February!!

The stars have aligned....both girls are sleeping at once!!!!  :-)  This rarely happens these days with Addison mostly giving up her naps, and Riley usually wanting to eat whenever Addie does go down......but I'll take it when I can get it.  A little quiet time is always nice!

 Riley now sits in the Bumbo....and Addie in her football jersey!

 Addie's "Frosty!"

 So cute...but impossible to get a happy hat picture this month! :-)

 Tummy time.....Riley is starting to enjoy it.

 Smiles....

 Twins.....such fun outfits (thanks Nana)...but of course Addie as serious as can be!

Thanks Uncle Nick!  matching shirts for UNC!

The girls are doing wonderfully!  :-)  I am back to work two days/week...which has definitely been challenging with trying to pump during the day and get back in the swing of seeing patients...but the girls are doing well with Molly!  Riley struggled a little with the bottle initially, but has gotten more used to it....and Addison is having fun "playing toys" (as she calls it) with Molly.  I usually provide an enrichment/structured activity for her and Molly to do together during the day....make cookies, crafts, special days, etc....she seems to enjoy it.  They made super cute v-day cards and heart cookies!! :-)  Unfortunately for us, but good for Molly....she just got a job toward her career goals that will take her away from us on Mondays starting in March.  Due to this, we are busy looking for a new nanny...we have a couple people who we need to meet and interview...but of course this gives both of us a little anxiety....we will have to see how it goes!
Riley is over three months now.....  She is just a doll!  Honestly, the sweetest little thing ever!  She sleeps incredibly well....only awakening once at night to feed 90% of the nights......  She loves to sit in her bouncer chair, work on tummy time on her mat, and give precious smiles!  She is growing like crazy, and I am going to have to pull out the 6 month clothes in the next couple of weeks.  She is super alert during the days now, and usually nurses about every 3 hours.
We are going to have to see an opthalmologist for her in a couple weeks due to what we have found to be a "wandering eye" or lazy eye.  It seems to us, and the pediatrician, that she has not outgrown this "cross-eyed" look that she should have at 2 months......so we need to make sure that we don't need to do anything.  We may be faced with a patched eye for a while.....we'll see after our appointment on March 14.  I sincerely hope that we can get it taken care of and it won't impact her vision!!!
Addison is a busy, busy toddler!  She is really starting to become a little girl these days!  She seems to be getting taller and losing her chub.  She is also speaking in sentences most of the time.  We are still working on potty training (but sort of with her own initiation), and she is getting better!  She has now pooped and peed in the potty when we are out places a few times, and even stayed dry for a few hours the other morning at playgroup.  It is a work in process...but the princess panties seem to be helping!    Addie continues to love her music class at McPhail on Thursdays, and we try to have several playdates with friends for socialization during the week.  Addison is super excited to be a flower girl in her uncle Adam's wedding in March alongside her cousin Victoria!  We have also been back to Choo Choo Bobs recently, Williston Park (to climb) and Skyzone (Addie's favorite...for the trampoline).  :-)
Addie is regularly found playing dolls (changing diapers, changing clothes, feeding them), "cleaning my house"  with her cleaning cart or a babywipe, or tormenting her poor brother Wally (she loves to throw his ball, clean him, and play in his water dish....thank goodness he is patient!)  She still loves her football jersey paired with tee-tee pants and her elf hat; however, has also been a ltitle more girly lately as she tries to" dress like Riley " some days! :-)
Our places is "pocket listed" for sale....which means that we have had a few showing so far....definitely a challenge keeping the place clean; however, we realize this is what has to be done.  We are going to put it fully listed in mid-March.
Opa and Jojo are coming tomorrow for a little over a week to visit with and help with the girls.  Noah is headed to Vegas for a conference for a few days and then will be back mid-week.  Super excited for their visit!! :-)

It's getting chilly here!!!

