Two Reasons I Love My Life

I was in the kitchen buttering some bread for Oliver's grilled cheese when I heard the sound of innocent joy.  It's a beautiful sound.  Magical.  So pure and happy. 

This is what I found going on in the living room.

(and yes...I cried a little watching them)

I love them. 

And I love my life because they are in it.

Better (Extremely) Late Than Never

I still haven't gotten to Christmas.  Here it is in a nutshell:

Oliver- his reaction to us telling him we heard Santa in the living room while we were sleeping was jut priceless, and his reaction to finding what Santa left was perfect.  This was a really fun Christmas with him.

Owen- he was in such a wonderful mood for this, his first Christmas.  He had just gotten to the stage where things are beginning to get interesting to him, so he had a positive reaction to several of his toys.

Me and BDNP- we were just so happy to have given our boys the most wondeful Christmas.  And pretty proud of ourselves that Santa's spread was all ours.  Unlike the year before, we were able to give the kids plenty without needing to use the Xmas eve gifts from family to create the massive toy drop.  AND we were so very happy that Oliver's favorite gift was the train table that Santa and his elves stayed up very late making in order to meet the deadline (because you know how Santa procrastinates)!

Xmas eve in NJ

Xmas morning in CT

And now that I've FINALLY posted about Christmas I feel like I've burst through the wall keeping me from my blog.  It just felt wrong to move on without getting this on here first.

Baby Mine

My baby Owen-

You are growing MUCH too fast.  The weeks are just flying by and I am amazed every time I look at you and you seem so different than just the day before.

You are a very easy going little one and I thank you for that.  I would also like to apologize on behalf of your brother.  He just loves you so much he can't help himself but hover over you and wake you with kisses and exclamations of "Babyyyy!"

Thank you for your smiles, and your coos, and your little fingers that open and close on my hand or my collar (sometimes my hair).

Not sure why this is upside down.

Somehow you've already grown so much that the bassinet barely contains you.  I asked your thoughts and you agree that Daddy should be kicked to the couch so you can take the bed. 

My little Owen, I am so in love with you.  I'm not even sure what to say here- I have too much love and not enough words!

At 2 months old, you love getting a bath, you love the view from your changing table, you laugh at the toy bar on your bouncy chair, and you ejoy spending time on your playmat swatting at your toys and looking in the mirror.  Tummy time is not your favorite, but already you are so strong and can hold your head up to look around, so that it is becoming more tolerable for you.

  I love that when I talk to you you smile. 

You are starting to watch Oliver and I've caught you flashing a smile or two in his direction.  I can't wait for the two of you to play together... but don't rush it little baby... you are already growing way too fast.

You weighed 13 pounds at your doctor' appointment, and that made me so happy.  I love your heavy, healthy little body- your rolly legs and chunky arms- and I adore every one of your chins!  I am so relieved that you are thriving so well.  With my own breastfeeding concerns left over from my experience with Oliver, and with all the spitting up you do (seriously...not fun), I was worried about you getting enough nourishment.  And you certaintly are.  AND you seem to have slowed down with the spitting up so I'm even happier.

You sleep well for me, my handsome boy.  Thank you, (it's my own fault I don't get enough sleep).

You look just like your Aunt!  I remember thinking Oliver looked like here when he was your age, but HOLY COW! You really do!  You have lighter hair, skin and eyes than Oliver, which makes you an even closer image of her.

Just for fun- here are a couple pictures of me and your aunt... it's like looking at you and Oliver!

Halloween Part 2: Anniversary & Reality Checks

Monday was kind of special around here.  It marked 2 years of wedded bliss for Natey and I...AND... it was Owen's first halloween.

We kept things pretty chill.  Oliver had yakked twice the night before so we spent the day relaxing and keeping an eye on his behavior.  He seemed pretty normal.  Phew.  He was in a very helpful mood actually and helped feed the baby his second ever bottle (Nate gave him his first bottle the night before).

Oliver seemed to nap well that afternoon, but then he woke up whining... which is never good.  It usually means an antsy, hard to please, still tired mood.  So I brought him out to the couch, propped him on the pillows and cuddled him up with a blanket.  He loved it.  Too much.  If he forgot how comfortable he was and moved, he would get upset and need me to tuck him in again.

This made me nervous.  He was so not himself.  But I kept telling myself the mood was emotional, he must have had a nightmare and it through him off...not illness related (turns out the kid had a case of mud-butt on the way, gross!).  This mood was a serious threat to my perfectly laid plans.

I could only hope that Nate's arrival home would pep up our boy a little bit.  And it did.  A package from Mema and Pepere in NH helped too.  Oliver got an awesome Monster Mash sound book... he totally gets a kick out of it!  Owen got a giraffe... can you tell how super psyched he is with it?!

So here's what was SUPPOSED to happen. Well first of all, it was supposed to be warm. Not so much. Nate was supposed to get home early and we'd take Oliver trick or treating early, before it was too dark and too cold. He was going to love it, walking down the sidewalk like a big boy and going from house to house holding up his pumpkin bucket and saying "Cheek-chee" (trick or treat) and "Buh-bye." Then we were going to come home and hand out candy to adorable children in adorable costumes.

What did happen:

Oliver was mellow.  We were concerned.  It was getting colder and colder and apparently Halloween doesn't start around here until it's pitch black.  Doesn't anyone have young kids around here?  We couldn't wait that long to bring him out... but we also didn't want to be the only schmucks ringing doorbells at 5:30.  So right as we decided to stay in for the night and sit down to dinner the doorbell started ringing.  FINALLY!  It was only pitch black out!

