Shopping is different with 2 kids!

Life is definitely different with two kids! I feel like I have the hang of being a mom to two kids down when we are at home, and I can even handle pretty well going over to families' homes. But going out to go grocery shopping is still a little tricky for me. Trying to get two kids, a diaper bag and groceries all in one cart is impossible. Having Ethan walk beside the cart is not an option for more than five minutes because, well, he's three and curious. Pushing two carts or a stroller and a cart is also next to impossible because I have a hard enough time navigating one of those things much less two! So, I've decided that for the foreseeable future, I will be grocery shopping at night or on the weekends when Bobby can help watch the kids! :-)

Here is sweet Annaliese sleeping in the sunlight in our office. I laid her down on the couch so I could get a couple of things organized on the desk, and when I turned around she was fast asleep! I think she liked the sun on her face!


And here is our adorable Ethan hamming it up in the bath. He sure is an entertainer!

Annaliese's Little Friend

Our good friends, Craig & Denise Edwards, welcomed their daughter Lacey nine days after Annaliese was born. She was five weeks early and had to spend a couple of weeks in the NICU as her lungs fully developed. She has since been home for a couple of weeks and is doing great. We went over for a visit last week and took some pics of the little girls together. I know they are going to grow up as great friends!






(Annaliese is on the left, Lacey is on the right.)

Birthday A La Flay....

Today is my birthday, and as is the case every year, I have been made to feel so special by all my family & friends! I really have been celebrated all week long and today was the big cherry on top for me.
I had lunch with Dad & Kimmy at Mi Cocina in the Southlake Town Square and when we left, I noticed a large line wrapped around the building going into Williams Sonoma. Kimmy asked who they were there to see and it was Bobby Flay. I am not "into" any big movie stars or rock stars, but as a huge Food Network fan and foodie myself, Bobby Flay is as big as they get in my book. So, got in line and waited for 1 1/2 hours to see Bobby. Kimmy was so sweet to buy me his new cookbook as my birthday present and she helped me entertain Ethan & Annaliese while we waited. It was worth the wait....Bobby was as nice as I thought he would be and I was surprised that he was much smaller in person. Here are the pictures:






Despite the fact that I am a big Bobby Flay fan, I will take MY Bobby any day....even if he can't cook! :-)

Pics from the last week

We had another fun week with our new addition! We took Annaliese on her first "public appearances" this weekend. We went to church Sunday morning and to my step-brother's wedding on Sunday afternoon. (Congratulations Nathan & Alicha!) Annaliese slept through everything, but she looked beautiful!

Ethan is so cute with her. If she starts to cry from the other room he'll tell me, "Mommy, that sounds like Annaliese. She's talking to us." And then he'll run into her room and say to her, "Coming, Darling. Stop crying, Sweetheart. Be happy, it's a bright, sunny day!" So cute!

Sweet Annaliese

Annaliese is such a sweet girl! She is a very easy-going baby that loves to be held. She gets a kick out of Ethan - which is a great thing considering Ethan's overwhelming enthusiasm for her! If we can get her to put the days & nights in proper order, then Mommy will be in great shape! Until then, we are so happy and content, but tired!

Ethan & Annaliese

Annaliese is here!

Annaliese was born Wednesday, April 2 at 8:32 p.m. She weighed 7 lbs. 5 oz. and was 18 inches long. She has light brown hair, blue eyes, long eyelashes that curl at the end, delicate lips and long fingers! She is such a sweet girl and we are convinced that she is already smiling at us! Ethan is so excited to be a big brother. He loves to give her kisses and help Mommy & Daddy with her.

We brought her home the first time on Friday and enjoyed a couple of fun days together. Then on Sunday we had a follow-up visit at the hospital to check her bilirubin levels and they were really high. They had us come back again Monday to see if they improved, but unfortunately they were even higher. So, they re-admitted Annaliese - this time to the NICU - for photo light therapy. I think Jaundice is probably the least serious thing the NICU treats and I know we are very fortunate because a lot of babies are in facing much harsher ailments, but it is still very hard being in the NICU seeing your precious child in an incubator with little goggles over her eyes and monitors tracking her vital signs. Thankfully, due to a sympathetic nurse going the extra step for me, we were able to get a private room and I was able to room-in with Annaliese. Annaliese responded really well and very quickly to the therapy and we were released 24-hours later with a very positive prognosis. We will have to return to the lab over the next day or two to make sure we're in the clear, but it looks like this is behind us!

So, we are back home now and really enjoying our time as a family. We are so blessed to have such supportive friends and family that have rallied around us to celebrate Annaliese's birth and also pray for us for her quick recovery.

I'll post more pics in the coming days....and even try to get a little video up.