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Thursday, August 25, 2016

Life with Lucas {week 14}

Whew! I am almost totally caught up now with all of these blog posts. Never again am I going out of town around the 19th of the month...so many "monthly" things of Lucas's I still have to do!! 


I recapped the first part of Lucas's 14th week here, but now you can read about what we did after we got back from Ohio!

Monday morning 8 AM, you better believe I was on my computer. Had to shop the Lilly Pulitzer After Party Sale, duh! I got on right at 8 and had over 16,000 people in front of me in the virtual line. Luckily, I got into the sale within half an hour or so and frantically added as much as I could to my cart. This guy just stared at me like I was crazy (which I probably was...screaming at my computer when it froze up, or something disappeared from my cart). 


Poor guy didn't get anything, but I did gets lots for Ella and myself! Lilly needs to bring back the boys clothes so Lucas can match us!

Monday afternoon, it wasn't quite as hot as it has been so we went to the playground.


Side note: my friend let us borrow one of these hats to help Lucas's flat head. She had used it with her little girl, which is why it's pink, and I don't think Lucas was a fan! 


Has anyone used these hats before...do they work? If so, I'm going to keep forcing the pink on him...real men wear pink, Lucas!

Tuesday we went to the mall. After spending a small fortune at the Lilly sale, I decided to return some boots I had recently purchased. I'm trying to be practical. It was painful to return those boots, but I know my husband will be happy! 


We also went to story time at PBK and ran into a familiar face!


...And because Lilly Pulitzer hadn't gotten enough of my money already, we stopped by the actual store to see if they had anything else that wasn't online. (I didn't find anything!)


That afternoon, I finally decided to try Lucas out in his crib for a nap!


He did so well, we had him sleep in his crib that night, too! 


Wednesday morning, he was so happy about his new sleeping arrangement! It's definitely hard on me when my babies move to their cribs, but I know they can't sleep next to me in the Rock n Play forever. Plus, this will probably help shape Lucas's head a lot better, too! 


Then we met our contractor at the tile store to pick out tile for our bathroom!


This is what we went with...


I'm totally copying Classic Annie because I love her bathroom remodel so much ;) Thanks girl! 

After nap, it was time for another visit to the hematologist. Lucas was less than excited about it. 


But at least they always have fun toys for Ella to play with while we wait! 


Like I mentioned yesterday, Lucas's hemoglobin is finally at a normal level and is stable! So we don't have to go back to the hematologist anymore! Of course they will still keep an eye on things at his pediatrician's office...but oh, I am so glad we don't have to keep going to the clinic! Every visit turned into a 2 hour ordeal! 


Happy almost Friday, friends! 

Wednesday, August 24, 2016

Lucas William {Three Months}


Dear Lucas,

You turned 3 months last week when we were in Ohio! The past month went by even faster than your first two months, which I didn't even think was possible. We received the BEST news today: your hemoglobin is now 11! That's the highest its been pretty much your whole life!!! Since it's now stable  and you achieved this without the help of any blood transfusions (since your last one was 2 months ago), you no longer have to go to the hematologist's office! We loved everyone in that office and we will miss them, but are so, so, so happy that you are finally 100% HEALTHY!

Height: 24.5 inches (59 percentile)
Weight: 14 pounds, 1 ounce (45 percentile)
Head circumference: Still gotta measure ;) 

Clothes: You are solidly in 0-3 month clothes, but if I'm being honest, they are getting a little small. I refuse to put you in 3-6 month stuff though. Ha! Maybe next month. You also still wear size 1 diapers. You're probably definitely ready for size 2, but Mommy forgot to change your size on our monthly Amazon subscription for this month....so we have a whole box of size 1's we need to use up! 


Nicknames: Lou-Lou, Lou-Ba-Lou, Baby brother, Luke, Lukey, Hiiiiiiii guy/little guy...Ella still calls you "Baby Woo-cus"

Milestones: You have absolutely no interest in rolling over. You just love your tummy time. I'm not rushing it; I know you'll roll when you're ready. You can sit up for a hot second unassisted, which I think is pretty awesome. You lift your head up super high during tummy time and I can tell your neck muscles are getting stronger and stronger (which is great because we are still working out that flat spot on the back of your head). You are super alert and smiley the majority of the time!



Sleep: I regret ever saying you weren't that great of a sleeper....boy, am I eating my words now! You sleep every night from 10 or 11 (whenever your last feeding is) until 7AM...sometime even later! One morning in Ohio, you slept until almost 8:30! Basically you are a rock star sleeper, just like your sister! And, last night was your first night in your crib! You've been sleeping in the Rock n Play next to our bed, but we finally got up enough courage to put you in your own room. You slept great and didn't even notice you were in a different bed and room!



Best Moment: Surviving our trip to Ohio. I loved introducing you to lots of my friends, as well as several family members who hadn't met you yet! Everyone just loved you and thinks you're the easiest, chillest baby ever (something we've always known, but it's good to have others agree)!!

Worst Moment: You always seem to time your huge blow outs when we have somewhere to be...like right before heading in to a consignment sale, and then twice before we even left our driveway on our trip to Ohio! Lucky for you, I'm pretty good at car diaper changes.



Likes: Kicking your feet, car rides, your wubbanubs, lights/fans, EATING, warm baths, being held, being on your tummy, your sit-me-up chair, your bear mat (that you stole from Ella!), when we clap your hands for you, when Daddy makes you "fly, fly, fly" with your arms, when people say "BOO!" and when we play "drums" on your tummy.

Dislikes: Being cold and/or hungry. You also seem to have a brief fussy time at the exact moment Daddy and I sit down for dinner. It doesn't matter if it's 6:30 or 9:30...you know when we are eating!



