So, it's been awhile...

So sorry, it's been quite some time since my last post. There had been lots going on; Hadley is ten months old today, and even though she's just a peanut, (she looks like she is about six months old) she is a feisty little thing! She is pulling up on everything, and likes to stand by herself for a few minutes. Finn is now potty trained, and is such a big girl! I have started making hairbows to sell (I have been making them for the girls for quite some time) and I have a current obsession with crochet. I guess you could say I am a part time "hooker!"

More to come soon, like pics of the girls and such...I promise:)

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Car, Me!!!

Finley's vocabulary has grown so much over the past couple of weeks. She is all about ownership; she wants to make sure that we know that the drink is daddy's and the seat is Sissy's. But, now she has started labeling things that are hers or that she wants. So, she now says "juice, me, please!" or "book, me" when she wants us to read a book to her. Finn has even picked out her new car, too. Tonight as we were walking into gymnastics she said "Car, me!" as she pointed to a minivan. I asked her if she liked that car and she shook her head yes and said "uh, huuuh!" No sports car for Miss Finn, I guess!

DVR for Dummies...

We have DVR and we love it. I love being able to record a show and watch it later without commercials. And we have a bunch of Finn's shows recorded so she can watch them late in the afternoon when no kid shows are on.

However, I believe we have created a monster.

Now, she will bring me the remote and tell me what she wants to watch. Mickey mouse is her favorite right now, so she hands it to me and says "E E Ouse, please" or "wod wowd" for Word World. She knows how to work it and she's not even two.
I guess world domination is on her ten year plan.

Just call me Martha Stewart...

One of my friends, Melinda, is really Miss Suzie Homemaker and makes all of her little boy's baby food. In my head, I saw this as a difficult feat, as something to be slaved over for hours. Then someone I work with mentioned that her mother had made some baby food for her nephew, and it was super easy. So I decided to make some yesterday.

I have created a monster.

I had some zucchini in the fridge that either needed to be cooked or tossed in a few days, and I knew we had plans for dinner the rest of the week, so I decided to make Hadley some baby food. I have microwave steam bags, so I steamed the zuc until it was almost mush, pureed it and then portioned it out. So easy, and so cheap! The $2 spent on the zucchini made 10 portions of baby food, which is way better than 50 cents a jar and there aren't any preservatives or additives!

I have searched the house today looking for something else I can make. Do you think Hadley would enjoy some steamed hot dogs with cookies? Cause that's about all we have in the house! :)

Sticks and Stones...

I went to the Urologist today, and it seems that I have several kidney stones. And I have an oddly shaped kidney. And I have to go for further testing to discover why I have had blood in my urine. At least I am close to meeting my max out of pocket expenses for insurance, so it won't be a pain in my pocket as well as a pain in my back!

Finley was given a hand-me-down play kitchen from her cousin Parker, and she is having so much fun! She "pours" us a drink and pretends to sip her own. She has a little apron that she wears, and cooks us stuff on her stove. I love this age!

How to Speak "Finnish"

Finn is talking so much now, but it's pretty hard to understand what she's saying. So, here is a mom's guide to toddler speak:
"Bow-buff": pacifier
"Booose": juice
"Bee-bees": pee pee
"Bea-pees": air planes
"Ma-mum": mommy
"Na-Nan": Nana
"By-pa": diaper
"I-ite": night - night
"Boooooon": moon
"Fly-flaff": flower (and then, she *sniff* sniff*... "Ahhh")

I'm sure it's funny to an outsider to hear Finn talk, because it sounds like you have pee pees in the sky and a moose in your cup. And she must sniff every flower on every wall, in every pot, and in every picture. It's precious the first twenty times a day she does it. After that, not so much.

Hadley's Growing, too...

I feel like I always have stories about Finn, and that may be because she is growing up so fast and I constanly see her personality coming out. But, Hadley is growing fast, too, so I figured I needed to fill you guys in on everything she is doing!

Hadley is such a happy girl. She smiles all the time, and wakes up with a grin on her face. She sleeps all night long, and she LOVES her big sister. She likes to watch Finn play and run around, and she will laugh so hard when Finn entertains her. Haddie also loves to be on her belly. Once I lay her down, she immediately rolls to her belly. She sleeps on her belly, and plays on her belly. She gets to sleep in the bed with us for a couple of hours in the wee morning when she wakes up to nurse, and she usually plays for a while before she will go back to sleep! This morning, Haddie woke up to nurse at about 5:45 and Shaun brought her in the bedroom. She nursed, then rolled over and started singing to her Daddy. It was so precious! Finally, she rolled to her belly and went back to sleep.

