halloween & arboretum

This year we (Chase came up with the idea and I executed) dressed up as NINJA Turtles! It was a super home-made, super cheap, last minute costume and I was pretty happy with how they turned out!

COWABUNGA DUDE! (i just love Chloe and her little num-chucks!)

our sweet little Ninja Turtle girls

Chase was on cloud 9 getting to dress up, play with swords and teach the girls about his all time favorite childhood show! It was fun to see him share the love with his girls. This may have been our last year to tell them what they are going to dress up like for Halloween, so we took advantage of it 😉

Halloween 2015

We met up with Mario and Captain America (the cousins & family) to trick-or-treat around the square in downtown Denton.

It was crazy and there were SO many people out! Lydia loved seeing everyone dressed up and kept pointing and telling us, “look there is a dog, or a princess, or cow! etc” The girls didn’t get much candy, but it was still fun.. we like community events like this, even if it was a bit nutty.

After trick-or-treating Nanny and Papa treated the girls to some chocolate milk on tap at a local coffee shop! They didn’t stop sipping till it was all gone! This might be a new family tradition!

Lydia at 3 years old is smart, loving, sensitive, talkative, has a great imagination (play with imaginary friends, animals, etc), is ALWAYS moving, loves to love and play with her “baby” seester, loves to dance, draw, color, play tea party, have playdates with her friends and cousins, has the best cheesy smile for the camera, is super goofy, and just a real sweet heart.

Halloween night we had our friends over for Chili, trick-or-treated around the neighborhood and passed out candy. It was super low-maintence and was fun to see Lydia & Chloe pass out candy to the neighborhood kids. Lydia kept saying, “Hello trick-or-treaters! Want some treats?!”

 

Boompa and Grandma came in town the next weekend to give Chase and I TWO date nights!! (thank you again!!) So on Friday we decided to check out the Dallas Arboretum and the pumpkins that were still left there!

Chloe at 18 months… she is sweet, spunky, curious, makes the most adorable faces, is trying to talk, loves loves here sister, is INDEPENDENT with a mind and plan of her own that is ever changing and never the same, hates wearing bibs and pushing up her sleeves, loves her pappy (pacci), loves to read, and is the best little smuggler there ever was!

sisters and pumpkins are the best

a carriage in the pumpkins

We had a great day seeing beautiful flowers, enjoying the gorgeous weather and watching the girls run around and try to pick the flowers!

 

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    more fall fun

    Friday night we had our first annual (hoping there will be many more in the future) International Student Pumpkin Carving and Chili Party with American friends from our church and their “friendship partners” through UNT. It was so much! I didn’t get a pic of the finished pumpkins, but they were sooo good! who knew that they would be so good talented at pumpkin carving?!

    the kids painted little pumpkins… Lydia was super into it.

    Halloween week 2015

    Our third annual Halloween Party with the McGough clan! We ate, talked, laughed, celebrated the fall birthdays, decorated pumpkins with stickers and glitter glue and the cousins had tons of fun running around. Always a fun time when we all get together. Thankful for this tradition!

    Happy Birthday to Uncle Scott, Daddy, Colin & Liddy bug!

    we love Papa

    These two are so much fun to watch as they interact with each other. Lydia now calls Chloe, “chlo bo”, which is the cutest thing ever. They have started to “play” together, Chloe follows Lydia everywhere, they love to hug and kiss each other goodnight, Chloe can’t wait for Lydia to wake up each morning, we have heard them giggling and “talking” as they both fall asleep, they have started to fight over toys because Chloe now claims things as “mine”, Chloe likes to slug Lydia when she is doing something she doesn’t like (she even tried to pinch her the other day for sitting in my lap… guys, I am little nervous about 2s with this one! ha), they love each other and I pray they become the best of friends and that they will always love, laugh, cry, encourage and pray for each other as they walk through life. Sisters are the best!

      Posted in Chloe, Family, Food, Holidays, Lydia | Comments Off on more fall fun

      my little pumpkins

      we had the opportunity to take one of our Saudi family friends to the Flowermound Pumpkin Patch last night! It was there first time, after living in America for 5 years, to go to a pumpkin patch and they LOVED it! It was so fun to see our girls run around with their girls and enjoy the pumpkins, dirt and playhouses. As we were walking around my friend leaned over and told me that she had coffee, tea and dates in the car and asked if there was a spot we could sit and drink them together. This made my heart so happy and made me miss our time in the Middle East. In Arab culture they always plan to have picnic with their community and family wherever and whenever it is possible. I love how community oriented and hospitable they are. I think that Americans can learn a thing or two from them about how we interact with community and host people.

