Little miracles

Here's our little princess. She's wearing the crown she painted at school this week. This is her first work of art and I must say it looks like a masterpiece!
Our little lady has been busy smiling, razzing, blowing bubbles, drooling buckets and generally being her normal, sweet self.

We visited the arboretum today and saw so many beautiful flowers including many rose shrubs and it reaffirmed our choice for Hadley's middle name, Rose. She's as sweet and beautiful as her namesake. It was a little cool today so we kept her in her sleep sack for part of the day. She now has a new nickname, "little glowworm." Even Miles was calling her that.

Miles says and does so many funny things everyday - too bad I can't remember them all by the end of the week! Today we were walking into Trader Joe's to buy Miles' coveted breakfast bars when he exclaimed "there's baby Jesus!" He was pointing towards the store next door to Trader Joe's - not a baby in sight. We asked him what he was seeing and he insisted that he saw baby Jesus, right there. Once in the store he kept asking us "where baby Jesus go?" I do believe this could be his first little miracle.

Tonight at dinner he gave me the nicest compliment. Completely unsolicited he said "good cooking mommy."

Enjoy the rest of the pictures! Happy summer!

Bumps & Burps

Miles and Hadley are so lucky to have 2 sets of grandparents very involved in their lives. They thoroughly enjoyed spending a lot of the summer with Grandma and Grandpa Gray who just left to head home to Arizona.

Hadley started daycare at COT this week and it went well. I still would like to be home with her 24/7 but she is such a laid back baby she did wonderfully there. Her teachers, Sally and Darcy, reported that a baby couldn't cry less then Hadley and that she is very mellow and talkative. She also did her first painting - she painted a crown which she'll wear at school tomorrow.

Thursday evening we headed to "Touch a Truck" at the Chaska Community Center. This was the coolest event! Kids (and adults) could touch, sit in and explore all of the different city vehicles including a zamboni, dump trucks, fire trucks, and a tractor. There were probably 20 different vehicles there. Miles' favorites included the old-time city bus and ambulance. He also very much enjoyed his first hot dog and ice cream cone. Hadley took it all in from the stroller. She too will soon be climbing on the trucks.

Miles is such a singer that sometimes I think our life is like a musical. He learns new songs very easily, sings loud and proud and responds well when I sing about tasks we need to do, such as picking up his toys.

He's such a sweet boy that one evening during story time he repeatedly hugged me and blew me kisses. His imagination is so big.

At times he pretends to be a dog or a cat and likes to crawl around and get petted.

This weekend we spent time at the cabin and Saturday after lunch he began singing "Happy Birthday" to himself and then asked for cake. He must have good memories from his birthday party there a month ago.

Very much a two-year old it seems like he's constantly running and falling. I think one of his knees has been continually skinned all summer long. He also exercised his independence (and our patience) at the cabin when he wouldn't go to bed. It's difficult now that he can jump out of bed and open doors by himself now.

New things that Hadley has been doing lately include sucking on her hands (she's often happy without her pacifier because she has her fist), putting toys in her mouth, holding on to her sock doll with both arms and legs and she is so strong that she can scoot backwards while on her back by arching her back and kicking her legs. Right now she's lying beside me, arms flung over her head, snoozing in her pink jammies.

Sweet child of mine

Today, after 10:30 am mass, Hadley Rose was baptized at St. Hubert's. We feel so honored and blessed that over 40 family members shared this special day with us! The ceremony was performed by Deacon Jim and Hadley was the star - no other babies were baptized. She dozed throughout most of the ceremony and only startled slightly, with eyes still shut, when the cold water was poured over her head. She is a beautiful baby and we're very lucky to have her for a daughter. After the service everyone came to our house for lunch. A healthy baby, happy children - we have a lot to celebrate! We want to say a huge thank you to not only everyone who attended but also our parents for helping so much with the party (setting up tables, cooking, etc.) THANK YOU! (Family - we took many more pictures at the service and lunch then we could post. Email me if you want me to send you the link to all of the pictures.)

Hadley and great-grandpa Nickolay

Nickolay grandparents AND Hadley's Godparents
The Gray grandparents

Our family - Miles did awesome in church and the whole day

"Getting baptized and having a party in my honor is exhausting!"

Doesn't she look like a little doll?

In other news, I survived my first week back to work but am struggling a bit with my decision to work. It's hard to leave these cute, sweet and funny kids each day. Stay home or work? The hard choice all moms face these days... This week we also had a play date with friends Natalie and Nicholas on Friday and got professional pictures taken on Saturday (we'll post some when we get them). Our girl also turned 3 months old!

These days Miles has quite the sense of humor. One night he and I were entertained by marching around our dining room table, waving miniature flags and singing "Your a Grand Old Flag."

Hadley is so talkative lately. She will easily engage you in 30 minute conversations of oohs and ah-goos. She also is an easy smiler. One smile from her just brightens my day.

Three months! Already?!? Where has the time gone?

Miles is proud of the towel he decorated at school.

Goofy guys!

12 weeks

Twelve weeks have come and gone so quickly. Not only is my little newborn now 12 weeks old and growing and changing so much but I'm back to work starting tomorrow. I can honestly say at this point not even 1% of me wants to go back and I've been dreading Monday morning all week. (Sigh...) I will miss my babies! Mike's parents will take care of Hadley this week and then next week both kids will start back at Children of Tomorrow 4 days per week.

