A round of applause!

A quick update on my littles:

Adeline is still working on crawling, although she is very, very close to success. She can get in the crawl position and rock back and forth and will even move one leg forward before plopping flat on the ground. Also, she just started clapping (and loves showing off her skills) and one of her top front teeth is beginning to poke out. Her brother makes her laugh and smile like no one else, and she flaps her arms and squeals when she is really happy. Although she is still waking up at least once per night (usually around 4 a.m.) and will cry if she thinks she is alone (no human and no Finn to be seen), she is generally very happy and calm.

Reid is our little wilding, and he keeps us on his toes with his hilarious antics. Ever the typical boy, he will wrestle Mom, Dad, Apa, Grandma, Dylan, etc. at any opportunity. Getting him to sit and eat dinner is a monumental feat, and he regularly resists bed time and going to school (#FOMO). He loves to say "Really? Really?" as in "Really, mom, you are going to do that? Really?" and he also loves to say "See, See- I told you so" when somebody trips or drops something. He still loves reading (yay!) and singing and is so, so excited for Christmas.

Most days, Andy and I stumble to bed around 10:30, totally exhausted and often questioning whether we are living some sort of groundhog day scenario. Still, I am desperately aware that I will miss these chaotic days when they are gone. It fills me with joy to watch my children grow older, but it also makes my heart ache a little. When I stop to reflect, the raw and unyielding tick of time often feels like it bears down on me and gives me a terrifying sense of urgency to spend every minute with my babies. There is never enough time, right? Love, love, love my littles.

7 Month Update On My Little Lady

My little Addie-girl is growing up fast! While I can't remember the exact date her first tooth popped out, she has been working on her bottom two teeth for a month or so, and I think her top teeth are gearing up to pop out soon. She is also getting in the crawl position and rocking back and forth, so I know crawling is right around the corner (ready or not!). She is also babbling and saying mama and dada- I can't wait until she says both with clear intention. As has been the case for a while, she is totally amused by Reid (and he loves when she shrieks or smiles at him), interested in Finn, and she absolutely loves being held. For the most part, she is a pretty chill baby, although she can get hangry and will let you know with immediate and dramatic crying if you take away a toy before she is ready. Typically, she is asleep by 8 p.m., wakes up once in the night for a small snack (usually around 4 a.m.), and wakes up or is woken up for the day around 7 a.m.. So far, she has shown very little interest in eating solid foods, although we have tried sweet potatoes, mango (her favorite), peas, avocado, yogurt, apples, and carrots. She will eat teething biscuits, gum carrots and peppers, and shows a small amount of interest in drinking water from a sippy. So unlike Reid, getting A interested in solids has been a challenge. Andy and I mention all the time that she is the sweetiest, cuddliest little babe. Happy 7 months, Adeline Charlene!

Imagination overload

Reid is at such a fun age and stage right now. Much to my delight, his imagination has been running wild, and he is constantly entertaining us with his stories. Last night, he pretended that the chaise lounge was a boat and he was the captain (he called himself "the Capt"). After urging all of us to get on the boat with him, he told us he was sailing to America. Once there, he would say his prayers and waive the flag. Then he would eat dinner. I assume he learned all of this in school through lessons on Thanksgiving- regardless, it was an adorable voyage! He also loves dressing up like characters from PJ Mask, putting out fires around the house with and without a fireman costume, going on dinosaur rides with daddy, and singing made up songs about all sorts of things he comes across in his daily life. Tomorrow, I get to spend the day with him (yay for boss being out of town), and he has requested that we go to "the park with the big rock." Said park is actually Phelps Park- he enjoys jumping off the big rock there and playing superhero or whatever else he cares to be. I can't wait to find out!

Three Years!

So here we are. Reid is three years old, meaning I have been a mother for three years (or almost four if you count pregnancy). Sometimes, it seems like yesterday that I was taking long runs/walks around Gainesville and Lake Eola, leisurely sipping wine, watching Bravo and MTV for hours before bed, bouncing around bars downtown, and all sorts of activities that are better done solo or with other adults. Now, most of my non-work hours are spent with little humans or chasing after highly coveted sleep. Sometimes, it feels like I have lived a lifetime between the time when I was childless and now. And, to be honest, there have been plenty of moments when I am overflowing with love and contentment in my new role as mother, but there have been hard times, too. There is never a moment when I wish I did not have my children; on the contrary, my children have my heart, and I do not believe I would find life worth living if I had to go on without them. Still, there are days when I am so tired, so overtouched, so frustrated, and so anxious that one more book, one more cup of water, one more "Reid, please sit down" or "Reid, please eat your dinner" or "Reid, no jumping on the couch" seems like a monumental ask. But then Reid says something funny or gives me a hug or loves on his sister or does one of the many other things he does that brighten my day, and my heart melts all over again. In the last three years, my little boy has forced me to stretch and grow and learn and love in ways I never could have imagined in my childless life. He is a force to be reckoned with - a wild and wonderful little boy. I am so grateful that I have had the past 3+ years with him, and I hope and pray I have many, many, many more (at least 70? :) ) birthdays with him. I love you to the moon and back (and even more than that), my sweet boy.

Reid's current favorites, as of 8 a.m. on 10/17/2018:
Favorite song: Tayo
Favorite show: Bus Tayo
Favorite animal: Lion
Favorite food: Grapes
Favorite paw patrol: Skye

Edited on 10/29/18 to add:
Favorite color: blue
Another favorite show: PJ Mask
Favorite game at the moment: Hungry, Hungry Hippos
Favorite book at the moment: Richard Scary Things That Go (he likes to find Goldbug) and Wheres Waldo (likes to find Waldo)
Favorite movie: Lion King

And here we go again..