Health: HOORAY for your hemoglobin! And your hematocrit! And your reticulocyte! Because all of these numbers are in the very NORMAL range for the first time ever! Thank you for allowing me to become very educated in the world of hemolytic anemia, but let's make the rest of your life medically uneventful, k? I was not a pre-med major for a reason....

Eating: Considering you've gained 2 pounds in the last month, I'd say you're a pretty great eater! Still nursing every 3 hours for about 20 minutes (6 sessions a day).


Sweet, sweet boy, we are so happy you are growing and thriving!!! We love watching you babble and coo, smile and laugh every day. You really are the happiest and easiest baby ever, and now that you're super healthy you certainly have reason to be happy! We love you, Lou Lou! 


{And, just for fun...Ella at 3 months}

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Ohio Trip 2016

{Alternatively titled: NO MORE ROAD TRIPS ever again}

Every few years, I get the bright idea that taking an 8+ hour drive up to Ohio sounds like fun, so I pack up the kid(s) and off we go!  Our last Ohio trip was in 2014 for Natalie's wedding, but this time we were going for a family reunion/celebration for my grandparents' 65th anniversary!

**Disclaimer: I looked in to flying up there, but it was going to cost us well over $1000. And then we had car seats, strollers, pack n plays, etc. and probably would have had to rent a car...so I thought it would just be easier to drive. Trav got stuck working, which meant I got to drive by myself with these 2 kiddos. 
(Don't worry, he flew to Cleveland Friday and drove back with us Sunday.) 


I could do an entire post of taking a road trip with a toddler and a baby. (Maybe I will, ha!) I loaded up that iPad with some Daniel Tiger episodes (off Amazon Prime) and then downloaded a bunch of apps that don't requite internet access. My favorites (and Ella's, too!) are Peekaboo Barn (I bought a whole bundle of Peekaboo apps for $4.99), Sago Mini (this one and this one are free!) and Lego apps (this one and this one). 

We stopped about 3 hours into our trip in West Virginia. I found a Chick Fil-A with a playground (score!) and figured Ella could play while I fed Lucas. Before I let her play, we stopped in the bathroom...but of course she didn't have to go then. But oh, as soon as I start feeding Lucas, guess who had to pee?! And proceeded to pee all over the CFA playground. Yep. They had to shut the whole playground down to clean it. I was so embarrassed. We quickly scarfed down our food and got the hell out of there. 


Luckily, the rest of our drive was pretty uneventful. We stopped once more to feed Lucas and Ella actually used the bathroom (!!!!). We made it to Columbus in 9 hours (it's supposed to take 7) to see my friend, Dana! 


Ella had a blast playing with Dana's little boy, Gavin, and especially loved his Mickey Mouse...and the rest of his toys. Thank you again for letting us stay the night, Dana!


Before we left the next morning, Ella had to have a photo shoot with Dana's dog. She loved Callie.


And we're on the road again! This time just a quick sprint up to Cleveland...less than 2 hours. 


We got to my grandparents' house and Ella wasted no time making herself at home. My grandpa has this whole train system set up in their basement and Ella was super into it!


That evening, we met Natalie and Brian for dinner at Chipotle!




Thursday morning, I took Lucas for his first run in the BOB. It has been so hot in Charlotte that we haven't run outside at all. But it was nice and cool in Ohio, so I thought this would be a good idea. Ummm, no. That car seat is SO heavy. Holy crap. And also I am out of shape. Woof. 


Then we went shopping at Crocker Park! Ella was a little crazy but luckily my mom brought lots of pretzels to bribe her with. 


Ella's dog obsession continued with Josie, the chocolate lab my grandparents were "babysitting." She was so patient with my crazy 2 year old!


We also found a park! It was amazing to play outside and not be covered in sweat!


Friday afternoon, we drove up to Avon Lake, which is where I lived in high school. We visited one of my favorite families that I used to babysit for!


We face-timed with their oldest daughter, who was already off at college. 


And Ella tried to crawl in their dogs' crate. She literally thought their two doggies were part of the Paw Patrol. 


We also stopped to see Angela and her kids!



When we got back to my grandparents' house, my cousins had arrived! Lucas got to meet his 2nd cousin (or what do you call your kids and your cousin's kids?!), Keaton who is 3 months older than him!


And Ella quickly became friends with my cousin's daughter, Andie!



These 2 were seriously besties in a matter of minutes. They were so cute. 


Saturday morning, we hit up another park!



And then after naps, it was time for the main event: my grandparents' anniversary party!


My grandparents have been trying to get everyone together for quite a while. It's definitely hard since we live in Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado and California...and someone almost always has something going on (new baby, injury, work conflict...). But we finally managed to make it happen and all 26 of us were in the same place at the same time to celebrate my grandparents!

After we took "nice" pictures, it was time to play! Ella had so much fun swimming with Andie in my uncle's pool.




Lots of family chats...


...and Lucas had a great time, too!


He loved being held by my cousin! I kept telling her that she needs to move to Charlotte and be my babysitter!!!


My grandparents are the sweetest people. It meant so much to them that everyone was together. It was definitely worth the crazy 9 hour road trip to come see them!


After dinner, we found this:


All the girl cousins in one room. It was a little bit loud, to say the least!

When it was time to say goodbye, Ella and Andie hugged about 12 times and even said "I love you" (unprompted!)...they are so sweet!


We drove back Sunday morning...but this time Daddy got to suffer along with us! Lucas was OVER being in his car seat. Poor guy. 


It took us 9 hours to get home and no one peed on a CFA playground this time, which I consider a success. All in all, a fun time but I am definitely not taking any long car trips for a while! 
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