Beautiful Mess

This is what happens when your 2-year-old eats an iced cookie on the playground in the Dallas heat. (The rest of us are covered in green icing as well, and this picture was taken after we cleaned him up once)


This is also what happens when he is playing and exploring so hard that he skins both knees, in separate incidents, within 30 minutes of each other. He is pretty good at making a "Sad" face. But- as that song says- "What a Beautiful Mess, What a Beautiful Mess this is. Spending all my time with you, there's nothing else I'd rather do....." So true my messy children. :)


These pictures pretty much sum up the way things are going in our house these days- the end of school year, beginning of summer, trips, activities, have us all a little crazy!

Good thing Baby Mallory is such a good sport. :) About everything! Especially when "playing" with big Brother Peyton. He loves to dress her up.



My Beautiful, Messy, Life!

Reunited and it feels so good....

Our best friends from Raleigh just spent a few days visiting us. They will be in and out of Dallas the next few years because their 8 month old is having cranial surgery with one of the best doctors in the country, and that doctor happens to be right up the street from us. We hate that they are having to go through this, especially so far away from home, but are so happy to be able to support them during this time.

Their "oldest" 8 month old twin, Landon, has Lambdoid Synostosis. You can read all about his condition and journey with a link on Heather's blog- posted below. I know they would appreciate your prayers!

http://prayersforlandon.blogspot.com/

Their first appointment with their surgeons was this week so we decided to turn it into a mini vacation for all and reunite our preschoolers. Aidan was Peyton's best friend in Raleigh and they had not seen each other since February of 2009. Neither families had met any of our newest babies so it was a special reunion. (See pic above for our newest baby legs! Mal's are the chunky lady like ones)

We went to Great Wolf Lodge, Grilled and played outside (Just like the old days!), crashed our neighbor's hot tub (Thank you Lindy!), and just enjoyed time together. On Mother's Day- Heather and I took the afternoon off and had an amazing sushi/cocktail lunch, shopping, and girl time. I can't think of a better person to spend Mother's day with since Heather and I experienced the first 2 years of our lives as new moms pretty much side by side. We did almost everything together in Raleigh, and met when Peyton was only 6 weeks old. Boy have our families (and hearts) grown since then!

Heather (Mom of the YEAR!) already created an amazing post about our trip on her blog. Rather than recreate the wheel: here is her post on her families' blog:
http://brogdonfamily.blogspot.com/2010/05/dallas-trip.html
My link thing won't work on my blog for some reason, so just copy and paste. It is worth the extra effort!

And here are some pictures to follow up to her post, these are from my new camera. I LOVE this camera!!!
























We love you guys so much and are amazed with how you are handling all of this with Landon. Thank goodness we lived in Raleigh so that our paths could cross, can't imagine our lives without you!

Must Have Baby Products

We recently passed the 6 month mark with Mallory. On that note, she had her 6 month check up this week and is pretty much the perfect baby :) She is in the 80th% of height, and 50th % of head and weight. Textbook:) A couple of newly pregnant friends have recently asked me about baby products, things to register for, etc. Well, we all know I am very passionate about sales, deals, products that work, etc. and do an INSANE amount of research before I purchase anything. But the best research is the hands on experience I had raising two very different babies. I am no expert and what worked for me may not work for you, but here is the first installment of Meredith's Must Have Baby Products, this is the 0-6 months version.

I am limiting myself to the the absolute top 10 of my experiences with both Peyton and Mallory. Obviously a car seat, stroller, nursing cover, and pack n play make the list, so I want to talk about the things you may not know about.

1. The ITZ Been Timer
this came out in between Peyton and Mallory and is such a lifesaver those first few blurry weeks. It is divided into feeding, sleeping, diaper changing, and your own personal button (I used mine to track my vicodin those first days) and you hit the respective button each time you do one of those. It then tracks how much time has passed- so if you are trying to feed every three hours, you can glance at your timer to keep you on schedule. I know keeping track of those things might sound easy to you now, but just wait. You won't even remember what your own name is, let alone the last time you changed her diaper! We only used this the first month or so but it is worth every single penny. It is also a great tool for husbands to use!

2. The Miracle Blanket
(your baby will love to be swaddled but will do everything possible to break out of that swaddle around four weeks old. This miniature cute straight jacket will keep all hands and legs tightly wrapped in a blanket) Pay close attention to the directions because it needs to be put on them just right to be effective, I wish we had had this with Peyton! You can even double swaddle a muslin blanket over it for when they learn to break out of this one, after that though I would say it is time to break the swaddle.



3. Book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
(use this book to get your baby on a healthy, baby directed, scientifically researched, and written by a real pediatrician/MD Sleep Schedule) I have read all of the most popular sleep books and this is the one I whole heatedly love. We have used it at every stage of Peyton's life and am currently training Mallory with it. It really, really works, is great for their growth/development. Not the most fun read but totally worth it.


4. An Exersaucer/Activity Center.
Peyton loved his, Mallory loves hers. It confines them and gives them loads of entertainment. I've never met a baby that didn't love theirs. If I could only have one baby product, this would be it. It gives you some much needed Mommy Time. We have this one:


5. An Angel Dear Lovie.
Peyton has Gerome the Giraffe, Mallory has Tootsie the Owl. We love the Angel Dear brand above all others. It is small enough to go anywhere, has a head that is easy for the baby to grip, is relatively safe to put in the crib with the baby, and can be thrown in the washing machine. Buy 2, or maybe even 3. Both of my children are super attached to theirs which has made traveling, sleeping in new beds, napping in strange places much easier. We love to name ours and make up songs about them too.


