Baptism/3 months old

Somerset's 3-month portrait with Joy the owl.

Somerset is 3 months old today. What a blessing she has been! She is still pretty demanding and loves to be held all the time, but she loves to smile and coo and that makes uo for all the rough patches. I still maintain that she is easier than Leo, but unlike Leo, she is very sensitive to any changes in her environment and will cry at the drop of a hat and she likes being held even more than he did. She is also a bit less active, but her legs are always in motion. She still doesn't give me long stretches of sleep at night and gets up twice (12:30-1:30 a.m. and 3:30-4:30 a.m.) Luckily she usually is up a short time and then goes back to bed (with us still....ugggg!).

Leo and Somerset were baptized on December 19th and it was a wonderful event. Pastor Scott had some very meaningful words and welcomed our children into our church. Both Leo and Somerset were as well behaved as I could have hoped for. Leo saw Grandma in the congregation and yelled, "Grandma," which made everyone laugh. He also held tight to his toy car and Pastor Scott joked that Leo's car was going to be baptized too. Summer was asleep most of the time , but woke up just in time for Pastor Scott to gently wash her head with water. At the end, Pastor Scott held both kids , one in each arm, and walked them up and down the aisle for the congregation to see. It was so beautiful.

After the baptism, Leo went back to the nursery and he declared, "my baptism is almost gone," meaning the water had almost dried. He's a funny little guy.

Vsit with Santa

Leo loves Santa and had a great time visiting Santa for the 3rd time this season. Summie came along for the ride and was a good sport.

I forgot to mention in my last post that Somerset is now "talking." She has the cutest voice and it's great to hear her express herself.

Getting in the Christmas Spirit

It's now December and we are in full Christmas mode. It is so much fun now that Leo is getting older and enjoys the season too. We even went to a Christmas tree farm and chopped down our own tree. Everytime Leo spotted a tree he liked, he said, "this is the best Christmas tree ever!" Leo had fun helping us decorate it, but has had a big problem keeping his paws off of it and the nativity scene already had to be repacked due to his extreme curiosity.

Leo has been a real rascal. He's been extremely naughty and seeking attention in all the wrong ways. He is testing my patience and I have even resorted to a real spanking. This really hurt my heart. I just hope Leo doesn't get on Santa's naughty list.

Somerset seems to be getting easier to manage and smiles often, but she is still really high maintenance. She loves to be held all the time and is still quite sensitive about everything. I call her my Princess and the Pea. She still remains the cutest little girl ever and when she flashes a smile, my heart melts.

We had professional pictures taken for Christmas and they turned out very cute. We even got some smile shots of Summie.

Joe and I already received our big gifts: a digital camera for me and an i-phone for him. We are both really enjoying these new toys.

Thanksgiving

The coolest guy Leo knows....Uncle Aaron!

I had to get the diapered baby shot...she is too cute!!!

This could be the best Thanksgiving ever and that's because I have so much to be thankful for! What a year. We added Somerset to the family and got a new house. It's crazy to think that 1 year ago we were in a rental and I wasn't even pregnant with Summie (we are trying different spellings for her nickname). What a difference a year makes. We're so blessed!

This Thanksgiving was pretty low-key. We had Uncle Aaron and his roommate from college come down for the holiday weekend. We hosted the dinner and went to my parents for dessert. I must day that Joe and I did a pretty darn good job at preparing a delicious Thanksgiving feast!

Leo is absolutely in LOVE with his uncle and Joey. He played endlessly with the college boys and had so much fun. Hopefully Aaron and Joey weren't too annoyed. They were great sports!

2 Month Visit

Somerset had her big 2 month visit, and I can happily say, she's growing like a weed:

weight: 11.3 pounds (71-72%)
height: 23.3 inches (88%)
head circumference: 15.4 in. (70%)

I am truly shocked by these results! Although she is getting quite pudgy, I never thought she would rank above avg. on weight and height. The weight issue is very relieving after having Leo so low on the growth chart. Go Summy!

She has been sleeping in 4 hour stretches at night and seems to be less fussy with each passing day. She also initiates a game where she pokes at her tongue at us and wants us to do the same. It brings her such delight!

Juggling both kids alone is quite the challenge, but with each passing day, I gain a new set of tricks to add to my collection. I am usually able to get them both to nap together around noon, which takes a lot of orchestrating, but I feel like super mom when it happens!

