13 years

July 25th, thirteen years ago, Adam and I met. Every year I remember that day, and every year I am so thankful that our paths crossed.  I can recall that day like it was yesterday. My friend invited him over and showed me a picture of him before he got there. I kind of brushed off the whole thing. I was just planning on going out and having a fun night. I had no clue I was meeting my future husband. I remember that time in my life like it was yesterday. I knew early on that Adam and I would get married. I have the fondest memories of the beginning of our relationship, and I will hold on to those memories forever. 
I am thankful for Adam every single day. He is such a kind person. I rarely hear him say a bad word about anyone. He treats me with so much respect, is very trustworthy, and allows me to have my own life. He works incredibly hard to support our family. He sometimes works too hard, but I love the drive he has to learn more and better himself. Adam is very humble. He never brags about his successes or pretends to be something he is not.  Adam is a very quiet person but is never afraid to act silly. He makes me laugh harder than anyone I know. He is also a great daddy to our girls. 
It is not always easy.  We have been through some rough times together, but we seem to always find a way to make things work. I am so proud of the life we have built together over the years.  I can't imagine living this crazy life with anyone but him. 

Ella and Paige | Week 11

I can not believe Paige is almost three months old. I would like to bottle her up and keep her exactly as she is now. Time is flying way too fast. 

Last week I we experienced a first. Mid week Ella woke up with a fever and sore throat. Typically, Ella and I would lay in bed all day and rest while she is sick. I have always been at her beck and call anytime she hasn't felt good. This time was a little different. Not only was I trying to take care of Ella, I was trying to take care of Paige at the same time. At one point, Ella thought she was going to throw up and was crying in the bathroom while I was feeding Paige. I can already see it's not going to be easy when one is sick and the other is not. Luckily, it was just a virus and Ella seemed to feel better within 24 hours. Never a dull moment as a mom! 

Paige has found her hands and loves to suck on her fist, especially when she gets tired. It's adorable. She has also started scooting around in her bed. I love to go in her room in the morning to see where I'm going to find her in her bed. She is quite the scooter! 

Paigey's best bud, Isabelle, celebrated her first birthday last week so we sent her this picture. Paige was so excited!

Paige's first trip to CMOE with the girls. 

Sarah and I ran the Dash for Donna 5K at the zoo. Never again! It was the hilliest run ever. Not only did we run 3 miles we ran one before and one after to get our miles in. Talk about misery! Hills and heat are not my friend. 

We had our pictures taken for the church directory. It was our first pics as a family of four. I wasn't going to do them, but I'm glad I did. 

This was Paige before church on Sunday. It only took me almost three months, but I finally got back there. Paige and I ended up in the lobby, but at least I could still see and hear what was going on. You win some, you lose some!

Ella and Paige | Week 10

Last week was a tough week for some reason. I felt like Ella was especially demanding of my time, and I was feeling extremely guilty that I don't have enough of it. As the weeks go by I am seeing how hard it is to juggle two kids. It's especially hard juggling two kids with a six year age difference. Ella was so used to having all my time. We could come and go as we pleased and do whatever we wanted. Things are much different now. Paige demands so much of my time. Leaving the house takes so much more planning then it used to. I am constantly trying to split my time between Paige and Ella, and it is not easy. Ella never complains, but I can tell she gets annoyed. 

Paige had her two month appointment last week. She had a great check up, and her doctor was impressed with her sleep schedule. She said it's like a one year olds sleep schedule. I thank my lucky stars everyday she is a great sleeper! She had to get two shots. It was so sad. She slept almost the rest of the day. She was only up for an hour before bed, and I had to give her tylenol. I could tell she was uncomfortable. That continued for about 24 hours, and then she was back to her happy self. 

Here is the past week in pictures:

Ella and I spent some time soaking up the sun while Paige was taking a nap!

Rise and Shine!!

This was taken around 9:30 one night. She is in for a rude awakening when school starts back up. 

Paige at her two month appointment.

Paige loves to listen to my mom talk and sing to her.

Ella, Paige, and I went swimming over at Aaron and Sarah's on Friday. Ella jumped off the diving board by herself for the very first time. Sarah's nieces were in town, and one of them reminds me of what Ella will be like when she is older. Ella really enjoyed herself and ended up staying until 10:00 that night. 