Hadley is a little peanut of a girl. She just now is starting to fill out her 3 to 6 months size clothes, and she is over 5 months old! She can still wear some of her 0 to 3 months clothes, especially her pj's. She weighs 14 pounds, which is around 30th percentile for her age, and is 23inches long, which is in the 18th percentile. So, maybe she will be my petite one, since Finn is over 70th percentile for weight and height!

Both girls are quite different from each other, and as they grow, I see more and more of those differences. I am so excited to see their personalities develop!

The Passi Snatcher Part Deux...

Sometimes it amazes me how Finn can be so smart and sneaky at only twenty two months.
Hadley was playing on the floor the other day, and her passi had fallen out of her mouth. It was underneath her, and when she rolled to her side, Finn spotted it.

You could see the wheels turning. She formed a plan in that little head of hers.

Finn grabbed a small "lovie", a little blanket with a bear head attached. She pretended to be playing with Haddie, and tickled her with it for just a minute. Then she slowly reached toward the passi with the lovie in hand. She grabbed the passi, covered it up with the lovie and slowly backed away, disguising the gesture with another tickle on the way out.

She thought she had pulled it off, and started walking away with a pleased grin on her face.

She looked like the cat that had caught the canary.

Shaun almost didn't have the heart to ask her what she had in her hand. When he did, she turned around, pulled back the lovie and knew she had been caught.

The look on her face was one of extreme disappointment. She hung her head, and gave the passi back to Haddie.

I'm sure she is already plotting her next plan.

The Passi Snatcher

Finn has thoroughly enjoyed her passi since birth, and since she will be two in a couple of months, we are trying to phase the passi out. She only gets it at naptime and bedtime, and she's usually good with that. However, now Hadley has decided that she also enjoys a passi, so she is allowed to have hers whenever she wants it. And Finn isn't too fond of that. She tries to steal it all the time, and she will pretend to be hugging Hadley when she is actually feeling beside her to find a passi.
When I get Haddie from her bouncy seat, Finn checks to see if I have left a passi behind.
In the car, Finn will pull the passi off of Hadley's clip.
She climbs in Hadley's crib to get the passi.
She is obssessed.
Any tips on how I can make Finley understand that hadley gets a passi because she is a baby and Finley doesn't because she's a big girl?
Help. Please.

Boone camping in June...

As I posted earlier, we went camping over Father's Day weekend. We had a great time, and we are looking forward to going back!

Finn eating some apples on arrival to the cabin...

Cousin Wyatt...

Lovin on her baby doll...

My sweet hubbby and I...

Building birdhouses...

Dad and Mitch...

Mine!

Shaun working on his...

We call her "Miz Hollywood..."

At Mast General Store with App hats on...

We are already planning our next trip to Boone! Visiting makes me miss the college years...

I am that girl...

We went camping Father's Day weekend, and we had so much fun! (I will post pics soon, I promise). Well the bathroom was pretty close to our cabins, which was awesome at three in the morning when you really gotta go!
Well, one time that I went, I put paper on the seat like I always do, did my business and went walking back up to the cabin. It was a beautiful day; there were birds chirping, I saw kids running around, and heard the sound of laughter coming from nearby camp sites. I went to the cabin to change, and my wonderful hubby starts laughing, whips out his phone, and takes a picture.
It seems that when I pulled up my shorts after using the bathroom, one of the long strips from the seat got caught in my waistband.

I had a toilet paper tail.

I was what the laughter was about.

I'm sure I was why the kids were running.

And my husband could barely stop laughing long enough to snap a picture.

Now that's love.

Gram and Papa...

Gram and Papa celebrated sixty years of marriage tonight. We had such a great time visiting with family and enjoying the love shared between them! I will post pics soon! Congrats Gram and Papa, I pray that Shaun and I are still that in love in fifty years!

Things I say 20 times a day...