Leo's First trip to Urgent Care/ 8 weeks old

Leo had a little mishap at church on Sunday and got a small, but deep gash in his forehead as a result of running, tripping and falling head first onto a door's hinge. Ouch! A doctor from church assessed the wound and said we should take him in. Leo was very brave and the doctor said that Leo would only need glue to keep the cut closed as opposed to stitches. Yeah!!!

Somerset is now 8 weeks old and is getting easier to manage. She has learned to entertain herself more and has discovered that she can use her hand to self soothe. She also loves staring at her baby swing in motion while she lies on her playmat. I know this is strange, but it works. Also, she loves watching Leo and he loves entertaining her. I am so lucky!

She still sleeps in bed with us, but this has to stop soon. I love cuddling my baby, but this leads to unsettled sleep for me. Also, Leo has gotten in the bad habit of getting out of his bed in the middle of the night to join us. Yes, that means there are often 4 of us in the bed and we only have a queen sized bed!

I am getting more and more comfortable handling both kids at once, but some days can be a very hectic and exhausting. When they both are crying at the same time, it can really be a test of my patience. I have started working out again though, so I know I will always get at least an hour to myself per day. Thank you Joe!!!

7 weeks old

I am thrilled to finally have a photo with somerset! I hardly ever have time to put myself together in any manner at all, so this morning after getting ready for church, I asked Joe to take our photo. Summy's hair is wild, but that is usually the case. We always joke that her crazy hair makes her resemble a baby chimpanzee from the back. She couldn't be cuter!

Smiles!

Somerset is almost 7 weeks old! Although I haven't gotten any official smiling photos, she is definitely a smiler! I have been enjoying the smiles too much to rush off and get the camera, so this photo of her dressed in her cute outfit, compliments of Grandma Naomi, will have to suffice.

Joe, Leo and I have really enjoyed our week with Summy. She likes to interact with us by sticking out her tongue when we stick out our tongue. She also greets us with smiles when she first wakes up. She seems to be transforming from a newborn into an adorable baby and is giving us glimpses of hope as to what life with her will be like once we are past this difficult stage. Summy is a good baby, but the acid reflux makes her cranky. She fusses a lot after feedings because she is experiencing discomfort (poor pickle).

Grandma Laurel went home to Pittsburgh this week, which made this the first full week I was alone. It was quite exhausting, but I did it! I also started going back to the gym. When Joe returns from work, I take Leo. I have never loved working out so much! This new schedule also requires a lot of slow cook meals.

Leo is thrilled to get out of the house after being cooped up most of the day. I have introduced new activities such as baking cookies, play dough and we always have a letter of the day to keep his alphabet skills sharp. Leo has been talking like a little adult. He makes up stories now too. The other day, he lifted up his shirt when I was breastfeeding Somerset. I asked him why and proudly declared, "I have milk in my nickels." Oh boy!

Halloween and 6 Weeks Old

We celebrated Leo's 3rd Halloween and he had a blast dressed up as a Jedi Knight. He has been eagerly anticipating Halloween's return after last year and I am pretty sure he wasn't disappointed. We were able to take him trick or treating in our new neighborhood, which added to the excitement. As always, Leo was super confident and knocked eagerly at each door saying, "Happy Halloween", and "trick or treat!" He would say thank you when prompted and then tell the candy givers, "I am going to go to the next house." He kept telling Joe that he was "getting so many treats!" He was in heaven!!!

Somerset is 6 weeks old today. She is manageable, but not an easy baby. I still believe that she is easier than Leo, but she has a pretty bad case of acid reflux. Poor little pickle! She has given us a few smiles, but it is not consistent enough to call her a full fledged smile. Oh, I so look forward to the day!

Grandma Laurel has been here for 3 weeks now and she leaves tomorrow. She has been a tremendous help with Leo and I will really miss her assistance. Leo loves her so much and is going to be a sad little guy when she leaves. We will just have to see how I handle a newborn and a toddler on minimal sleep. Lord, please be with me!!

5 Weeks Old

Today Somerset is 5 weeks old and she has become a bit (a lot) of a fuss bucket. She is reminding me of a newborn Leo, which I prayed wouldn't happen, but I am hoping to have more patience and not let all the crying affect me as much. Somerset also is not the best sleeper. She is currently sleeping beside me in the bed, as she loves the comfort of either my or Joe's arms. This is actually an improvement over what we had going on earlier, in which I slept on the couch with her. She has been getting up about 3 times a night. Luckily, Joe's mom has been in town and she has been able to watch Leo whaen I tend to little miss fussypants. It has been a huge help and I am terrified to have both kids on my own....yikes!!!