Ella and Paige | Week 9

Each week seems to be going faster and faster. Last week seems like a blur. I am constantly busy. I feel like I am constantly "on". From the time I get up to the time I go to bed I am moving. Paige wakes me up almost every morning. I change her and feed her. Some days I am lucky to eat breakfast, drink my coffee, and empty the dishwasher before Ella wakes up. Once Ella is up she needs breakfast. By that time, Paige is ready for a nap. Ella and I typically play while she is asleep or I throw in some laundry and make our beds. Sometimes we go run errands.  By lunch Paige is back up again. I usually eat lunch as fast as possible. Come to think of it, I eat all of my meals as fast as possible. In the afternoon Paige usually will nap so Ella and I will get to spend a little time together. I might get my workout dvd (21 day fix) in if I'm lucky. Once 5:00 rolls around Paige is usually pretty fussy. I sometimes make dinner before she goes to bed, but it's not a pleasant eating experience. Paige gets a bath around 6:30 and is in bed by 7. Once Paige is in bed I start all over again with Ella. Some nights Adam will play with her and supervise her bath while I go run. Ella is in bed by around 8:30/9. This is when I am finally able to shower, clean, blog, or watch tv. I feel like I don't have a spare moment to myself most days. The only time I do get to myself is if I go run, and as hard as it is to find time to do that I refuse to give it up. Gone are the days that I could leisurely shower and get ready in the morning. I rarely fix my hair or have makeup on during the week. I'm sorry to anyone that sees me out. It's a scary sight. I don't mop or clean as often as I used to even though I try my best to keep up. Adam and I don't have as much time to ourselves as we used to. I definitely have days where I feel completely overwhelmed and guilty that I don't have enough time with Ella. Our life has completely changed. With all of that being said, I of course wouldn't change a thing. Time flies, and I know this craziness is only temporary. I'm sure there will come a day that I will look back at this time in our lives and miss the craziness. So for now, I'll just keep on plugging away.

Here is a glimpse into the past week:) 

Ella on the left and Paige on the right. I definitely see a lot of similarities. 

Ella and I had some time together so we went to Jason's deli for lunch and went bowling. 

The morning after Paige slept all night. It's happened three times now, but it's not consistent. Bummer! 

Autumn has been over quite often on Sundays this summer. It is so nice to have her around, because her and Ella keep each other occupied almost all day. They have the best time!

Paige || 2 months old

I can't believe this sweet girl turned 2 months old today! While a tiny part of me misses her being a newborn, the other part of me is so happy we have reached this point. I have seen a huge change in the last month, and she is a joy to be around! 

She is still living up to her title of "best baby ever." She is patient, sweet, and content most of the time. She truly only cries when she is hungry, tired, or needs to be changed. We got lucky with this one!

Just like a puzzle piece Paige has fit right into our family. I struggled for the past five or so years wondering if I wanted to have another child. I wasn't sure if I could ever go through pregnancy and child birth again after what happened the first time.  Luckily, the decision was made for me. Paige has been the best surprise ever! 

Here are some things I want to remember about Paige at two months old:

Weight: 10 pounds 11 ounces

Height: 21 1/2 inches

Hair: Hard to tell from these pictures, but Paige has a lot of hair. That was one of the first things they said in the delivery room. It's definitely growing and filling in. 

Eyes: Her eyes almost look green. Ella and I have very dark brown eyes. Paige and Adam have greenish/brown eyes. 

 Clothes: Paige outgrew all of her newborn clothes. She is in mostly 0-3 month clothing. She still loves her newborn swaddle pods (swaddle blankets). I stuff her into those every night. I tried to switch to another swaddle blanket, but it did not go well. 

Diapers: Size 1

Sleeping: From the get go I knew I wanted to establish a bedtime routine and stick to it. Paige usually has a bath around 6:30, takes a bottle, and is asleep around 7. We have had two nights where she has slept all night, and it was glorious! The first time I woke up in a panic. The second time I woke up to a choir of angels singing. Not really, but it was wonderful to wake up when it was light outside knowing she had slept all night. I am cutting out her feeding at 10pm so now she is waking up once to eat. I will take it!

Likes: Everything! Eating, sleeping, taking a bath, riding in the car, being sang to and talked to. There isn't much she doesn't like. 

Dislike: She doesn't like the hours between 5-7pm. She is usually tired and a little fussy. 

Milestones: Holding her head up. She has found her hands and loves to chew/suck on them. She can really focus on you and follow you with her eyes. She also smiles a lot. It's the cutest thing ever!!

Momma's favorites: I love love love to see Paige smile. It's the sweetest thing ever and reminds me of Ella as a baby. I also love her baby rolls. Baby thighs are the cutest! 

She definitely grew a lot from month 1 to 2!