January is here......after a warm-up last week, we have dipped back in to reality...it was 1 degree this morning! :-(  I guess true Winter hibernation begins now!
We enjoyed a wonderful holiday this year.....so blessed to have two beautiful children! and what fun it was to watch Addison really begin to understand and get excited about Christmas this year!
Addison's favorite Christmas surprises were her cleaning set complete with her very own "Mr. Vacuum Man" and her little bear house.  She loved opening presents and watched numerous Christmas movies ("the light movie" was her favorite...The Littlest Light on the Christmas Tree) and sang numerous Christmas songs (her favorite was Frosty the Snowman).
Nana and Papa were up for a visit over the holidays, and we greatly enjoyed our time with them.  The girls have been so spoiled with family visits lately....but we love that they are getting such valuable time with their grandparents, despite the distance!
Addie continues to LOVE her "football shirt" (her Colts jersey) and demands to wear it most days...outfit completed with anything from a tutu to her "tee-tee" pants (her fleece pants that feel just like her blanket or "tee-tee").  She picks out her outfit daily and always looks pretty much ridiculous!! :-))  Other favorite clothes include her "basketball shirts" (her Carolina girl shirt), "Thomas pjs" and "dot pjs".  Hysterical!!!
A great Addison story......
On Monday we were at her friend Wee-wee's house playing and using his new slot machine.  We taught her how to put in the coin and pull the lever...she seemed to be entertained.  After a couple tries, she pulled the lever all the way and money starting coming out EVERYWHERE!!!  She had won BIG MONEY...the most that had been won from that machine!  We were all yelling and screaming in excitement, only to find Addison in tears!  Later that night I asked her why she cried at William's house when she won money, did she "freak out" or "just get excited"....she said, "Addie freaked out!"  I guess despite her luck she won't be heading to Vegas anytime soon.
We continue to work on using the potty...and mostly just self-initiated at this point....but she is doing fairly well...just yesterday she used it about 5-6 times.  We are getting there!!!
We also transitioned her in to her toddler bed last night....she did great!!!  After a little struggle with getting her to stay in it initially, she slept well and no problems.  Nap time continues to be an issue....but we will continue to work on atleast "quiet time" each day.....we think she may have outgrown her nap for most days.
Riley continues to eat WELL, sleep a ton (usually atleast a 6 hour stretch each night between feedings), and is SMILING!!!  We are greatly enjoying our cuddles with her....what a sweet baby!!!  We head to the doctor tomorrow to find out how much she has grown at 2 months and to get her 2 month shots....wish us luck!  She had her first babysitter besides family on Thursday while I took Addison to music class, and she did great with Annie....thank goodness!!  She loves to watch her big sister and I can just tell that she is "taking it all in."

 Prepared for Boston...her Red Sox cheerleading outfit....will we become fans???

 The Famous Frog Potty!

 hot cocoa time....by the Christmas tree!

 new Mr. Vacuum for Christmas...Addie's favorite!

 So cute...thanks Uncle Nick and Aunt Jen for the "Heels shirts"

 Riley's Christmas gift....she loves it!

 Poor Wally.....pony rides for Addie and baby

 Just precious....what else can I say?  Thanks Opa for the hat!

Is it possible to be any cuter?? we think she has blue eyes like Addie! :-)

I have recently switched my schedule for return to work to casual status.....so will be trying to work most Monday/Tuesdays shortened days from before and very limited weekends.....so excited to have more family time!  We are going to be using our old nanny, Molly, for childcare for the girls.....so nice to have her back in town!!!  Noah and I are busy mapping out our busy Spring...with trips for weddings, a trip to Boston to find a house, selling out condo and our big move coming up in late June........

Update on life with two!