1 Month Old

Every month, I plan To take a photo of Somerset next to her beloved owl Joy. It should be fun to watch her grow!

Pumpkin Patch Fun, Summy is almost a month too!

For the 3rd year in a row, we have gone to Plumper's Pumpkin Patch. Every year gets more and more fun and this year was no exception. Summy slept the whole time, which was a great relief. Leo loved examining the pumpkins and picked out three: a traditional orange one for himself, a white "ghost" pumpkin and a miniature pumpkin for his baby sister. Grandma Laurel is in town visiting, so joined in the festivities. Leo had a lot to say about the pumpkins: "that one is too big, that one is good for Halloween, that one is too dirty." I loved his enthusiasm and we could all tell how much fun he was having.

Somerset is almost a month old and continues to be extremely adorable, but a bit grouchie. Night time is the worst and she always wants to be held, which means that I have spent most nights sleeping on the couch holding her. It's not the best arrangement, but Joe wakes up so early from work and when she starts crying in our room, I usually take her out immediately.

Speaking of Summy, she also has a very funny mannerism...she grunts. She grunts a lot and it is quite funny. Joe thought his little girl might be a little "more demure." Demure, she is not.

3 weeks old

Today Somerset is 3 weeks old and her hair is getting crazier with each passing day. The last few days have been a challenge. She has displayed some symptoms of acid reflux, so we are going to start having her take Axid, which helped Leo a ton. She has been more fussy and she has been arching her back after feedings, which are signs of the reflux, so we are hoping to nip this problem in the bud. In the meantime, Daddy, Mommy and Summer are not getting enough sleep.

She has giving us hints of a smile. I can tell that if she could, there are times when she would smile. Her eyes crinkle a tad and her mouth almost upturns. I just can't wait until the day we see her smile for the first time.

Leo has been so cute as well. he calls us "mommia," "daddia," and "Summery." Where does he come up with these names? So cute.

I have to admit that handling both kids can be soooo challenging, but luckily my parents have been able to take Leo on some much needed adventures.

12 days old

11 days old in this photo
Our living doll

Our Summer girl is so sweet and peaceful in this photo. She does sleep a ton, but prefers being held as she sleeps. I am enjoying the time I have to lavish her with attention, because I know once Joe goes to work, I will not have the freedom to hold her as much.

Unfortunately, I have been quite sick for 3 days now. I have 2 infections going on at once: a clogged duct and an infection around the incision site from the c-section. Sorry if this is too much info, but I want to document all events, even the unpleasant ones. I caught it early and am on antibiotics, so hopefully, I will be back to normal soon. In the meantime, I have been trying to take it easy, which is difficult for me. My main goal is to care for Somerset, and Joe has been taking care of Leo and household duties.

We are still feeling out Somerset's disposition. Night time has been rougher recently. Somerset has been more more demanding of mommy and daddy's cuddles and it is more difficult to get her to settle in her bassinet. We plan to try the co-sleeper tonight, That will give us more freedom and hopefully she will appreciate the closeness with us.

Leo has been waking up crying around 2:30 a.m. almost every night and since he is going through so many changes and I miss cuddling him, I allow him into our bed. This is only a temporary measure until he feels more secure. All in all though, he is doing great. He still adores his sister and even called her a princess this week!

1 week old

Our little "Summy" has proven to be such a sweet baby. Joe has joked that she is a "lump" because she is so lazy and just wants to sleep all day (this actually made me cry because I was so hormonal and didn't think he should call my precious newborn a lump). Although she is good natured, she is feisty as well. When she is hungry, which is almost always, she will scream if she is not fed immediately. She also hates diaper changes and clothing changes. We have also been so lucky because she only wakes up twice a night and sleeps in.

Leo is an amazing big brother. He always wants to kiss her, which can be problematic when she is sleeping or eating, but he loves her dearly. He has been acting out a bit though. He hasn't been listening to our direction and this can be frustrating. We have been making an effort to give him special attention. He has had many exciting adventures with Grandparents, Aunt Tiffy and Uncle Martin, as well as gifts given to him for becoming a big brother. All in all though, we are so lucky that he loves Somerset, which often is not the case when you bring home a new baby.

What great kids

I feel so lucky! I just had to share the first photo of my beautiful children together. Summer is 5 days old and Leo is 2 and a half. What a great big brother
leo is!

