Random Thoughts...

• I'm pretty sure only my children can burp in my face, spit up on my shoulder, and have morning breath without my even caring or flinching.

• There are both clean and dirty diapers constantly everywhere in this house. Between both kiddos, each morning I think I carry at least 2 or 3 dirty ones down with me. Our garbage is so heavy with the weight of them - it's hilarious. We'll definitely be working on potty training this summer!

• If I have to run into someone while searching the pad aisle at Target, how convenient that it be my labor and delivery nurse.

• It's amazing what I have discovered I can do one handed.

• If I do a little bit every day, I've found that I can *almost* keep up on house work. Granted I only have 1,800 sq ft to take care of; however, for that I am grateful.

• I really thought it only worked in the movies, but running the vacuum and bath water will instantly calm Conrad down. Helps tremendously when I'm trying to get all three of us ready in the mornings! Although, no excuse not to have a clean floor. Ha.

• I will never, ever, ever pass up someone bringing me a meal. What a blessing it is to to have friends and and our church family pouring out love on us this way. Two meals a week until the middle of July - we are so grateful. (And being fed incredibly well!)

• Is there anything cuter than a baby yawning?! Seriously. Swoon.....

• I told Tom we'd talk again in 10 years. I'm kidding, but we were trying to have a conversation the other day as we were heading out the door and after countless interruptions, I just gave up. Making time for our marriage definitely takes planning and just has to be a priority.

• Some days, naps are no longer a luxury but rather a necessity.

• I slept for three hours (11:55 to 3:06 to be exact) flat on my back last night, and I was so pumped when I woke up! It's so funny how your thinking about things you "need" changes when you have a newborn in the house. I'll take 3 hours!

• If I think about everything I want/need to do, I tend to get overwhelmed and anxious. And then I was reading my devotional from Proverbs 31 Ministries yesterday, and isn't it just like our God to have the entire thing about life being overwhelming and burdens being heavy and worries making us weary. Meant for me? I think so! I love His timing. Here's what it said....

"One day I was reading my Bible and noticed how Martha's worries were making her wonder if Jesus cared about her. Martha's sister Mary had left her in the kitchen to do all the work while Mary sat in another room listening to Jesus. The Bible tells us,"She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!'" (Luke 10:40b NIV)

Listen to how Jesus responded: "'Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (v. 41-42 NIV).

In that moment, Jesus showed Martha just how much He cared. Not just about how hard she was working, but about the rest He knew she needed. Instead of giving her what she demanded, Jesus showed Martha what she needed and the choice she could make to receive it.

Jesus helped Martha see that Mary hadn't abandoned her to do the work by herself. Instead, Mary chose to walk away from distractions and preparations so she could take hold of something that couldn't be taken away from her.

It was the one thing that would last even after Jesus was gone: time with Him resting in His presence, soaking in His perspective, and listening to His promises."

Easier said than done, but carrying around burdens and worries and weight is absolutely no fun. I'm going to be working on this and hope to keep things in perspective. Some of the things that weigh me down just aren't worth it. Mary was doing what was most important and of eternal value - spending time with the Lord, which in the end couldn't be taken from her. Lord...make me more like Mary!

Miss us? Well here are some pics...

Gwendolyn asks to hold Baby Brother Conrad all the time, and for the most part he doesn't seem to mind! Both times we have taken his bi-weekly picture, she's said "my turn!" and jumps right up there after he's done.  

See...isn't it just the cutest?!

(Taken May 4th)

The spoiled life of a toddler with a nursing new sibling at home...chillin' in the recliner with a banana while watching cartoons. You bet!

Those are my random thoughts for now....have a blessed day!

Conrad - 4 Weeks Old

Well guess what?! I am one month old today! I turned 4 weeks old on Sunday, but you'll have to forgive my tardiness in getting my update posted. I think it'd be best to just always anticipate my being a few days late. Sorry, I'm just still getting used to these things called deadlines and I find that playing with my sissy and snuggling with my Mama and Dada take up a lot of my time these days.

• I made my first trip to Target and to be honest, I'm not sure what all the hype is about. Mommy seemed very excited about the adventure with me and sissy though so I hate to rain on her parade. Something about taking two kiddos out in public alone for the first time. Either way, I found it to be quite boring so decided to just snooze the entire time.

• On the night of May 14th, I finally slept 2.5 hours in my bassinet! All on my own! (If only my mom had been ready to go to bed at the same time.)

• Three different people in one week told mama about something called a Rock and Play and just when they were going to go out and buy one for me, a friend loaned one to them instead. Apparently 2.5 hours wasn't impressive enough so I went and slept 3.5 hours in my new Rock and Play. I haven't done that long of a stint since then and mommy is still holding me at different times of the night, but I like it better than my bassinet for now. It makes me feel all snuggly and when I start to fuss, sometimes I can be rocked back down.

• My nights are all random as far as when I go down to sleep, but I'm showing some predictability in that I typically have a period of anywhere from an hour to two plus hours that I'm wide awake. Tonight I started at 9:45 pm, hence my late evening blog post.

• I had to have a little dealio done on my belly button (nothing serious) so had a random doctor's appointment on May 22nd and would ya know it, I weighed 11 lbs, 7 oz. I have gained over 3 pounds in a month! I take my job of eating very seriously!

• Speaking of eating, the doctor gave mommy some advice that I'm not sure I'm so fond of. She said that maybe mommy should try and stretch me longer between meals so I eat more at one nursing session instead of small snacks here and there. I'm sorry, but what is this?!

Confession though....whether I like to admit it or not....it's true that I can go 3 sometimes 3.5 hours in between nursing because sometimes when napping during the day...I forget to wake up. But keep it on the DL because I'm not sure how I feel about not getting what I want.

