2 Months

 The time definitely goes quicker with the second baby! I can't believe she's 2 months old already! She's still such a laid back, easy baby. She eats about every 2 hours. She has been sleeping a 6 hour stretch, eating, then another 3ish. This is amazing for me, since Asher didn't sleep that long until he was a year old!

 I love how alert she has become. She just coos and smiles at me.

 Asher loves his baby sister! He kisses her and loves to lay on the floor with her. However, he is a two year old boy, so he quickly gets a little rowdy and we have to re-direct him. But I love watching their relationship grow.

I may be slightly prejudice, but I'm pretty confident these are the cutest faces ever.

Words can not express how much I love this girl! She makes having a baby seem easy.

She came into our family and fit perfectly. It's only been 7 weeks and it seems like she's always been here. This girl is so chill....I didn't know a baby could be so calm. She actually sleeps in her pack n play...not my chest. She also actually likes her swing. I expected her to be so time consuming. I expected to feel like I was cheating Asher. I expected to feel like I had no one-on-one time with Asher. I couldn't have been more wrong. Of course there's been changes. Asher plays on his grill and cooks me dinner while I feed Annalise. I still manage to read to Asher before bed some nights, but Chris takes over others.

 I enjoy my time alone with Annalise while Asher naps...sometimes stealing a nap with her for some sweet rest and cuddles. Life is busy....I'm taking a  little time to relax and I try not to look around too much....my living room is strewn with toys, my kitchen is cluttered with dirty dishes and there's a pile of clean towels on my bed waiting to be folded. I've had to accept the fact that my house may not be clean at all times anymore, but my heart is full and I'm okay with it (some of the time). Our family feels complete and I love it. I love watching Asher with Annalise and I love watching Annalise's personality come to life.

Conversations with a 2 year old

I love hearing Asher's thoughts and opinions. We've had some great conversations lately, and I just don't want to forget them so I'm putting them here.

We were driving home the other day and I could tell he was getting sleepy. So I was talking just trying to keep him awake when one of my favorite Sanctus Real songs came on the radio.
Me: Oh, I like this song. It's one of my favorites. Do you like it Asher?
Long pause....
Asher: uh...I like Up Up Up can you play Up Up Up?? (That would be the new Fall Out Boy song)

I didn't really expect him to start demanding which music we play already, but he does fairly often.


Chris gave Asher a handful of coins from Taiwan to play with the other day, along with a quarter.
Asher: (holds up the quarter) is this George Washington?
Chris: yes
Asher: (holds up a Taiwanese coin) is this George Washington?
Chris: no
Asher: Is it Papa? (Papa is what he calls Chris' dad)
Not sure who's on the Taiwanese coin, but I'm pretty confident it isn't Chris' dad.

Today we were going for a walk and there is currently a plague of grasshoppers on the paths that we walk. They literally cover the paths and jump towards you and into the grass as you walk. We were at the end of our walk so Asher is out walking in front of the stroller. He wanted to run so he's running in front and I'm jogging behind him, so he's dispersing all the grasshoppers as he goes and he yells 'Scuse (excuse) me, Scuse me bugs! Asher's running!'


I'm so loving this age! He makes us laugh constantly and keeps us on our toes. Our life would be so boring without him!

Also, I adore this picture because it captures him so well....and the fact that he rarely stops moving!

Annalise

Here's a few of Annalise's newborn photos. We're so happy with them! And of course, Asher jumped in a couple as well!

Brother-Sister Love

The question I get asked most often is 'How is Asher handling the baby?' It seems like everyone expects there to be jealousy and sibling rivalry already. However, there has been none of that. He handles it perfectly. If we move Annalise when he's not in the room he comes in and immediately asks 'Where's baby?' He seems to ignore her for the most part, but he likes to keep tabs on her. And as you can see from the pictures, he loves on her a few times a day. 

He tells me when she needs a binkie and when she needs a drink of water (no, we don't actually giver her water but he seems to think that's what she wants if she cries).

It makes my heart so happy to see them together and see him loving on her. I'm so happy to watch their relationship develop over the years.

8 years.....

....9 moves, 4 states, countless vacations and day trips (from Boston to Taiwan), and 2 kids later-I would pick him every time. There is no one else I would want by my side than this handsome guy. I had no idea the journeys we would take but I have enjoyed every bit of it! I  can't wait to see what the next 60 years hold!

Last Family of 3 Day

Two days before Annalise was born I had to go to Kansas City to get an ultrasound just to check everything out. Of course, everything was fine, but we decided to make a day of it. We knew this would be the last big family day before we added one more; plus, I really needed to take my mind off of the fact that I was still pregnant! So after the ultrasound we headed to Crown Center and ate at Fritz and then followed that up with a trip to the aquarium. 

 He loved watching the trains bring the food and go all around the restaurant.

 Asher thoroughly enjoyed the aquarium. He currently loves turtles so he really enjoyed the new turtle room.

I really enjoyed our day together. Asher is such a joy and at such a fun age. I love hearing his thought processes and watch him becoming a little person. We had a blast just being enjoying our family of 3. Now we get to add Annalise to the next day trip!