Poor Andersen is sick today and I stayed home with him. I'm thinking maybe it's an ear infection, but we'll see at his appointment this afternoon. He was up most of the night and the poor little guy screamed inconsolably for about an hour.

Anyway, he pretty much won't let me set him down, so I thought I'd update the blog a bit.

Great Aunt Sandy sent this adorable pic of Law from Easter the other day. He looks like such a big boy!



And here's one of Andersen from Monday:

And here's a super-cute video of the little guy. I DARE you not to giggle along with him! The video's less than a minute and will totally make your day!

He giggled for the first time last week, but Monday was the first time he really let loose and belly-laughed. I was being a dork and I'm guessing he was laughing AT me, rather than with me, but it was completely worth it!

As usual, I've gotten behind in updating. We have a lot of news to share and lots of photos, so hopefully I'll make up for lost time.

Today was an awesome day! It was gorgeous out and the boys and I took a walk to the park. Law was an angel, which is a rarity these days. He's in the throes of the "Terrible Twos" and has had Mike and I at the end of our wits lately. He had a great time and was an awesome listener. He willingly got back in the stroller when it was time to go.

Just before we went to the park I had to change Andersen since he hurled all over his clothes. His little shirt got hung up on his neck and it must have tickled him because he started giggling for the first time. It was soooooo cute!

He's been obsessed with his hands lately and sucks on his first two fingers any chance he gets. He still likes the binky (or "MiMi" as Law calls it), but I'm wondering if he'll do away with it in lieu of sucking his thumb or fingers soon.

Andersen had his 4 month check up yesterday (yes, he's FOUR months! A third of a year! I can't even believe it!). He's slowed down on growth, weighing in at 14lbs, 12oz (47th %ile) and 25" long (53rd %ile). He's doing well and is on track or slightly ahead with all his developments. The nurse was going over all the questions and asked me if he'd rolled from back to tummy yet. I said, no, but he was close. When I turned around he was flipped onto his belly! He rolled over for the first time right there! It's hard to believe that I found out a year ago today that I was pregnant with this happy, thriving little guy!

Andersen's shots were traumatizing for the whole family. They really upset him and the nurse was s-l-o-w and a bit rough. I was holding Law and he started crying because he was sad for his "buddy" (that's what he calls him -- it's so cute!). I teared up because I hate having to put him through the pain and because I thought it was so sweet that Lawrence was so concerned. Mike had to hold AJ down, and while he held it together better than the rest of us, I'm sure he didn't enjoy it. Andersen has huge lumps on his legs today. :(

His little legs looked awfully cute with his blue camo bandaids yesterday, though.

Lawrence LOVES playing outside and is so glad it's been nice enough to go out to play. He HATES having his picture taken and it's really rare I get him to look at the camera. Stinker!

In other VERY exciting news, we're building a house!!! We put ours on the market over the weekend and are hoping it sells soon. Our new house won't be done until January, but we'll rough it in an apartment in the meantime if it means we don't have to worry about selling down to the wire.

Here's a pic of the elevation we chose. LOVE the big front porch! It has four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a lot more space -- especially storage. We can't WAIT!

Here's a pic of AJ on his four month birthday:

We had a really nice Easter. It was a bit busy, but we're getting accustomed to the craziness on holidays. It was nice to spend time with our family and Lawrence had a blast!

Andersen's bunny butt jammies on Easter morning:

Andersen and GiGi.

Mr. Dapper in his tie (thanks, Nana!)

Grandpa and Grandma gave Law some fun sand toys. He used them at the park today and loved them!Buddy and Sweetie had the traditional (for us...not sure it's an Easter tradition for anyone else in the world!) pinata. Sweetie was worried Law might be sad about breaking it, but he thought it was awesome and had a great time hitting it with a bat!

Law with his Godmother:

GiGi and Gpa S met AJ for the first time a few weeks ago.

