Driods, Declarations, and Drapes

It was another big week around here ... not that the title of this post would ever lead you to believe that, but it was. We began the week with a bang, and little mister passed his first karate test and earned his white belt! He had to remember seven words "Yes Sir, No Sir, Yes Ma'am, No Ma'am, Please, Thank You, and You're Welcome" and recite them all his own and he passed with flying colors!

 Lainey is currently cutting nearly every tooth in her little mouth and therefore has been a real peach when it comes to sleeping. Joy! Hubs and I planned a movie night and once we got the kids to bed he ran to the movie theater to get some popcorn to-go. Don't knock it til' you try it. It is TOTALLY worth it. But, little miss had other plans and woke up the moment he returned home. And she was pleasantly surprised to find one of her favorite snacks in the living room.

 Girl can CRUSH some popcorn.

 The next morning this little man woke up, put on my glasses and told me he was ready to go somewhere.

 But then he spied the leftover popcorn bucket and decided to polish it off before setting foot outside the house. Good thinking kid.

 And of course, baby sister was not going to miss out on a snack, regardless of how much she had consumed the night before.

 And then we set out for a fun filled day!

 And ended with our droid. Bennett watched Star Wars for the first time right before Christmas (in hindsight he was probably too young because it was certainly a little violent) and he has become OBSESSED. He only makes it about 1/2 of the way through, but he loves the first half and comments on everything Star Wars we see ALWAYS.

 We have had a ton of unseasonably warm days and therefore we've been taking lots of walks and bike rides. We managed to pack Bennett's bike but had forgotten his helmet (and there are some big hills he heads down wayyy fast) so I took him to Target and let him pick out a new helmet. Insert BB-8, the droid from The Force Awakens and Bennett's new alias. Which is mildly ironic because his PaPaw has called him BB since before he was even born. But, it's too cute and he loves to wear it everywhere - so we let it happen because it makes us all smile. Let them be little!

 Little bit joined me at the dentist this week and that made for quite an interesting appointment. Good thing she's cute.

 And afterward we toured what will likely be Bubby's school in a year or two. I could talk a lot on this topic, but I'll spare you all my details because I have a brain block when it comes to articulating what I'm trying to communicate. We were a bit early, so we lunched in the car. Man, I'm gonna miss my little sidekicks when they go to real school one day.

 We headed to a farewell dinner for Uncle Max and of course our droid, BB-8, attended as well.

 He's headed back to NYU for his final semester of Film School before heading off the Hollywood to make the big bucks. Lainey is in love.

 Two of my favorites right here folks.

 And there's another.

 We made a few mall trips to get an outfit together for the wedding we had Friday, and BB-8 joined us there as well.

 We made our way to a music class with one of my long-time girlfriends and her twin boys.

 Bennett created his own "movie fee-ater" in his room and "no grills (girls) are allowed".

 My cousin, Jordan, and his fiance, Rebecca, (bottom left -front row) were tying the knot Friday, so she invited a bunch of ladies to have some dinner before the big day.

 Hubs and I attended the UL game after that dinner too, but I failed to snag a pic. And then we made it to Friday ... and it was time for #HappilyEverDoepke

 My aunt gave the most fabulous speech she wrote about love and God's purposefulness of his creation of man and woman. He created man from the dirt, and woman from man's bone - and chose dirt all with such deliberate intent ... because life and love are messy. And you have to find your own happiness, love and life in the dirt. She did a heck of a lot better job than my Cliff Notes I just shared with you, but it resonated with me and I loved it.

 It was a great reflection, and fabulous way to view His creation. She's got a way with words my friends.

 And I got to snuggle this sweet thing! MaKenzie is due with her fifth baby on February 5 and still managed to make it all the way down to celebrate! She is a dream.

 Family lady love.

 Eeeeek!! So excited for them. They have four girls and have decided not to find out the sex of this baby. I'm thinking boy boy boy - all BOY!

 Reception was a dinner at one of my favorite places, Jeff Ruby's Steakhouse.

And it was family and fun and lots of food!

Saturday morning basketball came EARLY. It was team picture day and due to these behind the scenes shots I snapped, Bennett's are going to turn out great - HA!

 After the game, we played Humpty Dumpty on the walk to the car .. because well that's par for the course.

 And then the littlest (who was strange and pukey - unsure if it was food or something she ate) jumped on board the Droid wagon. This helmet is taking over our house!

 And we ended the weekend with a little Jesus in the morning, followed by taking down all of the drapes at the new house so we can try to make a little money off of them.

 Demo is set to begin this week and we are all SO EXCITED. Get us into the house alreaddyyyyyy.

 We wrapped with another family walk and we're refreshed and ready for a new week!

Happy Monday gang ~ and cheers from my coffee mug to yours.

Lainey Lou ~ Month 1

Goodness gracious, this past month has FLOWN by. I mean really, how has an entire month of being little miss's mommy already come to a close?! So. Dang. Fast.

Regardless of how, it happened and therefore it's time to tell ya all about it! You were born November 1, 2015 and then somehow you became a month old.  For fun, I read back through Bennett's 1 Month post and, per usual, it got me all hormonal and all that jazz. Why do they have to grow up so fast. Wahhhh.

