Just a little talking.

My Model is Cuter than Your Model.

No offense. But she is. :) Even happened to catch some smiles pre-nap time.

I tried playing with the new camera today. I still don't really know what I'm doing with it, but isn't she cute??

Life.

Life has slowed down a bit in the last two weeks. Lyla has recovered from her bout with RSV and is sleeping a 7-8 hour stretch at night, only waking once to eat. She has recently been falling asleep on her own for bedtime, but still fights nap times. If we rock her to sleep, her rest is fitful. If we put her to bed, she cries. We're still working on it!

Noah still loves holding his little sister and is always concerned when she cries ("Mommy, get her!"). He's quick to alert us when she spits up if we aren't watching her and wants her to sit next to him frequently throughout the day. He has been throwing a few more tantrums lately, which is sometimes related to the fact that he continues to occasionally give up his nap (not something I'm ready for!). He loves the book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes (watch this version if you have young kids!) and can recite it along with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and several others. He loves "reading" and will tell Mommy to be quiet so he can read the book instead. :)

Some friends from high school Ashley, her daughter Piper, and Shandy) came to visit last weekend. We loved introducing them to Lyla! 

Lyla snoozing away in her chair. Compare her to Noah at almost the same age in the picture below. :) 

Grandma and Grandpa Shoemaker came to visit last weekend on their way to Florida. Noah loved a game of shouting "Oh yeah!!" at Grandpa in a form of peek-a-boo. Only Noah seemed to understand the rules, but he made us all laugh! 

Isn't that smile contagious??

Noah loves his new hat like Grandpa's! 

Helping Mommy make Puppy Chow. 

Serious concentration!

Lyla's tummy time. 

Such a cutie. So glad she joined our family! 

Play Time

Winning

Lyla seems set on "beating" Noah (I know, I know...not supposed to compare children). Her labor was shorter, her length was longer, her jaundice was worse, her sleep is better....

...and she caught her first illness sooner.
Our sweet little girl developed a nasty dry cough on Wednesday and was wheezing by Friday. I took her to the pediatrician, who gave her a breathing treatment after she tested positive for RSV, which didn't really seem to help her much. She was still wheezing and her oxygen levels remained slightly lower than the doctor wanted to see.

 So the doctor told us to rush Lyla to the hospital. I was not expecting this and promptly broke down in tears (of course). I wasn't even allowed to go home and pack a bag, and the doctor said she wouldn't send us via ambulance as long as I promised to go straight to the emergency room.

It was so strange to be on the admission side of my hospital, and to see people I knew taking care of my own child. I was thankful to be surrounded by people I was familiar with and knew they would give Lyla the best care possible. Thankfully, we were just closely monitored and Lyla did well on her own. She didn't need any oxygen or any other breathing treatments. We were told day 3 and 4 of such an illness were typically the worst, and they were concerned with the risk of Lyla having apnea spells given her very young age. We had many prayer warriors behind us, and were discharged early the next morning. Our little girl is still slightly fussy and has a nasty cough, but we are thankful she is on the mend!

Daniel was a champ through that endeavor, leaving work immediately when I called him and sitting by my side throughout. Then, when he went home to stay with Noah, had to clean up two rounds of vomit as Noah got sick through the night. Sheesh! What a weekend! So grateful for the healthy days!

It's My Birthday! (And a surprise)

Lyla is one month old! She celebrated by watching her brother enjoy a "snow day" home from school and trying to stay warm (the high for the day was 0 degrees. Brr!)

Daniel got me a fantastic Christmas present. I've been asking for a nicer camera for years. Literally, years. He definitely delivered! (It unfortunately arrived after our big trip...) Hopefully you will enjoy the better quality pictures like I already am (this also means there will likely be more pictures to post...and posts less often since I now have to upload and convert photos...we'll see how I do!) I have a lot to learn to optimize its use, but I'll get there!!

Noah likes to ask to hold Lyla. He then asks to show a picture to Grandma. Not really sure where that came from! :)

Cole came over to play during a snow day this week. He loved driving Lightening, too! 

Chocolate face. While watching a car across the street that was stuck in the snow. 

Snuggled up on Daddy's shoulder.

Making snow ice cream with Cole. The boys both thought it was delicious!  

Lyla is one month old! 

I love this one! 

Noah got Cars stickers to put on his bedroom wall from Grandma Sampson for Christmas. This picture captures his excitement. He put them on the wall on his own, all clustered together, even though I tried to encourage placement in other places, too. He couldn't wait for Daniel to get home to show him!

Lyla's one month check up went well. She cried harder than Noah did when she got her shot and then fell asleep for a (fitful) nap. Her jaundice is gone and she weighed in at 10 pounds, 3.6 ounces and 22 inches long. Not as heave as Noah was at one month, but longer. We will see if that trend continues. She is a VERY frequent spitter-upper, but it doesn't seem to bother her. The pediatrician recommended some feeding changes (mostly schedule) to see if it would help. We are thinking about starting some sleep training to help this girl fall asleep. Once we can get her to sleep she continues to do nice 4-6 hour stretches at night, but she is difficult to get to sleep in the first place. The plan was to start that tonight, but of course she is currently sound asleep in her bed. (Thankfully!) I guess I will head there soon, too! 

Noah is still very fond of his sister. When she cries, he says, "Mommy, get her!" He always wants to turn on her swing or the music on her play mat. If she spits up, he is quick to alert us or run to get a burp rag. He still thoroughly enjoys cars, trains, and tractors. He can "read" The Very Hungry Caterpillar, which is highly entertaining. When he complies with the things we ask him to do, or if he knows he is helping us in some way, he often says, "I make Mommy sooooo happy!" which makes me smile every time. Yes Buddy, you make Mommy sooooo happy. :)