If I say it once, I say it two thousand twenty times:

Finley, do you need to pee-pee?
Finn, get off your sister.
Finn, be nice to your sister.
Hadley, are you hungry baby?
Finn, did you poop?
Finn, where is my phone?
Finn, you cannot have more cheese.
Finley, do you want a spanking?
Finn, stop pulling Sissy's hand.
Finn, stop pulling Sissy's feet.
Are you ready for bed?
Finley, stay out of the play doh.
Finn, why did you take your hairbow out?
Finn, where is your hairbow?
Shhh, Sissy is sleeping.
Finn, go to sleep!
Finn, did you know Mommy loves you?

A Day in the Life...

People ask me how I handle two kids under 2. So, here is how my day goes:

5am: Haddie wakes up wanting to nurse, Shaun gets her and brings her back to bed.
6:40am: Shaun gets up to shower and gets ready for work. Finn stirs at the sound of a shower, but goes back to sleep.
7:10am: Shaun leaves.
7:15am: Finn wakes up.
7:45am: Get Finn out of her crib. (She likes to play for a while, talk to her bear, etc.)
8:00am: Breakfast - yogurt, banana, cheese toast, cereal bar, whatever she's in the mood for.
8:30 to 11:30am: Laundry, Facebook, general straigtening up. PBS kids for Finn. Feeding Hadley when she's hungry, usually every 2 hours. Change diapers.
11:30am: Hadley goes down for a nap.
12:10pm: Shaun comes home for lunch.
1:00pm: Shaun leaves, Finn down for a nap. Hadley wakes up from her nap.
1:15 to 1:45pm: Mommy/Hadley time. Shower if it's a good day.
1:45pm: Finn wakes up.
2:00-4:00pm: Play with the girls, clean up what Finn gets out, change diapers (I tend to change at least one an hour.) Start planning dinner. Facebook, if I'm lucky.
4:30pm: Start dinner.
5:20pm: Shaun home, eat dinner.
6:00 to 8:00pm: Family time.
8:15pm: Bath, pj's, get clothes out for tomorrow.
9:45pm: Fall into bed *sigh*

And sometimes I work 8 to 12 hours, so everything gets squished into 2 hours. It's fun and all.

My little fish...

Back when it first started getting warm, I bought a little kiddie pool for the girls (and for me too, if I'm telling the truth). Finn has decided that it's the best thing ever, and wants to go swimming all hours of the day, rain or shine. One day, I came home from work and her lips were blue, teeth chattering, and she still didn't want to come inside. I guess she gets that from her daddy!

Finn has also really started talking in the last couple of weeks. She asks for food and toys by name, and it's so cute to see her growing up! But, she seems to add an "F" to most words. A bug is a "buff," down is "dowff" and a flag is a "flaff."

Her favorite letter seems to be "H." I hear her all the time asking herself "Where H?" And she's all about snoring. She pretends to sleep, lays her head down and snores. It's too cute!

Hadley is doing well, also. She is rolling over from her belly to back, and has decided that she loves a passi. She is just a little peanut; she's 30th percentile for weight and less than that for height, so I guess she'll be my petite one!

I have truely been blessed with these precious girls, and I am so thankful for them!

My child is such a girl...

Finn has started really getting into clothes and shoes. Yesterday she picked out the outfit she wanted to wear and the shoes she wanted to wear with it. It wasn't an outfit I would have picked, but I couldn't convince her otherwise.
But today, she took it one step further.

She picked out MY shoes. High heels. With sweat pants. And was sad that I decided to wear flip flops instead.

She's only twenty one months old. What's it going to be like when she's sixteen? Jesus better return before that!

My Sweet Family...

On Mother's Day, we traveled to Winston to visit with the extended family and catch up! It's always fun to get all the fam together!

Finn and Papa having a fun time!

(Missed you lots Uncle Johnny, Aunt Ruby, and Aunt Tammy!)

I got cards from Martie, Macy and Mom, and they all happened to buy me the same card!!

Too funny! 

The three sisters...

Plus my precious babies...

Dad and Haddie...

My sweet Gram and Papa...

Being silly!

I have been so blessed to have such a loving, friendly family! Love you guys!

Happy Birthday Eli!

It was Eli's birthday party this past weekend, and we had such a fun time! It's so great to see all these babies growing up, and I pray they will all be friends and enjoy growing up together!

Sweet Emet, who didn't really like me taking his picture!