• I sweat like crazy. Mommy thinks it's a boy thing because she doesn't remember it with sissy. Between the two of us at night, it's like we radiate heat. I don't think I'll be a one bath a week baby!

• I was a very good little boy on my first road trip down to my grandma and grandpa's house in Iowa. I only requested one pit stop on the way down and then slept the entire way home! I got to meet my Aunt Becca and Uncle Brent and Uncle Robert, two great-aunts, a great-uncle and some cousins too! I won't pass up the extra snuggles, that's for sure.

• Thankfully I have a pretty go with the flow personality, which makes me easy to get along with. It's fun having a big sister who does big kid things like story time at the library, drop-in play time, play dates with friends, etc.

• The times I'm not so "go with the flow" are when I'd rather be held than put down, which is basically anytime I'm awake. I'll be content for a few minutes in my bouncy seat if I'm fed with clean pantaloons, but I find life more enjoyable closer to those I love. Mommy and daddy have both used a sling and carrier with me and I liked both of them, which made us all happy. I get the feeling they're looking forward to my being entertained with toys...

• Daddy swears I smiled at him, but since mommy didn't see it she says it doesn't count.

Everyone seems eager to go to bed, so I should probably start winding down now. Thanks for stopping by!

Love,
Conrad

That's Settled...

I think...

Gwendolyn...

plans...

on...

keeping...

him around.

*smile

I've been blessed to have 

A brother like you,

You're my pal, my buddy,

My best friend too.

And it means a lot

Having a brother like you.

Author: Unknown

April in Pictures

April was a BIG month! The entire month was like leading up to Christmas but not knowing which morning you'd walk downstairs to find the biggest, greatest, sweetest, and loveliest present under the tree. I love it! Part of me hates it when that part of being pregnant is over b/c I find it so exciting, but the flip side is of course being able to hold that perfect present in my arms and kiss his squishy cheeks all day long if I want to!  What a great month it was....so here goes the picture documentation...oh, and please forgive me if I've already posted some of these. I have neither the time or the energy to go back through to double check. Gotta make use of this nap time! (And maybe squeeze in a nap for myself if there is time.)

Left: It's hard to see, but take note of Gwendolyn's fingers in the picture on the left. She loves putting her fingers through tags when she's tired and specifically her Taggies pillow and blanket set, which she sleeps with. It's hard to see b/c of the light but she has two or three fingers through on her left hand and one on her right. Whatever it takes to fall asleep, right? 

Right: I'm constantly coming up one sock short when I fold her laundry and it's b/c the girl doesn't keep them on and puts them in random places. This day it was on her hands apparently.

Pretending to be my baby and holding her own bottle.

Can you see why we lose socks around here? Look at all of her stuff!

The curls! Oh, the curls!

(Dear God, I love my daughter exactly how she is b/c I know you designed her, but maybe just maybe....the curls could stay?! Amen.)

One of my many "view from here" pictures...

We go to drop-in playtime on Fridays through our local ECFE and it's honestly fun for both of us! Seeing Gwendolyn having a great time and interacting with kids her age brings me immense joy, and I love being able to meet and talk to other moms. It's $4 well spent each week.

Not sure why, but occasionally she'll bring me all of the things she's playing with and dump them in my lap.

Always an entertainer.

At our 37 week appointment checking on baby brother!

Waking up from naps isn't always easy...

We checked out a recommended play place in a nearby town. The slides you can see on the right were super fun (I didn't get to try them out, but I could tell by her face they were) however I'm not sure we'll be going back until she's a bit older. The "big" kids misbehaving (see slides on right) and running and screaming were a bit much. 

My little helper...

Trying out the new tent!

Barely still fitting on mommy's lap...

Tom took a day off so we could go to the Minnesota Zoo. Of course, one would think that mid-April would be nice spring-like weather. NOT. It was freezing. But those baby farm animals were so ca-ute! I kept telling myself that as I walked the frigid (I can exaggerate since I was literally days away from having a baby) mile walk out to the "farm" with wind blowing in my face. Thank goodness we're big animal fans here! Especially little baby ones.

Love Gwendolyn's face!

Third best part of the trip to the zoo aside from spending time as a family and seeing super cute baby farm animals was our "first aid" trip back to the car! Woohoo! I was so happy not to have to walk that long walk back, I could have cried.

Word of advice: accept help.

We went to Uncle Scott and Aunt Nikki's for a play date with Natron one morning/afternoon. Love those two toddlers. (Who moments after this was taken were fighting over a ball. Ha.)

Nikki giving Gwendolyn a manicure.

Reading was one of the many ways we passed the time while waiting for baby brother to arrive....

And snuggling...

And falling off furniture....

(I allowed her to do this a tad unwillingly, but at the suggestion of my sister who said I need to relax as a parent *smile. Becca didn't specifically suggest encouraging her to fall off furniture head first, but I figured it was a good first practice.)

Our lunch date on baby brother's due date!

And another play date with Ceci the day before brother arrived...

Hanging with cousin Brookie at Aunt Trishy and Uncle John's new house...

Left: Squish!

Right: Squish! 

(Seeing her dressed for church gets me every time.)

And then the big news of the month....Conrad Cross making his arrival at 7:26 pm on April 28th! What a glorious, awesome, amazing, incredible day it was! I haven't been able to go through and organize the hospital pictures yet, so here are some taken on our phones.

Only moments after he was born...I'll never forget the moment I first looked at him and he just stared up at me and gripped my fingers. Our son!

The next morning. Tom and I were on cloud 9. We had so much fun in the hospital!

The day we got home. I think someone loves her new brother!

Oh man, I loved the month of April. Life with two is much busier, but double the fun, laughter and joy and I can't wait to share more pictures.