend's suggestion to try the Ikea potty (and the Once Upon a Potty book), we now have a mostly potty-trained boy!  We're still not sure it's going to stick--he's currently running around in a Pull-Up just to be safe.  But it's leaps and bounds from last week's "I can't" or "I don't want to."

*All he wants to eat right now are "Cars" or "Buzz and Woody."  That's what I get for bribing him with Disney mac & cheese at Wal-Mart.

*His imagination is so fun right now.  The clip on Catheirne's pacifier?  A dragon.  The clouds outside?  Elephant clouds.  Wearing my belt around his shoulders?  An astronaut (no idea).  We love to eavesdrop on his conversations while he plays with his cars...

*His favorite cars are the "oh goodness" cars.  We have absolutely no idea what qualifies a car as an "oh goodness" car, but he knows exactly which cars qualify and which don't--and it doesn't change.

*At naps and bedtime he gets to choose three books to read.  Inevitably, his first two choices are "The Big Race" and "Tour the Town"--both Cars books.  Jon and I are sick to death of them, but he will not be persuaded to try anything else.

*We weren't sure how Seth would handle Catherine using all of his old baby stuff.  Luckily he seems to have no memory of most things ever being his.  The only things he's been possessive of  are his diaper changing mat and his bath soap.  But he's gotten over that really quickly.  He's also possessive of 'Seth's new van.'  Jon had to take it to work the other day and Seth was hysterical: "That's MY new van!"

*He loves Catherine.  Specifically, he loves snuggling up to her face so that she'll try to eat his hair or nose, watching her get her diaper changed, and yelling 'DAH!!!' when she's trying to fall asleep.

*He's such a chatterbox.  All day long he's talking to himself while he's playing or he's talking to us.  Of course, he's currently driving us nuts by saying 'Huh?' after every question we ask.  "Seth, what do you want to eat?"  "Huh?"  "What do you want to eat?"  "Huh?"  "Do you want some noodles?" "Huh?"  It drives us batty.  May this phase pass quickly.

*My mom bought him a little tricycle.  He's almost got the pedaling figured out--all he needs is another half-inch and some warm weather so he can practice

I can't believe how lucky we are to have such a good boy.  I was so worried about how I would handle a newborn and a toddler, but it has been SO much easier than I expected, and it's all because of Seth.  He is so good at entertaining himself--I never have to worry about what he's doing while Catherine is nursing (usually because he's at my feet playing cars).  And he still has never shown any resentment toward her--he just accepted her as a permanent fixture right from the beginning.  He's been a total blessing.  I have no idea what I would have done if he had been difficult.  I love you, Seth Man.

One Month

(I'm a little late with this post--we were too busy playing with family for me to upload pictures!)

Part of me wants to say, "I can't believe it's been a month already", because I really can't!  But the other part of me realizes we're only a third of the way through Baby Boot Camp and it seems so slow...but at least it was the hardest third!

So here's Catherine at one month:

*You have absolutely no nursing schedule.  Usually you'll nurse every three hours during the day, but frequently it's four and sometimes five if you have a long nap.  And you don't eat very much--sometimes I feel like you've hardly started to nurse before you're done.  You are SO not your brother...

*You also have no sleeping schedule.  We're sort of doing the 'witching hour' from 6:30 to 11:00 pm, at which point you'll knock yourself out for at least four hours.  One night it was seven.  But it's not consistent.  You do have your days and night figured out, unless you decide you need to poop at 4am.  Then you're awake until you get it all out of your system.

*You want to be held ALL THE TIME.  I need to buy a sling...

*You love being swaddled.  Almost as much as you love your pacifier (and I though Seth was a pacifier junkie...)

*You hate tummy time, but you're remarkably good at it.  We always get some good head lifts along with all your fussing.

*You handle your big brother's 'loves' fairly well unless you're dead asleep.  Then you wake up screaming.

You handled Seth's 'decorating' with great apathy...

One day you'll get him back for this, I'm sure.

*You are just a happy baby.  Even when you're fussing, it's more of a squirm with an occasional yelp.  If you would go to sleep on your own, you'd be perfect!

*You hate the swing that goes front to back.  Luckily we also have one that swings side-to-side.

*You are smiling at us already!  Seth didn't smile until three or four months, so this is so fun for us.

*You're 50/50 on the car seat thing.  50% of the time you'll sleep and 50% of the time you'll scream.

*Some nights you get yourself so overstimulated that you just have to yell at us for 5 minutes or so.  I feel pretty guilty while you're doing it, but once it's done, you calm right down and sleep.  Just need to release some tension, I guess...

*You had awful baby acne right before your blessing.  But by some miracle it pretty much cleared up a few days before the big day.

*We love your fat face, your double chin, and your monkey face.  We're so glad you're here, Princess!

As for me, I'm doing pretty well.  I made it three weeks before I had my first good cry (she had been awake for almost 5 hours straight and I WAS DONE).  But within a few days I had my first day where I felt like time was going by too quickly and that I really was going to be able to enjoy this two-kid thing instead of just surviving it.  I'm still counting down months until she is sleeping consistently at night, but I'll be okay until then.

