Celebrating America's birthday

We headed north to the lake for the Fourth of July weekend. Will did pretty well during his first road trip and slept for the majority of the drive. The weather was fabulous, and the kids had a ton of fun playing with their cousins. Ella had all kinds of firsts during our stay, including:

• A ride on the jet ski (or husky as she calls it)
• Fun with sparklers
• Marshmallow roasting for s'mores
• Catching and pulling apart lightning bugs (yuck ... her idea, not mine)
• Fireworks at the lake

Here are some pics from the holiday weekend:

Happy Fourth!

Our cute niece Kiernan.

Yes, that's the "lightening" part of the lightening bug, and yes, she looks a bit crazy.

Kiernan enjoying some upside down time.

Ella checking out her reflection in the window.

Dinner at the Jorgensens

Will wasn't digging his bouncer chair the other night during dinner. As soon as we plopped him on the island where his sis was eating her scrumptious meal (which took her an hour to eat), he was happy as can be. Sisters can be so entertaining. 

Someone loves his big sis

He's not so sure about that face she's making at him ...

And he's over this photo shoot

Happy one-month birthday, Will!

 
I can't believe Will is already one month old. He's starting to develop quite the personality and is learning how to communicate via various grunts, screeches and the loudest cry I've ever heard ... seriously ... this boy can wail. He's having a bit more wake time during the day and will sit contently in his bouncer chair, checking out the world around him. Don't get little man overtired/overstimulated, though. That very, very, very loud cry will make its appearance with little to no warning.

Will's doing great at night. Luckily for us, he never had any issues with day/night reversal. Initially, he struggles a bit to go down at night, but once he finally realizes it's night time, he's ready to snooze. He'll get up once to eat in the middle of the night and then early, early morning, but then he goes right back down. Naps, however, are another story. We're working on getting him to nap in his crib, but he often prefers to take a snooze in his swing or my arms. Apparently, he thinks the crib is only for nighttime.

Ella enjoys her big sister duties and loves to "read" stories to Baby Will as she calls him. She also will show him all of her toys and his toys. And she can't get enough hugs and kisses from Will. She tries to sneak hugs when he's in his swing, which just doesn't work out very well.

Just like his big sister, we (and the doctor) suspect Will has acid reflux. We started him on medicine on Friday, so hopefully that starts to kick in. Even with tummy issues, Will weighed around 10.5 pounds. We have a big boy on our hands!

Look how big this boy looks!

Our family of four on Father's Day

Adding some more crazy to our lives

William Paul made his appearance May 21 at 5:34 p.m. He was a whopping 8 pounds, 10 ounces and 21 inches long. Quite a difference from petite Ella who was only 6.5 pounds and 19 inches. Will's name means strong willed warrior ... and that he was during his birth. The little man was determined to stay inside, forcing me to have a c-section ... and every drug possible due to horrendous labor pains. I could not believe the difference between the two kids' births. Ella was a piece of cake. I didn't even need an epidural. It's definitely true that no two kids or labors are the same.

Fast forward a few weeks from May 21, and Will is already nearly a month. Sleeping and eating are currently his favorite activities. He does not enjoy being overtired, and will scream loudly until he's finally able to fall asleep. He starting to be more alert and makes the cutest faces at me. I swear he's smiled at me a few times already, and it's not just gas.

We've had help with Will (and Ella) since his birth. Monday will be my first day on my own. We'll see how well this mama can handle two kids while Brian is at work. Wish me luck!

  

April showers bring a May baby ... hopefully

I was fortunate enough to have not just one fabulous baby shower to help us prepare for baby boy's arrival, but two. My sister-in-law Amy threw me a Sprinkle on April 13. It was absolutely perfect! She held it at a restaurant in Liberty, Mo., which meant no clean-up for anyone ... bonus!

I loved catching up with my Kansas City friends, and of course, having my in-laws, mom and sister there was great. Below are some pics. Amy thought of every detail. She should go into business for this type of thing. Oh wait ... she has! Here's her website again with all of her crafty baby gear: http://kenkierdesigns.com/home.html.

Amy made this baby buggy out of receiving blankets, a towel, burp rags and diapers. Very creative! 

Ella, Grandma Kay and Great Grandma Norma

I had two little helpers during gift opening.

I failed to take any family pictures during the shower, so here's an after shot. Ella was about to go down for a nap (2 hours late), which explains her hair and not-so-happy face.

 A few weeks later, two of my favorite girls at work threw me a shower. Brian and Ella got to join in on the festivities as well. Ella was pumped full of chocolate coins, and she received a big sister gift, so it was a great day for her. My co-workers were beyond generous and pretty much bought out our registry.

We are so, so thankful to have such thoughtful friends, family and co-workers in our lives.

Blue Chip Cookies in Leawood, Kan. makes the best cookie cake ... EVER!

Can you believe all of these gifts?!