Back in the Game!

Guess what?!  After spending the whole summer without one, I have a new computer!!!  

Gosh, I feel like I haven't had the freedom to blog in forever, and it feels so good to sit down at my computer and have everything at my fingertips!  However, having to survive without a computer all day, every day for months really taught me a lot.  I have learned to focus more on my kids and stop wasting time.  I have gotten a lot done around the house and made the little time I could spend on Jim's computer really count.

While I have been absent from the world of blogging, our family has kept busy with more traditional pastimes, like...

Coloring:

Sleeping:

Grocery Shopping:

Roller Skating:

Learning to Curl Hair (Thanks to Hair-Savvy Teenage Friends):

Rolling Over:

And Sewing:

This is the first outfit I have ever made for Cora! :-)

Also, I mentioned in my last post that we started redoing the kids' bathroom a few weeks ago.  Well, it's done, and it is exactly what I envisioned!  I love it when a plan comes together!!

Jim took this photo, and I commented on the towel being askew and the toilet paper being nearly empty. I think he wanted to have me committed for noticing every. little. thing.  :-)

Check out the before and after pictures!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

I may do another post with the bathroom details if you're interested in knowing more (let me know in the comments if you have questions you want answered).  In the mean time, I'll leave you with one more picture of my little girl before church this past Sunday:

Have a great day! :-)

Seth: Three Months Old!

I can't believe Seth is three months old.  Time is flying by!!  I don't get to savor the daily moments the way I did with the other two kids, and sometimes it breaks my heart.  I try really hard to take in every moment he is awake, but it isn't always possible when we're running to dance classes, swimming lessons, and birthday parties.  Still, when I get to just sit and make faces at my little guy and I am rewarded with smiles and coos, the whole world stands still.

Sleeping Patterns:  Seth is a remarkable sleeper.  I put him down after his last feeding at about 7:30 PM, and I have to wake him up to eat between 6 and 7 AM.  (Believe me, as a breastfeeding mom, I can't wait much longer for him to eat!!)  I don't know too many three-month-old babies that sleep for 11 hours at a time, but I honestly feel like I have earned this.  At this age, Cora was still waking every two hours at night and I never got more than an hour and a half of sleep at a time until she was close to five months old.

Eating Habits:  Seth eats about six times a day.  It usually works out to about every three hours, but sometimes he does a four-hour stretch and sometimes it's two.  It all evens out at the end of the day.  Breastfeeding stopped hurting at around two months, and I am really enjoying it now. (!)  I look forward to the quiet feedings in his room at the start and end of each day because they are special, uninterrupted times when I can just stare at his round little cheeks, pray for him, and listen to the ticking clock.

New Discoveries Made:  Seth has discovered his thumb, and he loves it.  We can't get him to take a pacifier, but the thumb is doing the trick.

Someone's pants are a little big! :-)

Accomplishments: Giggling, blowing bubbles, cooing, and smiling.

Places We Went: Swimming lessons, birthday parties, dance classes, play dates, and stores.

Memorable Events or Holidays:  We celebrated Independence Day by working on the kids' bathroom.  We have been planning to paint and put up beadboard since before we moved in two years ago, and we finally got started.  Here is a little sneak peek.  The lighting (and therefore the appearance of the paint color) is totally off because Jim took out the light fixture and we just have a lamp in the room with a bare bulb.

Baby's Weight Gain:  At his two month appointment, Seth weighed 13 pounds.  If I had to guess, I'd say he's probably around 14 pounds right now.  He's a chunk, but I'm not complaining because it helps him sleep.

Mommy's Weight Loss:  Jim and I started following a Weight Watchers plan about three weeks ago.  It has been awesome to have someone else help keep me accountable.  It makes meal planning and grocery shopping easier, and it keeps me honest.  So far we have lost a combined total of about fifty-five pounds!!  I have seventeen left to go to get back to my starting weight, and I am fighting for every one of them.  I have been alternating yoga and barre classes (one mid-week and one on weekends), and it feels great to see my body getting stronger. (I will be sad when my Groupons run out in a few weeks because I can't afford to keep going at the regular rates, and it's too hot to exercise outside.)

I sold some of my maternity clothes today, and although I was happy to see them go, it was weird to know that I won't pass this way again.  I am trying to enjoy every moment.