Wow, I now realize why so few of my friends are able to keep up with a blog when they have more than one child!! :-)  It has been almost a month since my last posting....maybe a good goal will be once a month, and if I over-achieve, great!
We have been super busy with adjusting to life with two little girls!  :-)  They are both so precious and at such incredibly cute stages, but with a newborn and the intermittent defiant two year old behavior there have been some challenging times as well.
Addison has been doing incredibly well adjusting to her life as the "big girl" and "big sister."  We went through a few episodes early on of jealousy with wanting to act like a baby and try to use Riley's pacifier or steal the boppy pillow from mommy....however, as the days go by these episodes are quickly diminishing, and she loves to give kisses and hugs to Riley.  She has even started to put the pacifier in Riley's mouth when she needs it and snuggle with her on the couch.  They are definitely cute together! :-)
Addison is OBSESSED with "ouwies" and ICE lately....there are regular episodes of real and make-believe injuries throughout the day!  It is actually hysterical.  Noah and I have moved the ice packs in the freezer to a shelf that is easily reachable for her to get her own ice as needed.  :-)  She is also, of course, still in to her tee-tee (her special monkey blanket) and "ulp" (the word that she has always used for milk).  It is funny that as well as she speaks now, she still uses this phrase for milk.....kind of endearing! :-)  I wonder if the will order "cereal and ulp" when she is in college???!! :-)
Baby dolls are still a FAVORITE toy, and probably even more so since Riley arrived.  She is regularly changing their diapers, changing their clothes (usually using Riley's clothing) and taking them on stroller rides.  On occasion, she will even lift her shirt and pretend to nurse and burp the baby....when I asked her about it, she said, "that's what mommy does."  Cute to watch her imitate being a mother.   :-)
Another big development for Addie has been her beginning to potty train herself. I bought her a small frog potty, and the first day I brought it home she peed 6 times in it!  She gets a huge grin and dances each time saying, "mama, I pee-peed!!!"  We make a big deal of it and then clean it out together!  She pees a few times each day in it, and yesterday morning even pooped in it!  Now it is getting her to remember without reminders to "go try to use the potty please."
We have had lots of playdates to keep Addison occupied and entertained with this transition in to being a big sister.  We continue to do our music class on Thursdays and our regular playgroup on Wednesdays.
She has a wonderful time with daddy home for two weeks and Opa and Jojo visiting for another two weeks!
Santa has been super exciting this year, and Addison can't wait for him to visit our house.  We went to see him at Macy's Santa land last weekend, and she loved seeing Santa's village.  :-)  We have been watching lots of Christmas movies, reading Christmas stories, and talking about him each day!  I can't wait to see her face Christmas morning!  Our tree is up (we had so much fun picking it out!) and the stockings are hung....Addison can tell you which stocking belongs to each of us and has made lots of fun ornaments to hang on our tree this year!  When you ask her how to call Santa she says, "santa, santa, ho, ho, ho!"  (from Mickey Mouse club)
Riley.....she is a wonderful baby!!!  She is already a month old...can't believe it!  She has been only awakening one to two (maximum) times at night to eat, and sleeps like a champ otherwise!  I weighed her on our scale last week and it said 9 pounds...so she is definitely beginning to chunk out a bit and get those adorable chunky baby cheeks!  She is quite the snuggler...loves to be held close to my chest (so the baby bjorn has become incredibly handy!).  I have had some of the same challenges with breastfeeding due to overproducing again, but have been working on a technique that the lactation consultant told me to try...so we'll see how it goes.  She nurses well, she just sometimes gets a little too much milk and then becomes gassy, hiccuppy and irritable for a bit.  I honestly couldn't have asked for a better second child so far....such a sweetheart!  We have been doing some mat time and some swing time, but her preference is to be held close to someone's heart as much as possible....and I'll take it while I can have it, because I now understand how quickly this passes! We will return to the doctor at 2 months for lots of shots..ugh, definitely dreading that visit.
We had an amazing two week visit from Opa and Jojo....they were incredibly helpful with both kids and helping to keep my house picked up, meals cooked, laundry completed...I have definitely missed them this past week! :-)  We are looking forward to the arrival of Nana on Christmas night and Papa a few days later!
I promise to try to update the blog soon....enjoy lots of pictures from the last few weeks!

She's here......Riley Trimble Parker!!!