And, just for fun, here are the nursery pictures I couldn't find the other day (this was before she was born, so her pictures aren't up yet):

And guess what?  Daffodils popping up in our front yard=SPRING!!!

Nesting Projects

Since I never got around to posting these before she came (and I actually didn't finish the picture wall until last week), here is what kept me entertained for the last two months of this pregnancy:

Seth's Room

Since he was officially moved in (instead of just in a pack and play shoved in there because of our loud neighbors) we decided it was time to fix up his room.

First job was patching up the MASSIVE holes in the wall.  The people who lived here before us used HUGE wall anchors to hang everything: pictures, curtain rods, things the rest of us would have used tiny nails for...  So we patched and repainted, only to find that the paint didn't quite match the room.  But since we don't have the original paint, we're letting it stay as it is.  Just don't look too closely...

We got that dresser off Craigslist for $50.  Love it.

I don't think I ever sent you a picture of this, Adrian!  It was hanging in the nursery when he was in there and was the first thing that moved to his new room.  And it matches perfectly--you must have been inspired.  ;)

This was my project--the valance.  With some help from my talented friend Heather (who was the one who recovered the glider in the nursery for me) I picked out the fabric and cording, figured out how to sew it, and (with Jon's help) hung it up.  I love it--it makes the room look so much nicer.  And don't mind the twisted up curtain below it--that's the easiest way we've found to open up the room-darkening curtain we have in there...

Project #2: The Nursery

This was basically already done since we'd used it for Seth.  We kept the green and tan since they're gender neutral, so the only real changes were in the little decorations.  It was really overwhelming to see all that pink in there (kept me from organizing the room for a long time) but now I love it!

(and now I can't find the pictures I took--note to self: take pictures of nursery)

The pictures hanging above her crib:

Project #3: Family Picture Wall

At home, my mom has a wall covered with all sorts of family pictures (and by family I mean grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, great-grandparents--the whole shebang).  I've always loved that idea but never had a good place to put it.  We've been in this house three years now, but I finally got it done!

This is the stairwell down to our basement.  I really wanted Seth (and Catherine, eventually) to be able to recognize all their family members and I thought this was a good way to do it.  Everyone from his great-grandparents down to his cousins (with the exception of Andrew, born two days before Catherine) is pictured on our 'Wall of Shame', as Jon calls it.  Of course, we'll have to do some reorganizing as we get more cousins, aunts, and uncles, but for the moment, it's done!

The Grand Finale: Our Bedroom

When we moved in, there were three things I really didn't like about this house (that we could change--the Jack and Jill master bathroom upstairs we can't do much about): the kitchen cupboards, which we took care of two years ago, the stall shower in our bathroom (which will be taken care of this April), and the master bedroom.  

Not that I had anything against the layout--it was the paint job.  Or rather, the lack thereof.  Basically, it had never been painted since it was built.  It had a flat white paint which, after 13 years, was pretty gross.  I was determined to paint it, but I had never painted a room in my life.  'White walls sell better' was the motto in my house growing up--my sisters finally got permission to paint after I was in college.

And so we waited.  Last May we bought a new king-sized bed (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE) and a new bedset to go with it.  But it wasn't until nesting kicked in that I really buckled down, hired Lenae, and got things going.  Basically what you're seeing is Lenae's genius: I bought the bedset, she picked out everything else, plus did all the difficult painting (edging) and sewed the curtains.  That girl is amazing.

So here's before:

And...after!

It looks SO much nicer!

Oh, and I forgot the other project--we put framing around the closet doors (Lenae's suggestion, of course--and her tutoring, and miter saw...).  It makes a huge difference.  Now it actually looks like a nice closet instead of a glorified hotel room closet...

And this is why I never make the bed except to take pictures:

(Jon: 'Why do we have all these stupid pillows if you never make the bed?'  

Me: 'What's the point in making the bed when Seth's around?')

There are still some projects I'd like to get done before I start back up with piano in May, like our family scrapbook from 2009 and the ABC book I've been making for Seth, but we'll see how life goes for the next few weeks!

Three Weeks (and 300 posts, apparently)

I promise I won't be doing weekly updates forever.  They're mostly for me anyway--so next time (in many, many years) I will remember what life was like at three weeks with a newborn.

*Baby books are written for parents with no other children.  Suggestions like, 'take your baby into a dark, quiet room and soothe her until she can fall asleep' are great until you factor in your two-and-a-half year old who insists on crashing his cars underneath your glider while you try to soothe...

*Best sleep books I've found: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child and The Happiest Baby on the Block.  Between those two I'm feeling pretty good about her sleep habits (meaning I don't expect much consistency until about three months but I have a good idea of how to calm her down when she's getting overtired).

*Three nights in a row she's given us a long chunk of sleep--two six hour nights, one seven hour.  My tired body is loving it; my crazy mom instincts are worrying that she's not getting enough to eat.  So far my body is winning the debate about waking her up.