But here you are my adorable sweet 1 month old baby girl (12.1.15):

 Baby bro photobombed our shoot :) but we didn't mind.

And there he is again, my adorable little blue eyed boy.

Now, onto other info and more scenes from the past month...

How Big Are You?

• At Birth
• 16 pounds 14.5 ounces
• 18 inches
• 2-3 Week Checkup
• 3 weeks + 1 Day (11/23)
• W: 7 pounds 12.5 ounces - 25%
• H: 21.5 inches - 75% (we realize this is A LOT of growth - doc said it could be a small discrepancy from the original measurement from the hospital)
• Head: 14.25 inches - 55%

What's Your Temperament?

• Since you were born a few weeks early, you were the sleepiest little nugget the first few weeks of your life. You literally slept through everything! You'd wake up to eat and then basically right back to sleep. So learning your personality was a bit tough at first. 
• However, this past week you've really started waking up and showing us what you're all about! 
• Bottom line: your temperament is great ... as long as you're being held ;) 
• More to come in this category as you develop. But you're super sweet and really easy going. As long as a paci + someones arms are in reach ... you're one happy gal. 
• This month we learned you don't really cry .... you SCREAM. Drama at such a young age. 
• You're a noisy baby when you're awake. You coo and kick and love to look at lights. And you're a noisy eater as well. 

What Are You Eating?

• To date you've been strictly breastfed with two bottles of formula. Therefore it's a little hard to put a quantity on how much you're eating. But, from what I can tell from when I'm pumping I'd say you're eating about 2.5 ounces and I can tell you it is every 2-3 hours.
• You do NOT miss a meal. She be little but mighty :) You'd eat every 1.5 hours if I'd let you, but for the most part you stretch your feedings to 2-2.5 hours during the daytime and about 3 hours at night. 
• We gave you formula a couple of nights around your midnight feeding in hopes you would sleep in longer stretches, but for the most part to no avail. 
  

What Are you Sporting?

• You are in newborn diapers, we're Pampers people and they seem to keep you extra happy. Plus I'm still a big fan of that blue line that let's us know if you're wet or not. However, our box of "N" just ran out and we have a box of "1" so we may just graduate you to 1's so we can keep them in stock for a while. 
• You're in mostly newborn attire. You're a tiny little peanut and honestly could have probably worn some preemie items the first week or two. But you've been rocking the same newborn for a good month. Hoping you hit a growth spurt so we can start trying on some of your cute 0-3 gifts we received! 
  

How Are You Sleeping?

• Sleeping has been much more of a struggle with you compared to your brother. Not that you don't sleep, but with your preferences compared to him. 
• You are not a fan of the velcro swaddle-me's that he so desperately loved, you much prefer a looser blanket because you'd like to have your arms up by your face. And you my peach are lucky because Aden + Anais sell bamboo swaddles this time around, so that's what you're wrapped in 80% of the time. So soft. 
• When it comes to night time sleeping you're a bit of a diva. For the first 3 weeks of your life you almost always slept on mama. And, girlfriend your mama is one of the biggest no sleeping with baby advocates out there. But, you literally wouldn't have it any other way. So, I figured out a way to feel as safe as possible while keeping you happy and we moved on. I think I've developed carpal tunnel and my shoulder muscles are always sore, but other than that we're doing just fine :)
• You sleep about 2-3 hour stretches and then need to be nursed and easily drift back off. 
• You have started to sleep better in short stretches in your bassinet however, and we are all singing your praises. And much happier too! Keep on progressing baby girl, we'll get there!

 Mommy sometimes needs a nap too!

 Make yourself comfortable lady :)

 I spy a paci stash :)

Lainey Likes + Dislikes:

• Dislikes:
• You hate having your diaper changed. I think it's more about the cold wipes but you are definitely not a fan. 
• You hate not being held. HATE it. If someone would hold you 100% of the time I don't think you'd ever be discontented. 
• Likes:
• You (I mean me) love your Kickee Pants onesies. 
• You like your Rock n' Play and prefer it over your other devices (swing, bouncy, etc)
• And you're pretty content in your Boppy lounger. 
• You like your Soothies pacifiers and you hate gumdrop pacifiers. 
• You like white noise (the same mountain river sound as your big brother).
• You like your Baby K'tan carrier. 

Fun Moments, Favorite Notes, Lainey Quirks + Milestones:

• You found out the real meaning of what it is to be a little sister :) 

•  You worked your way into our nightly bedtime routine. 

•  You got your first bath! 

•  You finally met all of your aunts and uncles!

•  You got to open all of your pretty pretty presents that Auntie MaKenzie put together for you! 

• You celebrated your first Holiday, Thanksgiving
  
• Your brother held you for the first time

And that's a pretty good little round up of your first month!  You're the greatest addition to our gang and we can't wait to see more of your personality shine through.

I love you monkey. (btw, somehow I started calling you my monkey ... your brother has oddly always been my pigeon :) and you've been deemed my monkey) I love my little zoo.