Well, it was only a short time after my last post that I first started in to labor with our newest addition!!! :-)  On Friday, November 16 in the early evening, Addison and I had run to Babies R Us to grab a few last minute things, when mommy started to feel some mild contractions on the way home.  I figured, just like the couple weeks before, that it probably wouldn't progress in to anything regular.  After we got home, the contractions continued, and I started timing them....10 minutes apart.  A short while later they had progressed to about 7 minutes apart and definitely were not stopping!  I paged Noah in the OR around 6:30pm to let him know it was time to come home because I could be in labor.  I called my doctor who suggested that I sit in the bathtub and pace around the house for a bit to see if it would calm, and if not to come in if the contractions got too painful or were five minutes apart.  Well, after a a few hours of trying different things to calm the contractions and sitting on the couch with Noah trying to gut through the discomfort, the contractions got to about 5 minutes apart!  I knew at this point that she was on her way! :-)  We called Annie to come watch Addison, and headed in.  By the time we got to Labor and Delivery at 11pm, my contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and quite uncomfortable.  We got in to our room and things progressed rather quickly.  I went from 4cms to 8cms within a couple hours and my water broke shortly after 2am.  Unfortunately, I did not even have the option for an epidural due to having taken my lovenox earlier that day.  I did have an intrathecal injection with fentanyl and morphine...however, it was super short acting and really only provided relief for about an hour, and seemed to be completely worn off by the time I was pushing.  I pushed for about 25-30 minutes and our beautiful Riley Trimble Parker was born at 2:42am on Saturday, November 17! She was 7 pounds and 6 ounces, 21 inches long......a much larger baby than Addison.....but also born at 39 weeks (a week and a half after Addison).  She has brunette peach fuzz for hair and dark colored eyes (color still unsure?!)
Addison came to the hospital to visit baby Riley on Saturday afternoon, and was so precious!  She was her usual shy self for the first 15 minutes or so, but then completely warmed up and wanted to hold her, touch her and cuddle with her baby sister!  :-)  So sweet!
Unfortunately, due to my being strep B positive and having a relatively short labor, I was not able to receive the full 4 hours of antibiotics needed before delivery, so Riley was exposed to GBS.  Luckily, it is a very rare occurrence that anything effects the baby......and fortunately, she looks wonderfully healthy!  They usually make babies with exposure stay in the hospital 48 hours; however, because she looked so great, we were able to leave Sunday at noon (just over 24 hours).  It was so wonderful to get home to our own environment and begin our own little family routine.
It has now been a whole since she was born, and my goodness what a sweetheart she is!!!!!  She loves to cuddle!. :-)  She has been sleeping remarkably well, and in fact, the last few nights I have had to awaken her for feedings in the middle of the night.  It's amazing! :- )  I have gotten about 6-7 hours of sleep the last few nights which is unheard of for a newborn.....wow, I'll cherish it while it lasts! Addison has been an absolute sweetheart with Riley!!!  She loves to sit next to her, watch her diaper changes and regularly asks "where is baby Riley?" immediately when she awakens in the mornings.  We couldn't have asked for a better response from  a two year old!
It has been a wonderful week of just the five of us (Wally of course included!)  Daddy has been cooking up a storm in the kitchen....I feel spoiled to have breakfast, lunch and dinner served to me!  We had our first Thanksgiving dinner together as a family....so much fun, and delicious dinner (daddy's first turkey!)  We have been venturing out a few times to the doctor, out to lunch, and to a friend's son's brit yesterday (what an interesting and fun event...we had never attended one  before!)  My great friend Ali delivered her baby boy, Geoffrey, the same early morning that I had Riley....two hours apart!  :-)

We are so appreciative to our family and wonderful friends who have been calling, emailing, and stopping by for visits and with dinners, goodies for the baby and big sister, etc.  We feel so blessed during this special time in our lives!!!

NO BABY yet!...but coming soon.....

Well, it is a week later......and STILL no baby!!!  She is hanging in there until the end, as I will be 39 weeks tomorrow!!! :-)  I just got back from the OB this morning, and I am dilated to 3 cms and ~50% effaced per Dr. Pukite.  She said that I could go any minute, but may well make it to my induction date, Monday, November 19.  Oh well......what's three more days at this point??!!!
I finished up work on Tuesday, and have been busy cleaning, doing last minute preparations for baby, getting a pedicure, chasing Addison around, and WAITING!!!  I have been trying to enjoy these last few days with just Addison....as I know things will be very different come next week.  She finished up daycare on Tuesday and brought cupcakes in to share with her teachers and friends.....they made her a nice card and sign to say goodbye.....it was definitely sad! :-(......  Wednesday we went to Eden Prairie Mall and met our friends Ali and Levi for some playtime in the kids area and lunch in the food court.  The two of them were adorable sprinting around the mall and laughing with each other!  Yesterday we had music class in the morning and Addison got to paint with wood stamps.....she created quite the master piece that is now on our magnet wall.  She was so excited to "show daddy" last night!
We plan to spend our last weekend together as just the four of us (including Wally of course) finding some fun things to do around town and enjoying the warmer weather-up to the mid-50s this weekend!

Addison ready for music class this week...she absolutely loves it!

Noah is planning to take the first two weeks off when the baby arrives, and then Opa and Jojo will make the trek up November 30 to join us for a couple weeks.  They will leave the 14th of December, and then Nana and Papa will come December 25.   I am so looking forward to all of this! :-)   Addie is super excited for baby sister's arrival! :-) More to come REAL SOON!!!!!!!

Where is baby???!!!

So the much anticipated making it to 37 weeks (full-term) has come and gone.......the due date that I had on Addison's watch has come and gone......and 38 weeks is approaching (tomorrow)......still no sign of baby #2!!!  Where is she???