6. Video Monitor.
This is a splurge but so so worth it. We didn't have one with Peyton and spent way too many nervous nights wondering what he was doing in his bed. With Mallory we can just glance at the screen and see exactly what she is up to. This is especially comforting when sleep training. We have this one and it is great. Just beware that you may be able to see your neighbors baby and vice versa! (true story!)


7.Sophie the Giraffe.
I've mentioned her before, but she is worth mentioning again. Teething babies love her. Buy her.



8. Baby Einstein Activity Mat.
Peyton was a much bigger fan of this but Mallory enjoyed it too. And I've never met a baby that didn't like the light up sun that goes on this. I use links to hang all types of different toys to mix it up for them.


9. Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing.
I hesitated putting this on this list because Mallory was pretty indifferent about the swing, Peyton though would have lived in it if he could. He adored it! This swing goes from cradle to regular swing and has a mobile with fish and lights. Peyton loved it so much that we renamed it "The Magic Swing." Great for cranky babies.


10. And finally, Other Mommies.
Though not an actual product, Support from other new mommies is the number one thing that will help you through. Buy them if you have to! :) I was lucky enough to have a new baby playgroup for both children. One I found in Raleigh and the other one I helped put together for Mallory. Find new Moms wherever you can- your childbirth class, your doctor's office, Target, the mall, word of mouth, whatever it takes. These moms will be your biggest supporters, the people you will go to with questions, the people you can safely cry to, they will help you make it through and you will learn so much from each other! We got together about once a week and for other fun events. In fact- my new baby playgroup just had a lovely Girl's night out last night, without the babies! Don't let yourself get isolated- force yourself to get out and socialize with other moms and babies. It is the very best baby product you can give yourself.

Hope this list helps someone register or buy a baby gift! It was fun to put together. See you in about 6 months for the next one!

Jesus is not a toy

I never know what is going to come up out of Peyton's mouth. This morning I woke up to Peyton standing over me holding the crucifix that hangs over his bed. The conversation that ensued has me cracking up so I wanted to record it here for memory:

"Aunt Lauren gave me this Jesus. (Peyton holding the crucifix that David and Lauren got him from The Vatican, and is supposed to be hanging over his bed.)

"Jesus watches over me. He is NOT a toy. I not put him in this water (my cup of water was on my nightstand, he started to dip him in the cup) Jesus would get too cold. He would need a blanket. Mommy will get him a towel, dry him off."

I tell Peyton to go put his cross back on his dresser, that we take special care of our cross. He does the opposite and takes him out in the backyard where he tells Marshall, "Jesus can't ride my bike. He's too little." (and then sets Jesus down to ride his bike)

Here is a picture taken immediately after this conversation. Funny start to my morning, i hope Jesus had a chuckle over it too.

Pedal to the Metal

Toddler Milestone Alert:
Peyton can pedal! He has this tricycle for over a year now and this week he finally learned how to pedal himself around. He is already a little speed demon and tears around the patio in perfect circles. He wants to ride his "bike" everywhere. I think Hattie is trying to get him to pedal to the store for more dog food in this picture.




My Big Bike riding boy also made me this for Mother's Day at school. Now I just have to keep it alive!

MAY is 6 months in May!

Tomorrow is your 6 month birthday, sweet baby girl.

I can't believe we are at the first year's halfway mark. You are such a joy to be around, still all smiles and little laughs. You have grown up a lot this past month. You roll all around and have gotten up on all fours. (I have a feeling crawling is in our near future). You just love to blow spit bubbles. In fact, at your cousin's baptism this past weekend you decided to blow raspberries during mass at all the wrong (quiet) times! You still love your exersaucer and have started playing with baby toys. You are teething so you chew on everything. You get so excited to nurse and have started slapping your knee like you are dancing in a hoe-down while eating. Tootsie the owl is your special sleeping pal and you really like your Glow-worm too. You are one tough cookie and rarely cry when your big brother loves on you a little too rough. He does love you though. He calls you "Baby Girl", "Mal", "Little One" and tells people that you are HIS baby.

We started rice cereal a few weeks ago and you are pretty indifferent to it. You are so easy going that I really can't tell if you hate it, you basically appease me with a few bites, then blow half of it out with your raspberries, and then decide you are done. In honor of your 6 month birthday we started real food tonight. The first food- Squash! I figured this one wasn't too sweet or too green, so thought it would be a good one. You basically treated it the same way as you did the rice cereal although I do think you were opening your mouth better tonight. Here are some pictures of our first food adventure.



Does anyone else think she looks like Charlie Sheen in this picture?

Baby Girl- you are my absolute delight and I adore every minute I have with you. (even the poopy minutes with diapers that smell like butter popcorn:), I have a feeling this smell will now be a thing of the past with you eating real food. Believe it or not, I am going to miss it! You are just the sweetest little angel and we are so glad we have you. Happy 6 Months Lil Cupcake!

Bye Bye Binky

Hi. My name is Peyton and I am a Binkaholic. Binky is our fancy word for pacifier. I have pretty much used a binky for nap and sleeping since I was born. Well, I have been binky free for 3 days now. A man came to my house on Tuesday and took all of my binkies away. Mom said his name is Mr. Binky and he wears a vest made of binkys and has a binky for a nose. He came while I was at school and took the binkies to give to new babies. Binkies are for babies and I am about to turn three, so he decided my time had come.

Mallory has never taken a binky. Mom never liked this until now. It makes my step by step program easier. Our house is officially Binky free.

I mention my binky every once in awhile but going cold turkey has been easier than we thought. I hope I don't relapse. Hopefully there are no random binkies hiding around the house. If we find one I have to put in the mailbox for Mr. Binky. I'm sure he is a nice man, but I'm starting to think that Mr.Binky is kind of a drag.

Binky free for 3 days!