January Update

Happy Groundhog Day! Looks like we're in for another 6 weeks of this crazy winter weather. And it did actually feel like winter here in Austin this year, with schools cancelled twice within 5 days due to icy road conditions! And in true winter fashion the kids and I all got colds, and Drew is currently recovering from a very nasty stomach bug. So we'll be postponing Drew's birthday cake for a couple days, and celebrating with jello instead. :)

Check out our snow!

We did have some warm days, and took advantage of them by getting some fresh air and giving Henry his first ride in the swing.

 

We also celebrated my 28th birthday in January! I'm having a really hard time believing I'm a grown-up mom of two kids, when I swear I was still a kid myself a couple years ago.

Drew decided to make me a carrot cake and this is how it went:

 

Despite it's outward appearance, this was THE BEST carrot cake I've ever tasted.
I think it's going to be a new birthday tradition for me. :)

Also, Lilly drew this picture and wrapped it up to give to me for my birthday present!
She said it's a picture of a ballerina, but it could have been anything and I would have loved it because it was completely, 100% her idea. She made it quietly on her own without any help!
I don't think we deserve this child.

Drew spent the month making bow ties. He fell in love with the one his sister made him for Christmas and decided to start making a new one every week to wear to church. He is definitely a man of many talents.
I don't think I deserve this husband.


I somehow made it through the month without taking any pictures of myself, but I've been staying busy taking care of the kids, working most Saturdays in the ER, and teaching the Marriage and Family Relations class at church. I've also been trying to fit in yoga at least a couple times a week to counteract the hunchback I'm getting from carrying and nursing heavy Henry.



Lilly has put up with a lot of neglect since Henry came around, so I decided we needed to do something just for her. We went to a nearby trampoline gym one day, and she was in heaven. It was a great place for her to practice her somersaults, too.

She also started gymnastics this month and is loving it.

She gets to walk on real balance beams, and jump on trampolines, and swing on bars, and practice handstands and somersaults to her hearts content.

She also loves to twirl, and is enjoying playing princess, ballerina, fairy, etc. in her new "twirly dress."

 

(Despite what it looks like, she does own clothing without stripes,
she just chooses not to wear them.)

She still loves to do little crafts.

And she is an avid learner. This is her preschool homework: 

She copied the words all by herself, and then read them to me.

She has been going to her room for quiet time from 2-3 lately, and she loves the clock her grandma gave her for her room. When she comes out she always tells me, "It says three zero zero!"
It is so fun watching her learn and grow!

Henry was been learning and growing like crazy this month as well. 

He started rolling over, and he loves to lay on his tummy and play with his toys.
I keep thinking he's still a newborn, but he's 4 months old and 17 pounds now!

About halfway through the month we labeled him "The Worst Sleeper Ever." We were exhausted and about to lose our sanity, so we started trying everything we could to get him on a more consistent schedule. One night I put him to sleep without his pacifier and he slept 8 hours! We got rid of the pacifier, and it helped a lot, but it wasn't the magic solution we hoped for. In the end we had to let him cry it out. We started a week ago and he cried 40 minutes the first night, but that was the longest it took.  He now takes 3 great naps in his crib, only nurses 5-6 times a day, and before he got sick he had progressed to sleeping 11 hours straight one night! It was a miracle. He no longer cries when we put him down and, most importantly, he is so much happier and well rested.

He can hardly believe it himself!

Now he sometimes talks himself to sleep and sucks on his hands, and it is super cute.

He is also obsessed with his feet.

Lilly is just obsessed with him.

So long January, bring on February!