Hope you're all doing well and had a nice holiday! If you're bored, you can check out more pictures at http://jaybeeimages.wordpress.com. Maybe I'll be able to update my photography blog more often. :)

Lawrence had a blast playing outside Saturday. It was gorgeous! The winter took a toll on our already craptastic patio. Lawrence is trying to fix it (too bad he can't really...I have a feeling it's going to cost us a pretty penny to get it even again).

Photos of the boys together = FAIL. Just one example of the many I've tried to get of the boys together. Tell me the hats aren't the cutest things you've ever seen, though. Really. Try and tell me they're not. Mike thinks they're dumb, but I know they're not.

The boys in their sweeeeeeeet coordinating jammies. I'm so going to be *that* mom and will be dressing them alike for as long as they'll let me.

More pics of Andersen. I'd have just as many of Law if he would just.sit.still.for.five.seconds.

Andddddd (::drumroll, please::), here's the kitchen!

BEFORE (we...er, Mike...and Ryan...had actually installed wood floors last spring after this pic was taken, but you get the idea):

AFTER:

Look at the gorgeous slate backsplash! And my pretty new sink! And the awesome new (and quiet!) dishwasher!

Look at the pretty floors!

DINING ROOM BEFORE (and, again, we had wood floors prior to the overhaul...just imagine them under the table instead of the Godawful carpet):

AFTER:


I lurrrrrrrrrve the new round table! It's a lot smaller, but that's actually a good thing. Our dining room feels so much more open now (and please don't mind the empty frame on the buffet...mama needs to print some pictures).

Wonder what project I can come up with next...

Happy Spring!!

I'm soooo excited that Spring is officially here! It's my favorite season. I love the flowers, the warmer weather, the later sunsets, the birds chirping and the smell in the air. Plus, it's only a few weeks until my grandparents get home. Yay!

We've been really busy with the kitchen, but it's really coming together and looks great! It should be completely done tomorrow and I'll post before/after pics soon. Here are a couple "sneak peeks:"

Law suddenly seems like SUCH a big boy. In honor of how grown up he's becoming, here's a montage of his 2nd year of life:

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Lawrence continues to adore his baby brother. The other day he found an old pair of shoes of his. He wanted to wear them, but I told him they didn't fit. He promptly went to find the baby so he could "share" his old shoes. So cute!

Andersen with Grandma:

AJ with Auntie Sarah:

Lawrence enjoying spaghetti and Grandpa & Grandma's. He ate an ABSURD amount (it probably took him awhile to feel full since half of his portion was on his face...)

Auntie Jill and Andersen. Awwww:

Mommy and AJ:

And again:

In honor of Andersen's THREE MONTH birthday, we got him a Bumbo:

I can't believe our littlest guy is already a quarter of a year old! He's such a sweetie. As our gift to us for his 3-month birthday, he slept from 10:30pm to 4:15am without a peep in his own bed! Yayyyy! He's been doing great in his crib lately. Yesterday, he napped for over two hours in it! That's big stuff for Mr. Man since he's a bit of an attention hound. I think he must be feeling lots better. We started him back on the Prevacid and it seems to be really helping.

Here's a video of Andersen smiling & "talking."

Stay tuned for the kitchen pics!

Growing up fast!

So, I thought time suddenly sped up once Law was born. Days and weeks used to drag by, but when he arrived, it was like months flashed before my eyes. Having a second child has REALLY put life on fast forward! I can't believe Andersen will be 12 weeks old in two days.

I'm hoping what I've missed out on documenting on the blog and in his baby book I've been able to capture with photos. I've been really making an effort to take lots of pics so AJ doesn't end up with typical "Second Child Syndrome." I think I'm doing a decent job because he seems to recognize the camera better than he recognizes my face...