I left the much awaited OB appointment this morning nothing but disappointed!!!  After feeling cramps and contractions off and on for ~1 week and exercising as much as I can tolerate to help speed things along.....the progress remains unchanged!  I am currently just 1 cm dilated...ugh!!!  I had a major mommy meltdown on the way home from the OB and for a little while after.....and now a couple hours later, I finally have it all in perspective.....this little one has a mind of her own and will arrive when she is good and ready.....regardless, she will be here soon.....so I need to relax and enjoy these last few days as the mother of one! My hormones are definitely out of whack and causing me to be much more emotional than normal! 

My induction date has been moved back to November 19 (Monday) from Saturday, due to my doctor's schedule and the hospital disliking inductions on the weekend (although that seems odd considering I was told this wasn't an issue earlier).  Oh well.....at that point, what is two more days?!

The good news of all of this is that baby girl is healthy, and she will be stronger and more ready for life outside the womb when she finally decides to arrive!  Maybe she'll even sleep well??!! (I won't get so optimistic!)

I have a four day stretch of work starting tomorrow....then I will be officially off for maternity leave....wish me luck! 

 Addie on the slide at Levi's birthday party!

 Ali and Levi, Mommy and Addie.....Ali and I are due 4 days apart!

 Pretty headband girl......too bad she spit up her milk so that her shirt is wet! :-(

 The fam.....fun at Williston Park celebrating Levi!

 Levi and Addie climbing!

Daddy did some climbing with Addie!

So.....what else have we been up to besides waiting on baby???  Well, Addison has been busy with wrapping up her last few weeks of school, attending her McPhail music class on Thursdays (which she loves...and talks about all week), playing outside on any possible warm day that we get, attending to her baby dolls constantly and fulfilling all of their needs, playing with neighborhood friends at playgroup and playdates, and running around the house getting in to all of "baby sister's" beds, clothes and supplies that are awaiting her arrival.  She is quite the character! :-)  

We celebrated mommy, daddy and her friend Levi's birthdays last weekend.....Addison learned how to say happy birthday and even sing part of the song.....she loves to talk about birthdays now....and even made a birthday cake with candles (sticks) out of sand at the park yesterday!  She loves to open presents, and help others too!! :-)  For Levi's party, we went to dinner at Snuffy's (a little diner in Minnetonka) and then to Williston Park for the party...Addie had a blast!  Mommy and daddy got to share a dinner out at Haute Dish for our birthdays on the 2nd (we keep thinking it could be our last date night for a while...we'll see ).

More updates to come soon...................

Happy Halloween!!!

October 31......I can't believe November is almost here, and our new baby girl will be here soon!!!  I will be full-term this Saturday!!  If she decides to come at the same time Addison did, we will meet her on Tuesday! :-)  Mommy is super tired, and ready to be finished with pregnancy....so anytime is welcome! :-)  I had an ultrasound last Friday (the day before 36 weeks) and it showed that baby is head down and was weighing a predicted 5 lbs 12 ounces at that time!  Everything looked well regarding her growth and health!  This was such relief to know that there is no reason I am not at least expected to have a natural delivery again!
We have been busy setting up the condo for the new arrival!  The pack'n play and rock'n sleeper are set up, the dresser is filled with newborn clothes, the changing table is prepared with diapers/wipes, etc.......my bag is packed!!!  :-)
Last week we celebrated Halloween with some neighbor friends with a pizza party.  The kids decorated cupcakes and ran around playing all evening.  Addison was a little grumpy that night from her late nap and would not wear her costume for anything!  I finally gave up and put a trick or treat shirt on her and off we went!  Luckily, Addison changed her mind on actual Halloween (today!) and decided that dressing up is fun!!  She was a trooper and wore her little lamb costume all night long!  She was absolutely precious....even after a no nap day.....and loved running up to the doors collecting candy!  :-)  Enjoy the pictures of our precious peanut!

 Decorating cupcakes and cookies....yummy!

 A fun night a week before Halloween....Addison wasn't so much in to costumes that night!

 Snuggling with her friend Nils!

 Addison helping to celebrate her big cousin Victoria's 6th birthday!

 Our precious little lamb!

 Friends on Halloween!

 Trick or Treat!!!

Addison also got to attend her cousin Victoria's birthday party last weekend!  She was the youngest kid there (mostly 6 year olds), but seemed to enjoy herself! :-)
Noah and I will be celebrating our 32nd birthdays this weekend....can't believe it!  Addison's little friend Levi turns two soon, so we will be attending his birthday party this weekend too.