Sling info, anyone???

Okay...so if I go about trying to find another sling to carry Landon in, what are your recommendations?  I tried the Hotsling, but the smallest size didn't work for me.  It was too big, kept falling off of my shoulder, couldn't be adjusted tight enough by folding it over, etc. 

I don't want anything bulky.  I am a simple girl with simple tastes.  I want easy. Practical. Simple.

Any suggestions???

1 month

Has it really been a month already since my son was born?  That seems impossible.  He just got here.  And, yet, I can't really remember life without him.  He's grown so much.  For the first few days he really had that "premie" look...skinny face and stick arms & legs.  Goodness how he's starting to fill out!  He is also noticeably longer.  He has outgrown all premie clothes b/c of his length.  He could still fit into them if they didn't all have feet!  He now swims in his clothes b/c there doesn't seem to be any "mid-size" clothes.  If they say Newborn, they mean big newborn; if they say 0-3 months, they mean 3 months.  Oh well.  Scott says that since he's a boy he doesn't need or want his clothes to be "fitted."  I guess he does have a point there. :)

Landon has started cooing and smiling.  Both of which are just so sweet.  I don't really remember Ella Beth doing much cooing since she cried the first 13 weeks; she did, however, smile earlier than Landon, which is interesting.  Cooing has to be one of the sweetest sounds in the world.  I just love to hear him "talk" to me!  Whenever he does it, Ella Beth is right there saying, "Talking to you!"  Here's a picture of Landon "talking" to Daddy.

Ella Beth has come to terms with the fact that Landon is staying.  She still has her moments, but don't all toddlers?!  She wants to hold Landon all of the time...however, she's sick...AGAIN.  What she has that she can't get rid of is beyond me.  She's had this "cold" since the beginning of December.  That is almost 4 months.  It comes and goes - one week on, one week off - but it never goes away.  Don't understand it.  Don't like it.  Don't know what exactly to do.  I am praying that she won't develop another ear infection from this cold.  She is having so much drainage, so I'm praying really hard.  When she doesn't feel well, it's very obvious.  I hate it for her.  Here's a couple cute pics of her playing in her room.  You can tell that her cold was starting b/c her left eye is pink.  That's always our clue.

Her favorite...Fish Face. :)

I still haven't dared to venture out with both of the little ones in tow.  Since the sling didn't work out and I had to send it back, I'm a little unsure how to go about it.  I guess I need to invest in a double stroller.  Any suggestions?  They are all HUGE...they are honestly longer than me.  I just don't know how to manage something longer than myself!

Off to get my baby girl!

Oh yeah...

I guess I should have mentioned that Landon also grew 2 1/2 inches from his 1st doctor's appointment.  He measured in at 21 inches.  Wow -  2 1/2 inches in 3 weeks is pretty good.  I am expecting all of my prayers for him to be tall to pay off!!!

Both of my babies are sleeping right now.  I've gotten in a little reading.  I'm catching up on email.  About to open some "real" mail.  Got laundry done.  Vacuumed the floors earlier.  Goodness, life seems too easy right now.  I know it won't last long, so I'm off to enjoy it!

Big Week

So far, Week 3 has been the busiest yet.  With our first Easter Egg hunt last Sunday, Scott's Papa's 92nd birthday celebration, Landon's doctor appointment, and Easter Sunday...we've been busy around here!

Well...most of us have been busy.  Here's Landon's typical day:

Unfortunately, Landon has the dreaded Reflux, so his favorite place to sleep is in the Boppy pillow.  Thankfully, the Boppy is portable and can be taken anywhere...even to bed with Mommy when she's desperate for sleep.  Landon had been sleeping in his swing for about a week, but now prefers the Boppy for his slumber.  The swing must stay in the "OFF" position b/c our swing only goes front to back...which is the worst thing for a baby with Reflux.  I'm just glad we caught this early on so that he can start medicine.  Poor Ella Beth didn't start on meds until she was 13 weeks, and by then she had damaged her esophagus and was put on very strong medicine.  Hopefully, Landon will out-grow his reflux faster than his big sister.

Easter has been a lot of fun this year.  Despite not being able to attend church myself this morning, hunting eggs and reading books about Easter with Ella Beth has been special.  This morning, Ella Beth woke to find that the Easter Bunny had "spilled eggs" all over our front yard.  Scott's mom and sister came over late last night and put eggs in the front yard for Ella Beth to find this morning.  It was fun!  She also had a good time at her first Egg Hunt last Sunday.  She doesn't run to find the eggs, but she does get very excited to find what's hidden inside them.  "Ohhh, WOW!" is her new favorite expression!

(I have no clue why this is underlined.)
Landon's doctor appointment went okay on Friday.  He weighed in at 7 lbs, 12 oz - a two pound gain!  Gotta love breast milk!  But, before we all start worrying that he's going to be a monster baby (okay...it's mainly Mommy that's worried!), Ella Beth also gained 2 pounds in her first month of life.  That was the most weight she ever gained!  Hopefully, Landon was just making up for being such a tiny fella!