Somerset Rose

Our beautiful baby girl arrived in this world on Monday, September 20, 2010 at 8:07 am. She weighed 7 lb, 7 oz. and was 19.5 inches long. She came out screaming and continued to cry for 45 minutes. My first thought was, "oh my, we're gonna have our hands full!"

She is unbelievable beautiful and is such a wonderful baby. She looks very girlish and has a full head of dark brown hair, large dark blue/gray eyes, a sweet upturned nose that is roundish at the end and pouty lips with an under bite. All who meet her say she's beautiful. I could have told you that, but it was nice hearing the array of nurses conclude that she is really adorable. As far as dispositions go, we love her personality. She is content most of the time, but when she dislikes something, or has an immediate need, she makes it known. So far, she loves eating and when she wants to eat, she will scream until it happens. She also hates to have her diaper changed or being undressed or unswaddled. Other than that, she is generally happy. She doesn't fuss much and I am still adjusting to what must be an easy baby. Leo is by all accounts an amazing little boy, and I love his personality, but he was such a challenge as a newborn. Summer goes with the flow, but she also is feisty when need be and still has a passionate side....which I LOVE.

I was concerned about how I could love another as much as Leo, but it happened. I look adoringly at her sweet face and feel so lucky and privileged to be her mom. She is an amazing little girl who is worth all the sleeplessness, and pain of c-section recovery. I feel that I have the perfect life: new home, adoring husband, and beauty, healthy children. I know this next stage of life will be a big challenge, but I am so fortunate to have these amazing children to raise.

We had an amazing stay at the hospital. The surgery went well and although scary, it was comfortable and done fairly quickly. I nursed Summer as soon as I made it to the recovery room (about 45 minutes after she was born). Apparently, she was screaming for 45 minutes straight and was trying to breastfeed Joe's bicep). She was born hungry! She has continued to have a tremendous appetite, and although she dropped 10.4% of her birth weight, she is rapidly gaining it back. She loves eating, so I am not at all worried about her.

The pain from the surgery is definitely still there, but it was fairly comparable to how I felt with Leo, so I am hoping to recover quickly. I am on quite a few medications, but take the pain pills sparingly because I don't like the way they make me feel. We moved last weekend (a whole other blog update), so I am trying to take it easy even though we have an amazing new house. Luckily, Joe Sr. and Grandma Paula helped us watch Leo and set-up house. We are so lucky to have had them around to help with this huge transition.

As for Leo, he is going through some anxiety, but is doing as well as could be expected. He loves his sister "somerset Rose," and wants to kiss her all the time. Apparently, this is an extremely mature response for a 2 and a half year old. We are so proud of him and are making a great effort to make him feel special. I do miss all the one on one time with him and am somewhat mourning the loss of our single child status. Not that I want one child, but I miss all the time and attention I am able to devote to my favorite little boy.

I will post more pics of our beautiful baby girl, her handsome brother and our new house. I will also have to update the name of the blog. Any suggestions? Perhaps "Summer makes Four." For now, I feel like the luckiest mommy/wife alive. I love my family!!!

A BIG Week

Leo's Princess Leia, complete with large hair buns

Leo LOVES making Star Wars themed Lego creations.
Above, robot holding a blaster.

Such a big week for us! We were approved for our loan and it looks like we will be moving next weekend (yes, the weekend before the c-section). Holy cow! This is a lot to handle all at once, but it sure is good news. We have revamped our packing efforts and are now really down to the bare minimum.

We are also getting super excited to meet our daughter. It is so hard to believe that in just over a week, she will be here. I can't wait to see her little face and learn all about her. I am also thrilled that we will most likely be able to bring her home to our new house! She has been such a good little girl. She continues to grow at just the right pace, has the perfect heartbeat and doesn't cause me too much discomfort (except for in the beginning of the pregnancy). I just hope and pray she decides to stay inside until September 20th!

Leo continues to amaze us. Today, he drew a very accurate drawing of Princess Leia. He 's also super imaginative. Unfortunately, his imagination has led him to believe that the shadows in his room are monsters, which may explain all the sleep issues we have had recently. We explained to him that his room is the safest in the house and that shadows are not real. That seems to have helped.

Hanging in there....barely!