Another month, another blog post. It seems like the days/weeks/months are flying by way too quickly. Addie is almost 6 months, and Reid is almost 3 years old. As A becomes more and more responsive and smiley, R is putting lots of complex sentences together, learning and singing new songs, and showing us just how big his imagination can grow. One of the best developments is an increasing connection between both kids. R is smitten with A and will go up to her and hug her and kiss on her without any sort of coaxing from yours truly. He loves when she makes eye contact with him and smiles at him and even seems to enjoy when she pulls his hair. Yesterday, we spent the day in Tampa/Suncity Center celebrating Gage's 5th birthday. According to Andy, Gage told Reid he was so lucky that he gets to spend all day with Adeline. So Sweet and so true. Adeline is lucky to spend the day with Reid, too. Yay for siblings!

Life Lately

Wow, time is flying by. Adeline is more than four months old now, and Reid's third birthday is fast approaching. Last week, A dealt with her first daycare sickness (RSV, bronchiolitis, and ear infection) and handled it beautifully. Perk for mama - I was able to stay home with her a couple days. Reid is doing really well as a "fantastic frog" and only occasionally tells us he is sick and has a fever in his attempts to stay home from "schoolie."  Andy and I are both working full-time and working on figuring out a routine - I think we will have it figured out around the time the kids leave for college. Finn is taking everything in stride- Reid is hugging on him one minute and kicking him or hitting him with a random object the next minute. Life is busy and beautiful.

Updates on Reid:

Talking up a storm

Looking forward to having two monster truck cakes at his upcoming birthday

Can tell you when his birthday is (October 16)

Talks about what he did at school and who he played with (seems to favor Annabelle and Maya)

Loves playing with cars and procuring new cars from Ellison and Dylan's house every.single.time.he.visits

Loves singing "Let Me Call you Sunshine" with mommy

Loves pretending he is a lion (Simba, Mufasa, or Scar) or a bear and chasing Daddy around the house ("I will get you")

Still calls bandaids, "airbanes"

Enjoys eating fruit, icecream, popsicles, gummies ("squeeze bunnies')

Relished his first "kid coffee" this morning via a Starbucks drive-through ("kid-coffee" = milk steamer)

Tells us he has "two names: Reid Layden"

Loves to ask his mom and dad to play cars with him: "Do you want to play with me?"

Loves watching shows involving cars or strucks like Blippy, Stinky & Dirty, etc.

Has mastered his colors and shapes and can count pretty well and point out the letter "R"

Three adjectives to describe Reid: loving, playful, funny

Updates on Adeline:

Also talking/babbling up a storm

Goes to sleep around 8 but still waking up at least once per night to eat (usually between 3:30-4:30)

Loves kicking around during bath time

Gives the best smiles - her eyes light up each time

Enjoys watching Reid run around

Smiles at Finn

Seems to enjoy book time and will grab for the pages

Loves putting her fingers in her mouth rock-star style

Doesn't mind the carseat, thankfully

Goes with the flow for the most part- a must in our home

Three adjectives to describe Adeline: chill, happy, loving

Posing before A's first day of school as a "Hatchling"

R pointing out his new classroom - the "Fantastic Frogs"

A smiling and talking to Grandpa while rocking her Gator outfit that Grandpa bought her from Cracker Barrel!

Reid plotting how he will torment or love on Finn next

Welcome to the world, Adeline Charlene Layden

Talk about a long overdue post. I'm not entirely sure why, but it was so difficult to sit down and write a blog post during my maternity leave. Now that I've been back to work for two weeks (boo) and am sitting in front of a computer for most of my waking hours, I am hoping to update more frequently.  Now, on to the good stuff.

Adeline ("Addie") joined our little family at 9:11 p.m. on April 18th. Her delivery was much less dramatic than Reid's (minus the seven minute long contraction that resulted in an oxygen mask and a shot to the thigh), and my postpartum recovery felt easier in many ways. I believe knowing what to expect helped in that respect. Plus, I am so busy with two children that there is very little time to reflect on physical, mental, or emotional discomforts. I had a really nice and mostly relaxing maternity leave with my little girl, and it was (and is) so hard to return to work. Thankfully, I have been able to go to her school during lunch to feed her, which has helped ease my separation anxiety a bit. I never thought I would look forward to waking up and feeding her in the middle of the night (still happening - usually between 4-430am), but I really do. You were right, Jenn.

Adeline is such a sweet baby. With the exception of digestive issues (the gas! the reflux!) that resulted in lengthy periods of crying in her first month or so of life, she is mostly content and very easy going in the midst of the (mostly toddler-centered) chaos that surrounds her.  She is often content to sit in her rocker or lay on the floor with toys, she loves taking a bath, and she tolerates the car seat very well. She will even let me carry her around in the ergo, something her brother was not as open to when he was a baby. Like Reid, Adeline can get riled up when she is hungry, but she rarely cries otherwise. If she does cry when not hungry, it usually means that she is over-tired, and she stops crying and starts sleeping in a short amount of time. Also, she has the best smiles- her eyes and whole face light up when she smiles. In her efforts to procure a spot as "daddy's girl," she likes to save her biggest and brightest smiles for Andy, and she lights up at the sound of his voice.  She also loves tracking Finn and Reid when they are nearby, and she will contentedly look at pictures in books when we read them to her.  Developmentally, she seems right on track, whatever that means. She has demonstrated great head and neck control since we brought her home from the hospital, started rolling from back to tummy (still working on the other way) a few weeks ago, and babbles and shrieks with delight. I have also been fortunate enough to hear her giggle a few times - oh, how I love that sound. We are so fortunate.