Oliver had a BLAST running to the door when the bell rang and handing out candy.  He said trick or treat, thank you, and bye bye... a very friendly candy hander-outer.  Eventually he let us put on his batman PJs...his costume for the evening.

It turned out to be a great night...totally different than what we expected, but once again our toddler taught us a new way to appreciate and enjoy things on a simple scale.

And after Batman (and the stupid group of teens ringing our bell after the light was off at like 9:30...WITHOUT costumes! grrr) retired for the evening, Nate and I plopped down to watch a movie together.  He had stopped at a Red Box on the way home and surprised me with the new adaptation of Jane Eyre.  So not his cup of tea... just another example of how much he loves me and knows that hauntingly romantic movie would be perfect for Hallowedding Hallow-versary.  And of course being the old folks we are... we couldn't make it through the movie and had to resume it the next night.

(PS- I didn't love the movie...wanted to... but as always, book was MUCH better!)

This picture cracks me up.

Drinking out of a cup like a big boy, while sitting in a baby seat with the illusion of muscles and monkey socks....priceless.



Halloween Part 1: Music Together & Mall Trick or Treat

Oliver got his first dose of Halloween on Friday when we crashed a mother's group party at our bestie's house.  Saturday morning he was very happy to once again don his "arrrrr" (Oliver speak for pirate costume...not to be confuse with "garrrrr" for bear...any bear- teddy, panda, koala, grizzly, polar) to wear to music class.  Owen was happy (as far as I'm concerned) to wear his Mickey Mouse costume.

Music class was wonderful as always!  Luckily, the freak October snow held off long enough for my mom to make the drive up from NJ since BDNP had to work that morning.  I don't know what I would have done without her help.  Well I know I would have been stubborn and brought both boys to music class solo, but I'm glad I didn't have to... I'm not ready for that just yet! 

I'll just post a pic or two now... I have a feeling I may put more in another post because once I get going about Music Together I can't stop!

From class we drove over to the mall where Nate met up with us for the safe trick or treating.  It seems like fewer and fewer stores participate in this every year, which is a bummer because there are a crazy lot of kids who attend and the candy runs out way too quick.

It took Oliver a few times, but he warmed up to the idea of trick or treating.  It was so beautiful.  My heart broke just a little bit watching him go up to get candy and hold up his bucket... big brown eyes wide and shining with wonder at this new experience.  Nate says he even said trick or treat a few times... well his version of trick or treat, which is "Cheek-chee"...kinda.

He's just getting so big.  So independent.  It's happening way too fast for me.  The ride home from the mall took longer than normal (nasty slushy snow!  With the precious babies in my car you can be sure I took my time!).  As expected Oliver fell asleep in his carseat, and my heart broke even more gazing on that sweet little face- safe, secure, content and chubby.  I love how cute he is sleeping in the car (hate that it screws up his nap schedule, but love the cute!).  But it makes me so sad looking at the smoothness of his cheeks, listening to the adorable sound of his breath in it's sleepy rhythm... because I can't keep it.  That face won't be there forever.  That cheek will be rough and stubbly someday.  That sleepy inhale will be a man's deep snore.  And I will love that man because he is my baby... but you can bet your life I will miss that baby with all my heart.  I already do, and he's still right here.

Owen was there too... but he had no idea.  Sleepy kid.

Happy Hallow-versary

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the most beautiful and perfect Hallowedding. 

On October 31, 2009 Nate and I were married. 

I have nothing but happy memories about our wedding. It was wonderful, it was fun, it was...well...perfect.

Before you have visions of The Corpse Bride... here is a glimpse of our wedding.  Just a small taste...there are so many pictures and I love them all... which is amazing in itself since I usually hate being photographed.

My inspiration was Victorian Gothic.  Did that happen? Not quite as much as I would have liked;  I had haunted mansion in mind (not ghouls and monsters haunted, but candelabras and cobwebs...like the decor walking through the Tower of Terror in Disney).  Our colors were burgundy and champagne, NOT black and orange.  I would have loved to go all skulls and gargoyles with the wedding, but Nate is too normal and his mom (my mom too, actually) would have died!

Whenever I mentioned we were getting married on Halloween people responded with: "I went to a wedding on Halloween once! It was the best wedding I've been to! Everyone wore costumes, it was so fun!"  We aren't doing costumes at our wedding.  "Oh."

As much as I would have liked to go more "halloweenie" with the theme... I'm glad no one was in costume, that was never going to happen.  I would hate to have a friggin' power ranger or something in our wedding pictures.  Overall, I don't regret that I was reigned in with the Hallowedding theme because I think one day I would have regretted the gimmick and wished for a "real" wedding.  Well I got my "real" wedding and it was fairy tale quality.

BUT...someday...when there's money to spend...we'll have an awesome anniversary Halloween party and no one will stifle my crazy!  I'm thinking something along these lines...

When I was planning for the wedding I searched for Victorian Gothic and came across THIS on Offbeatbride.com.  HERE is their Flikr album...I absolutely love what they did and wish I was cool enough to do something like that... but I'm really pretty lame.

Made for each other

Oliver was blessed with a best friend from birth.  It's so amazing to look back at their side-by-side growth and development.  What started as a big 5 month(ish) difference has become a hardly noticable (except that one talks and the other...ahem, Oliver!.... refuses to use real words) age/size difference.

The most beautiful thing about this friendship is the innocent and genuine love they have for each other.  They give each other hugs and kisses and light up when they get to see each other (even though they don't actually play together...Oliver is still at the side by side play stage in development, not so much co-play yet). 

 Us mommies were laughing the other day with the thought of the future embarassment we can dish out when we get to remind a pair of too-cool teens how they used to hug and kiss right on the mouth... we need to make sure we capture that one of these days, what's better than a blackmail photo!?