Surprise Phone Call

So as I was feeding Savannah I get a surprise phone call. I answered "hello?" And then I heard a sweet little voice reply "hullo?" The voice immediately began talking about what all he's been up to with "Grandmudder". I heard "go to park", "play on swing", "sand", "went outside", etc. I assumed my mom put Benjamin up to calling me, however, after a few seconds of him talking to me I hear my mom shriek in the background because she just noticed that Benjamin had the phone and there was actually someone on the end of the line! She hadn't put him up to it. He had picked up the phone without her knowledge and hit speed dial - thank goodness the speed dial he pushed went to our house!

The picture below is just one that I have from a few months ago that I think goes well with today's subject!

Two Year Pictures

Here's Benjamin's 2 year pictures.
My little ham....

Three Week Pictures

When Benjamin was 3 weeks old we had the picture below taken and so once Savannah turned 3 weeks we had the same picture taken. I just love these! Surprisingly, she looks bigger than him at that age!

Benjamin at 3 weeks












Savannah at 3 weeks

Like I said, I'm not Superstitious, but.....

As per my last blog, I did JINX it. Grandmother came and saved the day though. Benjamin went home with her for a couple of days so I can get caught up on sleep! Thanks Mom!

Reading with Grandmother

Sleep

A word that doesn't make me cringe anymore because I'm actually getting a lot more of it! I'm hesitant to post about it though....I'm so afraid I'll jinx it...not that I'm superstitious. The night before last Savannah slept for almost a 3 hour stretch, then woke up to eat and I was up with her for about an hour, then she went back to sleep for another 3 hours. Last night she slept a 4 hour stretch, ate very quickly, and went right back to sleep for another 4 hours.

Benjamin is still really liking having Savannah around. This morning he walked up to her without any prompting and gave her a hug, then a kiss, then said "I love Savannah" (or "Sannannah" as he calls her). Melts my heart.

He's also taken over all of her bouncy seats and swings. Caught him twice this morning in different ones. Here's some pics....

First Official Outing by Myself with Both Kids......

This morning we went to our first playdate since Savannah was born. This was my first official outing by myself with both kids. The only other place I've been without David's help is Benjamin's Mother's Day Out. I've been so nervous to be out with both of them by myself because Benjamin has a problem with staying by my side and holding my hand and I'm afraid he's just going to run off without me while I have Savannah. The playdate was a success - the house was perfect for the kids and keeping them contained (inside and outside). Anyway, no pictures from this morning. I figured I already had my hands full and taking that huge camera with me is like adding another kid to the mix. Oh, Savannah slept through the entire thing. Go figure.

Which brings me to my least favorite topic right now - sleep. Yes, still sleep deprived. She will figure out the day and night thing sooner or later...I KNOW SHE WILL!!!!! I'm just really hoping it's a lot sooner than later. Ugh.

Here's a picture that makes me laugh of Benjamin last night being silly after his bath.

A Day at the Park

We've been trying anything and everything with Savannah to keep her awake during the day so she'll sleep at night. However, not much is working. Benjamin even plays the cymbals 3 feet from her head and she won't even flinch (yes, we've checked her hearing and it's fine). The 7 1/2 hour sleep the other night was a total fluke. I'm back to being sleepless now - it's brutal. Anyway, we went to the park yesterday and of course, Miss Savannah slept through the entire thing. Benjamin had a blast though!


David and Benjamin
















Having a blast on the swing!












Savannah sleeping through all the activity.

Guess Who Slept 7 1/2 hours Last Night?

Not me....but SAVANNAH DID! I fed her at 11:30pm, put her in her crib, and then set my alarm to be sure and check on her every so often. By 3:45am she was still sleeping but I could tell she needed a diaper change and I also needed to feed her again. After the diaper change and feeding she went right back to sleep until 7am. Hopefully this isn't a fluke. However, she has been sleeping ALL DAY today so I hope that doesn't mean she's going to be up all night. So far we're blessed because when she's up she's not crying. She's not much of a cryer. I'm sure that will change soon but I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Still Sleeping on the Couch....

Of course, not because I'm in the dog house, but because I've been trying to let David get some sleep so he won't be dragging at work the next day. If I slept in our room right now that would just mean that every 2-3 hours I'm up with Savannah and I would wake David. We're still trying to get her days and nights figured out. We had her 2 week check-up on Tuesday and so far she's gained almost a pound and has grown over an inch since birth. I was completely surprised by this because she really doesn't nurse for long. Five to 10 minutes tops, seriously. But the doctor says she doing well, gaining weight as she should be and I shouldn't be concerned. Works for me.

Grandmother brought us dinner tonight. Homemade soup with corn bread. Doesn't get much better than that. Frederick (our Pomeranian) has been staying with her for the past 2 weeks since my attention has been primarily on Benjamin and Savannah. Frederick is a very needy dog that requires a lot of love and attention and I just can't give that to him right now - so Mom didn't mind stepping up and taking him in for a while so we can get back on some kind of schedule with the 2 kids. She brought him along tonight. It was good to see him.

Grandmother and Savannah












Surprise visit from Frederick!