If I am going to be totally honest, I will confess that things have been less than perfect. Our closing date for buying the house has been pushed back again! Mid-week, I had almost completely lost hope that we would get into the house at all (not good for a pregnant woman to deal with). This was a depressing thought considering all the money, time and energy we have put into the house we are trying to buy. Well, we are still in the game and have been told there is a 95% chance we will get financed, the problem is that our new closing date is September 25th, which is 5 days after baby girl is born. This is not the ideal scenario, but if we get the house, we will deal with the poor timing.

In the meantime, our cable and internet was shut down for almost a week, so that left me a lot of time to do nothing but clean and get ready for the move. I organized the baby's clothes, cleaned all the dust bunnies from under the bed, cleaned the refrigerator, packed for the hospital etc.

As it stands now, we will be bringing baby girl to our current location for a few days and then we will move. I know that baby doesn't care, but I really had hoped we could bring her home to our new house.

On a positive note, baby girl is doing great! We had an ultrasound at my 35/36 week appointment and she was estimated to weigh 6 pounds, which is already more than Leo weighed at birth. As a result, I am really starting to feel uncomfortable. I literally feel my pelvic bones stretching to make room....ouch! I think I am waddling too, but I have been able to maintain my workouts.

Leo continues to get cuter. He has so much personality and makes friends everywhere we go. He speaks exclusively in sentences, loves to tell stories and is still obsessed with Star Wars. Although Leo learned all his ABCs by the age of 2, he lost interest. I started playing a game with him to get him engaged with his ABCs again...."A is for At-At, B is for Boba Fett," etc. Tonight we found a Star Wars ABC book and had to buy it. Perfect!!!

Our next major event will be the scheduled c-section and the birth of our daughter! Joe's Dad and Paula will be here to help Aaron move to OSU for college and they plan to help with Leo and the move. What great timing!

Summer Time!

Leo and Daddy share a quite moment in the backyard

With all the chaos of the home buying process, we have tried to take a few moments and enjoy the pleasures of summer. We are very deep into the process of getting our first house, but we still have yet to get a final yes from the financers. We are suppose to move this weekend, so I am not sure how/if this will all play out.

In the meantime, we took a break from packing and purging to go to the beach. Leo was ecstatic, perhaps more giddy than we have ever seen him. This was his 2nd trip to the beach and he loved everything about it: the sand, the waves, looking for shells etc. Even though it was a cool 65 degrees and not sunbathing weather, he was in heaven. Joe and I were too because seeing his delight compares to nothing else.

Baby girl will be here in exactly 1 month. This is unbelievable to me. I cannot believe I will be the mom of two...crazy! We are excited to meet our little girl. I am so curious to see what her little face looks like. Will she look like Leo or resemble me more? I am also so curious to learn what her personality is like. I predict she will be much more mellow. We will all know soon enough.

33/34 Weeks Pregnant

We are getting towards the tail end of the pregnancy. Things have been crazy in the Morris household. Not only are we eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 4th member of our family, but we are 10 days away from moving day. We are hoping and praying that everything works out with the loan process and are waiting and preparing for a big fat "yes" from the bank. In the meantime, we are busy packing and also prepping for a big garage sale this Saturday.

I still appear smaller than most pregnant woman who are as far along as me. I am measuring right on track, but this is the point in my pregnancy with Leo that he stopped growing. When he was born, he measured the size of a baby that is 34 weeks gestational age, which is what our little girl is now. I have no reason to believe that things will go the same way with baby girl, but I am still anxious.

Her temperament still remains quite different than how Leo was during pregnancy. She seems more mellow and although I do feel her move a lot, it is more stretching than kicking. She also has gotten the hiccups a few times recently and often presses body parts against my abdomen.

Another difference with this pregnancy is how ill prepared we are compared to last time. Because of the move, we are still without a nursery. Also, I am in no hurry for her to come along. I am more than happy to meet her, but I think because I know how difficult the first few months are, I am happy to have her come no earlier than September 20th. Also, the sleep deprivation scares me.

Leo has been great, although he has been exhibiting some neediness that might be related to the move and his baby sister's arrival. It has become much more difficult to get him to sleep at night. He often calls for me numerous times before he will fall asleep and he almost always falls asleep at the foot of his door.

He has also picked up on some of our speech patterns. For example, he will say, "I'm totally hot," or "I'm super cold." He has picked up these words from me, so I guess I need to be super careful about what I say around him.

I am really trying to cherish these last weeks with Leo as an only child. He is so wonderful and I know after his sister arrives, he will never be an only child again. I am cuddling him as much as he will let me.