Here are some of our favorite pics of Mr. Man since the last time I posted:

Andersen Updates:

• He's doing MUCH better now that we have the MSPI figured out.
• Dairy seems to bother him much more than soy, but both are problematic. If I eat anything with even a TRACE of dairy in it, though, he's a hot mess for an entire day afterward.
• He's super smiley and coo-ey lately!
• He loves his hands! He's been diligently trying to figure out how to get them into his mouth and keep them there lately. I think he may become a thumb sucker. (Nana -- keep your job, please!)
• He likes the Papasan chair. Awesome, since I bought a brand new bouncy chair because Law hated it and I figured the next baby would, too.
• He's very snuggly and cuddly.
• His hair is still reddish (and no bald spot, yet. ::knock on wood::)
• He rolled over a few weeks ago and does it whenever we put him on his tummy now...proving "tummy time" to be rather ineffectual...
• He loves his brother!

Some pics of our big boy!

Note the BIG big boy bed! The crib/toddler bed is no longer! He loves it and Mike and I love being able to have special time in the evening lying with him and reading books.

Does he not look about EIGHTEEN in this picture? OMG! Where did my little baby boy go??

Lawrence News:

• He's been singing and it's the cutest thing EVER. He sings the "clean up" song, "Twinkle Twinkle" (which we didn't even know he knew! He just started singing along when AJ's mobile played the tune the other day!) and, my favorite, T.I.'s "Whatever You Like."
• He wore underwear yesterday! Of course, he ended up soaking Thomas the Tank Engine, but he kept them dry all morning (which Thomas appreciated, I'm sure).
• He knows his colors, but likes to pretend his doesn't to annoy his parents.
• He's obsessed with balloons, bubbles, art, tractors, outside and all things "choo choo."
• His sassiness is chilling out (for the moment).
• He scares the crap out of me every time he gets out of bed himself. I don't hear him coming and suddenly he's behind me and it freaks me out!
• He loves his brother! (but he refuses to call him by his name. He's just "baby.")
• He still has a "MiMi" (pacifier) and I have no idea how we'll break him of it. (again, Nana, please keep your job)
• The way he says "color" is at the top of my list of favorite things.

Law genuinely loves his brother. He wants to know where he is all.the.time. He's super sweet with him. I'm so proud!

And our two little studs together. They have the "serious" look down pat.


Me with my little guys.

The girls and the boys on Auntie Jill's birthday:

We went to the Children's Museum today with Holly and Owen. The boys had a blast and wore their mommies OUT!

A few Mike/Jess updates:

• Our kitchen flooded a few weeks ago. So, we had to replace the cabinet. And the floor. To take out the cabinet, we had to take off the counters. To take off the counters, we had to take out the backsplash. While we were at it, we decided to replace the sink. Which meant we'd replace the faucet. Then we decided to get a new dishwasher. And hardware. And new window treatments. And a new table. Which meant a new rug. So, basically, we're in the middle of a total kitchen overhaul. And it's a MESS. The floors are done and they look great (thanks, Mike!) The counters go in Friday and then the sink. Then the backsplash. Oy! I can't wait until it's done...but I'm sure Mike's even more anxious for it to all be over than I am!
• I'm back at work and it's going really well. I love my job and my part-time schedule. I have the best of both worlds!
• I'm hungry. All.the.time. And I miss cheese. Like, a LOT.
• Mike's as busy at work as ever.
• We're tired of the cold weather. Bring on spring!
• I get my braces off on Thursday!!
• We broke not one, but TWO vacuums in a week. Now we have yet another new one. And it's da bomb (and, no, it's not a Dyson).

Hope you're all doing well. Stay tuned in the next couple weeks for updated pics, a before/after of the kitchen and hopefully the launch of a new site. I also have been planning on starting Project 365 -- I'd take pics depicting our daily life every day for a year. I feel like I concentrate so hard on getting great pics that I miss out on a lot of the fun/funny stuff that happens in our household on a daily basis. Of course, that would require a bit of time and organization, which are two things that seem to be in short supply lately.

Hope you're all doing well!