Ava in her birthday hat...

Finn loved this hat, and wouldn't take it off for an hour!

She also was loving this swing; we need one in our backyard!

Brody and his beautiful eyes...

Davis...

Adorable Brayden...

Brayden and Hadley were born on the same day, but he's about a head taller than her!

Brayden is Hadley's "twin" brother from another mother!

Walker with his red hair is just too cute!!

Finncess...

On Mother's Day, we went to Winston Salem to visit some family. On the way, we stopped at Graylyn, a big house close to Wake Forest, where I also had my bridal portraits done. I decided to get Finn really girlie and take some pictures of her!

Our precious family...

Be the swan in a sea of geese!!

Mother's Day weekend...

I had a wonderful Mother's Day!! Happy Mother's Day to all you momma's out there!

I attended a baby shower for my beautiful friend Kellie, and was able to take a few pics of her...

Finn and her book from Uncle Jon and Aunt Ruby...

I woke up on Mother's Day to my precious babies and I realized just how blessed I am! I love my girls and am so proud of them.

They don't call it dough for nothin'...

Today, Finn decided to branch out in the culinary world. I have kept the play doh hidden for months because I wanted her to be old enough to understand that it's for playin' not eatin'. I decided that today was the day.

Maybe it shouldn't have been.

I started our adventure by opening up the container and just handing the whole blob to her. She of course immediately put it up to her mouth and took a little nibble.

Then came a face.

I thought meal time was over. She handed it back to me and I pinched off a piece and flattened it out. Then I gave it back to her.

And she then took a huge bite. And swallowed it. Great.

We are going to try finger painting next.

Forgot to mention...

I forgot to mention one thing: Hadley slept through the night IN HER CRIB for the first time Saturday night!

She has been sleeping pretty good in her swing, but I was so proud of her for sleeping in her crib!

Her sleeping good means mommy is sleeping good, and when that happens, everyone is happy!!

It's been awhile...

Sorry, guys, it's been a while since I updated everyone on what's happening with the Younts!!



Finley has started gymnastics, and is loving it. It's a parent involved thing, and we go through all the stations together. Well, at first, with me, she would only go down the slide. Like 30 times. And pitched a fit when I tried to get her to do something else! And I would get that, "Lady, control your kid" look. Sooo, Shaun had to take her one night when I was working, and, tada! She is now behaving like an angel and even got up on the BIG balance beam last week!



She also loves jumping into the foam pit!



Well, we have gymnastics tonight, so I'd better get the girls ready!
More updates and pics coming soon!!

Back to work with a bang!

Yesterday was my first day back to work, and while it went well for me, I think that Martie now realizes how much another child adds to the mix. I had a relatively easy assignment at work, and my patients were very pleasant and didn't require much work. I got a phone call at 10:00am from Shaun saying that Hadley was still asleep, should Martie wake her up to eat? Ummm, yes! Shaun was going to call me back after Martie got her up and fed her.

I got another phone call about an hour and a half later saying that Shaun was going home to attempt to feed Haddie bacause she just wasn't liking the bottle. It was 1:00 before she actually took about 2 ounces. Needless to say, she nursed like crazy when I got home!

Overall, the day went well, Martie stayed calm the whole time, Hadley didn't starve, and I had a good first day back. Success.

Not so glorious sleep...

Hadley isn't the best sleeper in the world. While she does nap quite well during the day, bedtime is a different story. I think it's our bedroom, to tell you the truth. She can be fast asleep in the living room, asleep when we bring her into the bedroom, and when we lay her on the bed or in the pack and play? Wide awake. Smiling. Ready to party. And then she decides to nurse. For TWO HOURS. Yep, I become a passi for several hundred minutes. But if I try to move her away? A not so happy Hadley. So, Shaun and I have been trying to think of ways to get her to sleep better. Snuggling with Daddy? Only if he decides to grow a ninny. Self soothing in the pack and play? Can't bear to hear mah baybee crying. So, we decided to give the swing a try. She LOVES it during the day, so, here's how last night went.

