Little Dude is...

This little boy is such a joy to have in the family!  He gave us a few weeks of colic, but he has changed so much this past month.

He's now the most laid-back baby ever.  I am LOVING having an 'easy' baby.  He wakes up, eats, poops, smiles, and then goes back to sleep.  It's awesome.  The Sunbean was high-strung from the beginning, and it's so fun to see how different their personalities are.  For example, whilst getting shots today, he smiled at the nurse.  She said she'd never seen anything like it.  I love this boy!

Here are his stats:

Weight:  13 pounds 11 ounces, 90%

Height: 22 3/4 inches, 50%

Head Size: 15 3/4 inches, 50%

Here's what Little Dude is up to:

• He's sleeping for 7 hours about 3-4 times a week.  Heaven!
• Speaking of sleeping, he's still in that I-can-sleep-anywhere stage.  I'll be sad to see that go.
• He loves the Moby....and so do I!
• He's our chubby little guy.  I just had to go buy 3-6 month summer clothes, and some of those are getting snug.  And when I say 'I', I obviously mean my mom.  Thanks, mom.
• This guy's feet are huge.  As in, the same size as the Sunbean's when she turned one.
• He still loves to be swaddled.  It's cute to see how quickly he settles down for the evening when we get him nice and tight.
• MacGyver thinks I'm crazy, but I think his hair is getting lighter.
• He's finally stretching 2-3 hours between feedings.  Thank goodness.  Maybe his weight gain will plateau a little!
• The Sunbean is still just as enamored with her little brother.  She was with her Nana today, and when she came home, she wanted nothing to do with me.  Just wanted to see the babe.
• This guy has some pretty silly facial expressions.  My personal favorite is when his eyes get so big they look as if they will fall out.

Time sure does go fast with two kids.  It's hard to believe two months have passed since Little Dude was born.  We're loving this life as a family of four!

A Big Loser

Yep, this is my official post-baby weight loss post.  I tried for at least 20 minutes to find a photo of myself to use as my 'goal', but apparently I do not take photos of myself.  It's just as well.  Here's the best I found:

Little Baby Sunbean and I getting a pedicure.

This time around, I have an incentive program, a la 'The Biggest Loser'.  Well, unless you're from this silly town...they have a contest called 'The Smallest Winner'.  It just doesn't have the same ring to it.  But then again, naming things isn't our forte.  After all, our minor-league baseball team is the TinCaps, and we tried to name a building the Harry Baals Building.  Honestly.

Anyway, MacGyver found out that our insurance company offers a pretty suh-weet incentive program to lose weight.  Since I gain an exorbitant amount of weight while pregnant, I actually meet the requirements of the program.

Here's the skinny (pun intended).  If I lose 10% of my body weight, I will get $500.  Yep, $500.  Then, if I keep it off for a year, I'll get an additional $1,000.  That's $1,500 for being healthy.  Um, yes please.

So at my 6-week checkup, I had my doc fax in the form, and I got enrolled.  She actually wants to see me again next month, so my goal is to have lost the 10% by then.  The insurance company doesn't impose any time limits on losing the 10%, but I'm going back to the doctor anyway, so it would just be easier if I could have her fill out the paper while I'm already there.

So how awesome is this?  Not only am I going to be getting back to my old self, but I'm getting paid to do it!  Hello, new wardrobe!

Summer Bucket List

A few weeks ago, it hit me....summer is cruisin' on by.  I have this reaction around July 4th every year.  I think it stems from being in elementary school.  This was back when we got out right before Memorial Day every year (what on earth is up with schools going until the middle of June these days?!?).  Being in elementary school, I wasn't working or involved in sports, so the summer lasted forever.  July 4th seemed to mark the middle of summer.

Well, now, it seems that the summer has just begun around July 4th.  Every year, I kind of freak out and think, "Wait!  How is it July 4th?  Summer just started!  There's so much left to do!".  Schools around here start back in less than a month.

Though I suppose without kids in school, my summer doesn't really have an end, other than when it gets cold.  I decided to compile a summer bucket list of things I want to do with my kids before summer's end.  Some we've already done, and some we'll do multiple times.

Picnic

Library Reading Program

Sprinkler

Camp in Michigan

Camp in the Backyard

TinCaps Game

Outdoor Concert

Parade

Bubbles

Water Paint

S'mores

Splash Park

Winnie the Pooh

Boat Ride for Ice Cream

Cookout with Friends

Beach

What about you?  Do you have any big plans?  Small plans?  Or are you just counting down the days until the kids are back in school?

Happy Anniversary

Six years ago today.

And this is what we have to show for it.

Not too shabby, I'd say.

Polo Tutorial

Picture this.  One crabby toddler.  One screaming newborn.  One momma on the search for a plain navy shirt for her daughter.

The major retailers missed the boat on plain.  I just wanted a plain navy shirt to compliment the Sunbean's July 4th pants, thankyouverymuch.  Well, they don't make plain navy blue shirts for little girls.  At least at Target, Old Navy, or Kohl's.  And that's about all the aforementioned trio could handle.

So I grabbed a little boys' navy blue polo and figured I'd make it work.  For your viewing pleasure:

Fourth Festivities

 

 Well, you know how I adore making festive outfits for my little ones.  Having two just means they get to match.  This is what having kids is all about for type-a mommas like me.  I also made matching Sunday outfits, too, though Little Dude's didn't exactly turn out.  The Sunbean's was cute, though.

 On Saturday, we went to a parade in the town where my grandma lives.  I've gone to this parade for as long as I can remember.  It just doesn't feel like the 4th of July without this little lake-town celebration.  The Sunbean just thought it was loud.

It's been strange the past few years, without gathering to celebrate my grandpa's birthday.  His birthday was on the 5th, but he died on the 2nd a few years ago.  I have many happy memories of packing the lake cottage full of family.  It's different now, but we just can't miss this parade.

 Since the Sunbean is cute + sitting in a relatively kid-free area + sitting at the end of the parade, we got a haul of candy.  It was actually a little overwhelming for my pint-size tot, and she started crying because she couldn't pick it all up.  Aaaaaaadorable.

For the rest of the weekend, we grilled out with friends, played fun card games, taught sharing time, bought a tent off of craigslist, went camping in Michigan {where the Sunbean was in her first-ever golf cart parade}, had another cookout with family, and then went to fireworks.

Phew.  We're tired.