He did, however, fail his hearing test again.  We are being referred to an oncologist who will examine Landon and determine our possible routes.  Apparently, there are a few procedures that can be done early on a lot of infants that can correct or help repair what is causing him not to hear out of his left ear.  I was surprisingly strong at the doctor's office when he failed the test and the doctor had to "talk" with me.  But, when I called Scott at work, I broke down.  Our pediatrician told me how not being able to hear out of one ear can really effect speech development.  (Of course, she was very sweet and just helping me to understand how important the oncologist appointment would be.  I L-O-V-E our pediatrician, so don't think she was being overly negative.)  Anyway, with Ella Beth's advanced speech development, it's just hard to think about.  I know that I can't compare my children, but it's hard not to want the same "advances" for both of them.  We would very much appreciate your prayers for Landon's hearing.  We are hoping and praying for a miracle.

Other than that, I am doing well and feeling pretty good.  I do wish I could get a continuous 5 hours of sleep at night, but I know it will come soon enough.  I can't believe Landon will be a month old this Thursday.  That seems unreal.  He just got here!  I have really enjoyed getting out for walks this past week, and even ran (okay, jogged) about 3/4 of a mile yesterday.  I was slow-moving, but it felt good just to get my body in the motion.  I am looking forward to regular runs soon.

Well, Happy Easter and Happy Spring to you!  I hope we are all able to take in the AMAZING significance of Easter Sunday.  God is so good!

Landon

Here are some of the sweetest pictures I've ever seen.  I'm so proud to be this little fella's mommy!

Don't even begin to ask me which one is my favorite.  I love them all!  Thanks for celebrating the introduction of our beautiful son! 

It didn't go un-noticed

Ella Beth turning 19 months did not go un-noticed.  It just went un-posted for a week.  Here are some cute shots I got of Ella Beth during a pleasant part of the day.  I love these pictures because they really remind me that behind the whiny facade, there is still a sweet and beautiful little girl who still has Mommy's heart.

And here are a couple of Landon at 2 weeks - yesterday.  I think he's changed a little...you probably can't tell, but he is a little bigger and longer.  He is still a sweet and good baby.  I am so thankful.  He is wanting to "snack" a bit lately while nursing, so I am working on making him get in full feedings.  However, sometimes it's next to impossible when he gets super sleepy.  Our pediatrician said this might happen since he was so little.  He started off eating and sleeping GREAT, but we were told that it might change after a couple of weeks.  Apparently, it has; but I'm crossing my fingers that it goes back to those "early days" soon!  He was getting super sleepy in this first picture...can you tell?  It was about 5 minutes later that I got the second shot.  I'll post his "photo shoot" next.  I need to order my prints!

On having two (Part Two)

Having two is hard.  Really hard.  Landon is easier than I expected, and Ella Beth is much harder than I expected.  I feel that I never have any one-on-one time with Landon because I am always having to occupy, entertain, and distract Ella Beth.  Her independence has really been halted right now b/c we can't let her out of our sight.  She hasn't been mean towards Landon in any way, but she does tend to be overly affectionate.  We would really like for him to survive with both eyes in tact - Ella Beth loves to "Point" them out to him, literally!  What I hate is that a lot of the time I "spend" with Ella Beth is in discipling her.  I feel that I get on to her all of the time, and I absolutely hate it.  She is testing her limits for sure, but I am having a difficult time exercising my patience.  I have realized just how un-Godly I am lately because I have not been as patient or kind as I should be, and I have been easily angered a lot.  I keep questioning why God wanted me to have two kids b/c I simply do not feel that I have the patience for it.   I am just praying that this adjustment period (mostly with me) won't negatively influence Ella Beth or Landon in the long run.  I want them to know that I love them because I radiate love towards them; I don't want them to ever question my love for them.  Right now, I'd hate to hear what Ella Beth would say.  I just have to be more patient with her; I need to understand that her life has been shaken up just like mine.  (I'm really talking to myself here...telling myself what I need to hear.)

Well, I got out for a walk with both of my little ones.  I walked almost 2 miles, and it about killed me.  It wasn't the distance that was the kicker, it was toting around Landon in his sling (which doesn't fit all that well I'm finding out) and pushing Ella Beth in her stroller.  That's a total of over 40 pounds.  That's a lot of weight for me to exercise with.  However, after taking a peek at myself in the mirror this morning when I got out of the shower, I'll be back at it every chance I can find.  It was totally depressing to see my body.  I am so out of shape and flabby.  I have also been eating like a pig lately, but that's got to stop.  I can totally see how people "let themselves go" after having kids b/c it is not going to be easy to be disciplined with exercising.  I must somehow make it a priority.

I sent out Landon's birth announcements this morning.  I think they turned out beautifully, and I hope everyone likes them.  I need to start posting the pictures I have from his "photo shoot" since it's been a week since I took them.  I also need to start taking more pictures period.  It's just so hard to get everything done that I want to.  I have a hard time getting what NEEDS to be done.  Speaking of which, I'm off to do something "needed" - say, vacuum, clean toilets, listen to the messages on the answering machine...