We had another busy week. Activities of note: Hadley had a play date with 4 other little friends, Jill and Nova stopped by, Hadley and I spent 1 hour in the younger infant room at Children of Tomorrow to get to know the teachers and babies, we spent a morning at Linden Hills park on the toddler playground and in the wading pool with Corey and Rachel, in the mood for parks and splash pads we also visited Miller Park in Eden Prairie, and spent time with grandparents.

In between fun activities I jotted down a few notes about each child.

Hadley

• Starting last week she began to rollover when on her tummy. She has now rolled over 3 times.


• She grabs and holds on to her dress, toys and her paci and is now starting to bring these items to her mouth.


• This little lady can talk up a storm and will give you the brightest smile when she wakes up from naps and sees you.


• Speaking of sleep, she sleeps through the night more often then not these days.


• She loves to hold her left arm up and stare at it.


• No more laying down for this baby - she wants to see the world. She will often try to pick up her head from a reclining position and try to sit up. In these moments I fondly call her Nosy Rosie.

Miles

• Twice this week he came home from school and proudly told me what he saw on the way home. Once he saw a "yellow street sweeper" (quite a mouthful for a 2 year old) and another time a coyote. I love his vocabulary these days.


• While watching him run around in his diaper this week it struck me what a lean kid he is. No more baby fat for Miles.


• We were playing in the driveway and he proudly exclaimed " there's Miles' shadow!"


• One morning Hadley was lying next to me on the couch and she was kicking her feet against my leg. Miles came over and said to her "no kicking mommy, baby" and pulled her feet away from me. My little protector! I know one day he'll protect Hadley as fiercely.

Best buds

She can hold her head up so high now.

I made Hadley a sock doll (dubbed "ugly doll" by me) just like the one I made Miles. One day this week she and ugly doll were inseparable.

Lazy days of summer...but not for long

Ah, summer. It's been a wonderful 11 weeks of maternity leave and time with my beautiful kiddos. Last week, knowing I only had 2 weeks left of being home full-time, I started to feel sad. Now, with only 1 week left I'm feeling the full-blown weight of sadness for leaving my new baby and stress of not only the realities of my job but the prospect of once again working full-time while balancing motherhood and everything else. Stress manifests itself in funny ways. My whole leave I've had long, strong fingernails (a rarity for most of my life). As of last night they've all been bitten down - short. Which is probably where they'll stay since I nibble away when faced with stress. Boy, this blog is depressing me. I'm going to try to stay positive and find the joy in being home this coming week - my one last week of being a full-time mommy to Hadley and Miles. Please send your positive thoughts and energy my way!

A few weeks ago our day at the splash pad was canceled due to rain but on Friday we took full advantage of the heat and sunshine. Miles and I met Corey and Rachel at Oak Hill Park in St. Louis Park for a morning filled with climbing on the playground, getting wet at the toddler splash pad and having a picnic lunch. The splash pad is the coolest place on a hot day. Fountains and sprinklers shoot out from everywhere while buckets of water and hoses can squirt you unexpectedly. While Corey is a dive-right-in sort of kid at places like this Miles took the laid back approach to splashing. He felt most comfortable putting his hands in the fountain and standing on the drain where the rivers of water rushed.
After about a half hour he decided it was more fun relaxing in the shade with a drink (just like his dad).
Grandma and Grandpa Gray arrived this week from their trip to Alaska. Along with them came a belated birthday present for Miles, a Curious George pal, better known in our house as "Monkey-Ah-Ah-Ah." Today Curious George went most places Miles did - getting upside down piggy back rides from Miles, being beaten over the head with a golf club, wrestled with and carried around by the ear. Miles and Hadley are thrilled to now bask in the love and attention from two sets of grandparents. Besides Curious George, the Grays also brought us 50+ lbs of freshly caught Alaska fish - red salmon and halibut. Yum!
As a two-year old Miles is extremely active and energetic and exercises his independence at every opportunity. He's so smart he knows exactly what buttons to push to get Mike and I going. My particular "button" lately is pushed when he purposefully dumps his plate on the floor (full of food) and tips his milk over. Good thing he's cute. One day this week I asked him what he wanted to do today and he replied "dance!" Love it!
I've probably only been away from Hadley 10 hours during her whole life so the prospect of leaving her for work is breaking my heart. As my second baby I know how fast these precious baby months fly by (it's hard for me to believe that Miles was once a baby) and so I like to hold her 24/7. I can count on one hand the number of times she's napped during the day in her crib. We're both just happier snuggling together. This talented girl not only discovered her arm last week but this week she discovered her foot. It takes a lot of strength to hold your foot up for long periods to gaze at it.
Her smiles come quickly and easily these days. She's got the biggest eyes and her eyebrows are so expressive.
Speaking of strength, tummy time is going well and we again enjoyed our mother- daughter time at BYOB yoga today.
My sweet girl is sleeping straight through the night about half of the time now. She's such a good baby... it's hard for my to write more about her because I'll miss spending every hour with her soon!
Because both of our kids love their pacis (Miles now only gets his at night-night time and I actually see him relying on it less and less during these times) I had to get one photo of both of them together, in their pjs, with them in.