11:30pm: Night-time/ Pre swing meal.
11:45pm: Place Hadley in swing. Monitor on.
11:52pm: Hiccups.
11:55pm: No more hiccups. No sound coming from monitor. Nothing at all.
12:10am: All quiet. Success!
12:50am: Quiet. We may have to make a habit of this.
1:20am: Still quiet. She makes some noises thru-out the day, so should I check on her?
1:50am: Quiet. I'm still awake.
2:15am: She is not this quiet during the day. Contemplate waking Shaun up so he can go check on her.
2:48am: STILL NO SOUND coming from her room.
3:42am: What? I slept? What if she made a noise and I missed it?
4:16am: Wait, was that a peep?
4:17am: False alarm, I guess. No more sounds.
4:30am: Okay, if Shaun stirs I'm gonna send him across the house to check on her.
4:42am: Shaun stirs, and I pounce. "Did you put the thick blanket on her? Have you heard her move? Breathe? ANYTHING?"
4:44am: A NOISE! *sigh of relief*
4:45am: Baby crying. Well, so much for getting a good night's rest.

Bring on tha Spoons!

Since Finley now laughs at me when I try to spank her, I have decided to adopt Mom's old torture device, YE OLD SPANKING SPOON. Finn thought it was a game the first time I threatened her with a spanking, bless her heart. I held it up and asked, (in the sternest voice I could muster), "Do you want a spanking?" And with a very excited voice she said, "Uh, huh!" So I couldn't spank her when she thought she was going to get a super fun new toy, or something. However, I know it would be a matter of minutes before she would get into something else that she isn't supposed to be messing with (i.e. the trash, the toilet, the diaper pail, that sort of thing.) True to form, she tried to help herself to my cup of tea on the bar, which I had just gotten on to her for doing. So, I spanked her with the spoon. She had no clue what had just hit her. She gave me a very confused look, then looked at the spoon, then back at me. And grinned. Then she figured that it was just a game with a little pain involved. She still wanted the spoon! So, I reached around her and acted like I was going to spank her again, and she grinned and grimaced at the same time. Poor thing. I guess she will have to learn.

Tastes better that way...

We have a video monitor for Finn, which is wonderful, because I can watch her play with her bear, or her feet, and I can actually see if she's really asleep. Well, today, when she was down for a nap, I heard her moving around. (Recently, she has had a cold, and hasn't been sleeping very well.) I guess she was drooling some during nap, because I saw her take her passi and wipe it off on her blankets. Not too fond of that drool flavor, I guess.
I go back to work in less than a week :( and I'm praying that Hadley does better with a bottle. Martie watched the girls today while I went to the doctor, and the bottle was a no go. I texted Martie to see how it was going, and her response was "I've got just as much patience as she does stubborness!" We have literally tried everything, just waiting on that "one thing" that is going to make her realize that we aren't trying to poison her or anything. So, please pray that Hadley starts doing better, for my sake and for Martie's!

More cheese, please...

Finley is learning new words daily, and sometimes trying to pronouce those words are kinda hard for her. But her favorite word? Cheese. If you ask her what she wants for dinner? Answer is always cheese. "Finn, are you hungry?" Nods her head, points to the kitchen, and says "cheese."She loves string cheese, shredded cheese, anything but 'processed cheese food product' like her Nana. She walks to the fridge and starts to yell, stomp, etc. We always say, "Finn, use your words. What do you want?" And she says, plain as day, "Cheeeessse." We are working on other words, like cracker, banana, hot dog. And sometimes, she says cheese when she really wants juice. But she'll take some cheese, too.

8 weeks old already!!!

Hadley is 8 weeks old and growing so fast!

Finley loves to hold her "Sissy"

She still has that head full of hair; I am loving the bows! Finn is such a good big sister; she hears Hadley cry and tries to put a passi in her mouth. Finley doesn't seem bothered by Hadley's crying, though. She can sleep through it all just fine. And Hadley isn't bothered by Finn's noise - it's a good thing, because Finn is quite noisy at times! Finley is always putting toys in the bouncy seat with Hadley; trying to share, I guess!

While I was driving to visit Nana today, Finn put her hand on Hadley's carseat, wanting to touch "Sissy" the whole way. Too cute! We are still loving every minute of these two precious girls!

My girls...