*She seems to go in cycles of about three days--every three days she will have a long period of time where she is just totally exhausted but too wired to fall asleep.  She will fuss when I try to nurse her to sleep: all she wants is a pacifier and someone to hold her.   Works great when there are two parents at home.  When Jon is at a meeting until 9:30 pm, she has to do some screaming in her swing while I put her brother to bed.  I'll get her to sleep for 15-30 minutes, then she'll wake up and cry because she's so tired.  But the next step in the cycle is lots of sleeping to make up for it.

*She LOVES to be held.  Seth never really did, so this is kind of sweet (except when she insists on napping in my arms--even 8 pounds gets heavy after a couple of hours).

*She also LOVES being swaddled.  She'll calm right down as soon as we get those little arms contained.

*I bought her two pairs of newborn pants--purple stretch pants and jeans.  Why is it so stinking hard to find baby girl clothes that AREN'T pink?  They had four different shades of pink pants...

*I need to take more pictures.  But we're just sitting at home all day hanging out (okay, we do run errands and go to the park, but it's been too cold and rainy for much of that this week).  And my mom will be here next week (!!!!) to compensate for my laxity.

*All my maternity clothes are packed away.  Hooray!  Now if it would just warm up so we could go on walks and I could get some exercise...  It's frustrating being back to pre-pregnancy weight but still not quite the same pre-pregnancy shape...

Ode: Intimations of Immortality

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home:

Heaven lies about us in our infancy!

~William Wordsworth

(Pictures--once again--by the amazing Krystal.  Believe me, she had to work hard to get these shots!)

Two Weeks

Her first bow (See?  I listen, Catherine W!)

Seth picked out her (gender neutral) outfit, so I figured we'd better add a bow.  It lasted a few hours...

Official two week weigh in: 8 lbs. 2 oz. (and 20.5 inches) 

I chunk my babies up quickly.  

Here are some things I want to remember (for myself) about life at two weeks after delivery:

*You really can survive on not much sleep

*Better dress your kid up in those newborn outfits ASAP because by the next week you won't be able to get them on

One of the adorable outfits I got at my baby shower.  Love the booties!  

And no, she will not be able to get that chubby tummy inside the tiny onesie again...

*Keep your 32 oz. water bottle by you at all times.  You will empty it 3-4 times a day.

*Seth had a schedule: eat every two hours like clockwork.  Catherine has a schedule, too: if she wakes up (all the way--sometimes she'll go right back to sleep) it takes 90 minutes to two hours to get her back to sleep, regardless of what we try--pacifiers, swings, nursing, walking...  Fine at 9am.  Not so fun at 2 am.  At least she's happy while she's wide awake...

*Boppy-sitting and painkillers were done at about 10 days.  And I'm almost to the point where it doesn't take 30 minutes every time I use the bathroom.  I think that's officially my least favorite part of postpartum life.

*You can be within three pounds of your pre-pregnancy weight and still not be able to fit into your normal pants.  Which is totally okay since your maternity pants are super comfortable anyway.

*You eat only because if you don't you get lightheaded.  Food never sounds good.  But water...that always sounds good!

*You should probable just sleep on a towel since you'll be waking up sweating like you're in a sauna several times a night.

The first bath.  She was thrilled, as you can see.

Life was much better after being wrapped in her towel.

Looking a little battle-weary after surviving her first bath.

*Just buy the Lansinoh nursing pads.  Sure, they're more expensive, but TOTALLY WORTH IT. You can downgrade to the cheap ones later.  And buy the big box--you'll go through it in the first week.  Week #2 is much more manageable (and the nursing pain is gone!).

*By 6pm you will be totally beat (and brain-dead).  The idea of staying up to watch a movie makes you want to cry--you'd rather just go to bed at 7 pm.

*You will never love your husband more than when he (without hesitation) takes your baby at 3 am so you can go back to sleep.

Seth also looks stunning in Catherine's bow.

*You keep telling yourself that things will start getting better at 6 weeks and will be totally manageable by three months.  And then you realize that it's only been two weeks and you think you'll never make it.  But then you look at your two-and-a-half year old and think, "Wasn't he a newborn just a few months ago?"

*Your toddler will survive on dry cereal and Youtube clips of race car crashes/Baby Einstein DVDs.  You will feel slightly guilty, but then you'll take him to the park later to make yourself feel better.

*You swear you won't do this again until your mom can come help.  For two months.

*The best things people can do to help are bring food and play with Seth.  We've been blessed with awesome friends.

*Do whatever it takes to get that baby to sleep.  Pacifier, nursing, swing, rocking, cuddling...and don't feel guilty about it!  My babies have no trouble getting enough to eat, but they do have trouble falling asleep on their own.

*Just accept the fact that your current schedule is no schedule.  She eats when she wants to, sleeps when she wants to, and doesn't sleep when you want her to.  It will get better.  Hopefully.

The Princess