Easter Sunday

We had a great time Easter Sunday. Thanks to all of my family, I hardly had to do anything. Every one brought the food and cleaned everything up afterwards. All David and I had to do was supply the house (well, David made an incredible leg of lamb but we don't consider that work)! Thanks, my dear family, for everything and sorry I couldn't, or didn't, contribute more....

Our backyard was a little muddy so the Easter egg hunt had to happen in our front yard. Didn't seem to matter to the kids much.

We've got to start being better at taking pictures of everyone. It seems like we always miss Uncle Abraham and my mom. Sorry guys...again.

Granddaddy and Savannah












Granddaddy and Grandma Nancy with all of the grandkids.













Granddaddy and Grandpa (By the way Dad, I'm still LOVIN' the beard!)












Aunt Laura and Savannah












Benjamin hunting for Easter eggs.

Easter Egg Hunt and Temper Tantrums

This moring I took Benjamin to Lauren's house for an Easter party. Lauren's mom, Alison, totally went over the top with the party! It was so incredible! Easter Bunny and all. And on top of it all, she's about 6 months pregnant. I know it's a little early for me to be getting out and driving around (as per my doctor, 2 days early) but I couldn't take being cooped up any longer. The party was a blast, however, we had to end up leaving early because of Benjamin's temper tantrums. By his third one I decided to call it a day and we left. So embarrassing. The main cause of his temper tantrums this time was a little push toy that he kept trying to steal away from another kid. Benjamin has yet to understand the concept of sharing.

Bonking heads with Paige.












The toy that caused the temper tantrums.












Playing house instead of hunting for Easter eggs!












Petting the Easter bunny.












Being anti-social at the beginning of the party.

Who Needs Sleep....part 2

The last 2 nights have been about the same as the first 2 nights at home. My longest stretch of sleep last night was 2 hours. However, I was able to get about 2 more in the morning when Grandma Nancy got up with Benjamin and Savannah and I went back to bed. I'm not sure why I want her to sleep more...it's not like I would be able to continue to sleep anyway because I have to be up with her every 2 to 3 hours to nurse for my milk supply. However, now we've reached the point that I can go 4 hours during the night, but still only go 2-3 hours during the day. So we're going to try 4 hours tonight - hoping she doesn't just wake on her own anyway!

Benjamin INSISTED his baby "seester" wear these sunglasses today. I complied - couldn't resist the photo opportunity. :)

We're Gettin' There!

Last night was the first night that Savannah just woke up when she was hungry or needed a diaper change and didn't just wake up and stay up - so MUCHO progress. She still woke up quite a bit but she would go right back to sleep when we finished each. She pretty much woke up hourly but we had 2 stretches where she slept for 2 hours straight. That was nice. The most sleep I'm getting right now is in the mornnings once Benjamin gets up. Grandma Nancy is here and she gets up with Benjamin while Savannah and I go back to bed. (I've been sleeping in the living room with Savannah so David can get some sleep since he's gone back to work). So I got over 3 hours of sleep in one stretch this morning - which was so nice. Could've been longer but Savannah's got to eat! That's the only drawback with nursing. Anyway, as my dad says, "life is good" and we're lovin' our newest addition to the family.

Here's some cute pics from the past couple of days.

Granddaddy and Benjamin












Hugs for Grandma Nancy


















First time in crib.....although she still hasn't slept in it yet!












Bath time with Grandma Nancy.

Dabid

Benjamin heard me calling for David this evening while he was in the other room. Benjamin only knows him, of course, as Dadda. He picked up on me calling David by his name and the entire time I was trying to put him to bed this evening he kept calling for "Dabid, Dabid, Dabid". I got a good laugh out of it but David, or Dabid, didn't think it was that funny.....

Here's a picture of Benjamim loving on Savannah after his bath this evening. He still likes her! Whew!

Who Needs Sleep?

David and I do!

The first night was bearable. Even though I was up with her every hour of the night dealing with either spit ups, dirty diapers, hiccups, or nursing, it really didn't bother me. Mainly because I knew Benjamin had his Mother's Day Out program the next day so I would be able to sleep while he's at school and while she sleeps during the day. Worked out great!

Last night it was about the same thing. She's got her days and nights confused that's for sure. Meaning, no sleep for us last night again. She was up almost all night long. Once Benjamin got up this morning David got up and took over with him while Savannah and I slept for about 2 hours. Now David is sleeping while I take over with Benjamin and Savannah. Surviving on only 2 hours of sleep with a toddler and a 4 day old makes Kelly a beast to be around.

I knew it was going to be hard so I've been praying for patience and stamina. I'm so nervous about David going back to work. Maybe my prayers will be answered by then? I've never had much patience and stamina and this journey has only just begun.

Benjamin and Savannah

We've been so worried how Benjamin was going to react to Savannah. He's got a bit of a jealous streak in him when he sees me giving attention to Frederick (our little Pomeranian) so I was assuming he would react the same way with Savannah. Surprisingly, all he wants to do is hug and kiss her. It's completely precious.

Tonight is our first night with her at the house. Let's see how it goes!

Meeting her for the first time.












Benjamin giving Savannah kisses.












Benjamin giving Savannah lots and lots of hugs!