Tickled pink is all I can say. I love my girls, and I love spending time with them. Finley is such a good big sister, although I have to keep my eyes on her. She wants to share with Hadley, so she's always putting toys, blankets, burp cloths, cheese-it's, or gummi bears in her bouncer. Or in her mouth. Whichever she can reach. And, just this morning, Finn put a lovie on her shoulder like a burp cloth and tried to pick Haddie up, like she has seen us do several times. Too cute, but I will have to keep my eye on her!
I'm enjoying being at home with the girls, but I'm ready to go back to work for the adult contact. I wish I could just work once a week! See my friends and co workers, but also be with my girls! I know once I go back to work, I will wish I was still at home, so I'm going to really enjoy the next 2 weeks until I go back.

The good and bad of blogs...

This week, I have come to appreciate the ups and downs of blogs. For instance, I sometimes read my friends blogs, just to catch up on what they are doing. I enjoy reading about where they have moved, and what is going on in their lives. I also want to gag at how good they look after marriage and kids (don't they know that you're supposed to gain 75 pounds and grow hairy warts on your face, so that I can look better than you at our 10 year high school reunion?). Hence, the "good."
This week, I also happened across a blog written by a mother who is losing her 2 year old to cancer. She commented that the house was "too quiet" and that all she wanted was her 2 year old underfoot. How many times have I wanted Finn to take a nap so that I could fold laundry/ take a nap/get on facebook/go to the bathroom in peace? That blog made me appreciate the fact that my 17 month old is healthy, and is always underfoot, wanting juice or crackers or another dang banana. I cried while reading her blog, and then cried when I told Shaun about it, and then cried while I thanked the Lord that my girls are perfect. I'm on the verge of tears just thinking about how that mother must feel. *tear* Obviously, the "bad."

Hadley Elizabeth is here!

Hadley is here! She arrived on January 26th at 3:57am. She weighed 8 pounds 5.5 ounces, and was 20 inches long. She has lots of dark hair, and looks like Pocahontas!
I went into labor at work, and was contracting every 5 minutes by the time that I finished out my shift and headed home. I got home at 8pm, showered, my water broke at 9pm while Shaun was taking Finn to Nana and Poppy's house, and we arrived at the hospital by 10 pm. I was dilated 8cm when we arrived, and it was a mad race to get my epidural! I was comfortable shortly after that and we were able to rest for just a little while before it was time to push! I pushed for about 20 minutes, and Hadley was here! Shaun was able to help deliver her, as he did with Finley, and when they put her on my belly my first thought was "Goodness at the hair!" Hadley has some of the same features as Finley, but has just as many that are different! Hadley has my eyes and Shaun's mouth, and we are still trying to figure out her nose (I think it's the same one that Shaun's sisters have!)
Finley loves her baby sister and wants to kiss her all the time. She sometimes cries when Hadley cries, and she says "Shhh" when Hadley is asleep. We have loved watching the interaction between the two girls, and we are so thankful for all we have been blessed with!

38 weeks and counting...

Well, we are now 38 weeks along, and still no labor. However, the crib finally came in, and I'm finishing up the nursery today, so NOW we are ready! Mom's birthday is Saturday, so I'm thinking that it would be the ultimate gift to have a grandbaby born on Nana's birthday! Maybe that's what Hadley is waiting for!
We had a baby shower this past Sunday, and it's amazing how blessed Shaun and I are. We received many needed items, and the gifts keep coming in from friends and family. Thanks so much everyone!
We are so excited about meeting Hadley soon!

Countdown!

Well, it's been a while since I have blogged, so there's lots to catch up on. And since we are on countdown mode for baby Hadley, it will probably be a while until I will blog again!

Our prayers were answered with the PTL stuff; I was able to go back to work after 2 weeks of rest, and we are now term! 37 weeks today! Praise the Lord! Okay, now you can come, Hadley!

Christmas was wonderful; Finley had a great time and we loved seeing her joy at her gifts.

She loved her new house!

I loved getting to see family from out of town, and for Finley to meet her aunt and uncle from Florida that she hadn't met yet! We had a great time this season with family, which is what Christmas is about; celebrating the birth of Jesus, and enjoying family with whom we will spend eternity with, thanks to the birth of that tiny Child!

Speaking of birth, we are now looking forward to the birth of Hadley!

We are trying to finish up her room, and we are waiting for the crib to come in. Finley still thinks that "Baby Sister" is my belly button; she loves to lift my shirt and kiss it. I know she is in for a big change, and I pray that the transition is easy for her and that we do our best to make her feel special as a big sister!