      Chloe Jane, 18 months

      Chloe is our little spunky sweetheart. She melts our hearts with her smile, her hugs, her kisses, and just her general cuteness. She loves baby dolls, her big sister, oranges, reading books, playing outside, singing nursery rhymes, her pappy (pacci) wrestling with daddy, cuddling, giggling, and talking on the phone. She is saying a few words. Some of her go tos are: “bye bye”, “two”, “ball”, “tant you”, “more”, “dawn (done)”, “mommy”, “daddy”, “puppy”, “pappy (pacci)” and she loves to giber jabber. She still does not have all her teeth, but we are working hard (i.e. having a tough time) at getting them all. She is not a great eater at the moment- not sure if she is just picky or if its because of her teeth and because we have had a nasty cold that has lasted for over two weeks! Loving Chlo Bo at this age, wish I could just bottle her up and keep her my little peanut forever. She is 19.8 lbs and 3% in height and weight and 50% for her head.

      Lydia May, 3 years

      Lydia is becoming such a smart, fun-loving, empathetic little lady. She is at such a fun age and is just absorbing everything around her. She is such a quick learner. This girl loves to talk and hardly ever stops. She has stopped napping for about a month now and just has “quiet/alone” time in her room. This has been a hard transition for me because she comes out every 20 minutes or so to ask for help (i.e. interrupting my down time), but she hasn’t skipped a beat and doesn’t act tired what-so-ever without her nap. She is sleeping a good 12 hours a night, so this is probably why she doesn’t need her nap. She does a great job with wearing her “guck-kez” (glasses) and reminds me that she needs them in the mornings- such a blessing! We have been done with diapers even at night for about a week now and she is doing GREAT! She is so proud of herself for waking up dry and not wearing a pull up anymore… she hasn’t had any accidents yet. I am not gonna lie, I am a little shocked about this, I was prepared for lots of nights waking up to change sheets. I guess she was ready. She is 30 lbs and about 50% for height, weight and for her head.

      Yarah and Weam our sweet little Arab friends.

      #keepinitreal #reallife #toddlerlife

       Side Note: I am going to try something new with my blog… once we have an event or something I want to post, I am going to try and upload the pics and do a blog post right away and not feel overwhelmed with trying to play catch up. When I have some extra time I will try to slowly go backward and catch up, but if I don’t then at least I am recording the now. Wish me luck!

        Posted in Chloe, Everyday Life, Family, Holidays, Lydia | Comments Off on my little pumpkins

        catch up for Chloe (part 1)

        Our sweet Chloe is 15 months old now and I have made it a goal to try and catch up with her first year on here! I have the pictures on my computer, but haven’t done anything with them. I am trying to not be hard on myself and just take it one post at a time, but I know that I really want to be able to look back at these pictures and little stories of Chloe to remember… they are growing up so quickly! Some days it hurts my heart to see how quickly they are changing and growing, but it also brings such joy to my heart. I am so thankful I get to be their momma and part of these years. I know that I take it for granted and waste a lot of time looking at social media and trying to make my house perfect… I don’t want to loose these years, these moments, these memories, these snuggles… Lord, help me to do the best I can each day and to do it with a thankful heart and for your glory.

        So here is to catching up!

        We got to spend the week before Christmas in Albuquerque with Gigi, Jaju, Aunt Brooke, Uncle Clint, Landon, Claire, Aunt Aubrey, and Uncle Nate. It was so much fun (hoping for a post of this later). We spent Christmas Eve and Day in our home- I got to host Christmas Eve with Nanny and Papa, Boompa and Grandma. It was a blessed time.

        Chloe’s first Christmas 

        She had her first hair cut on December 18 by Gigi! Her hair is gorgeous and continues to be a mess and in her face most of the time.

        Chloe loves to swing… her smile is infectious

        Chloe got RSV on January 7 and we started breathing treatments. It was so sad to see her sick, but she was still a smiley happy baby girl. This month was hard for me because we had to start supplementing formula to add more calories to her diet. She did really well with it and learned how to hold a bottle by herself! This was a humbling time for me because I used to have a negative view about formula (which I shouldn’t have… it was my sin for thinking that nursing was better and the only way to feed your child, the Lord really showed me and humbled me about what it meant to provide and care for my kids) I apologize to all my formula feeding momma friends- you are doing what is best for your babies and using what the Lord has provided and doing a great job at that.

        We put up hooks on the outside of our garage to hang our swing so the girls could swing at home… they love it, especially Chloe.

        Lydia loves playing with her baby sister and is always thinking of ways to make her smile and laugh. I love seeing them interacting with each other.

        Happy New Year!! 2015 is gonna be a great one!

         

        Started army crawling (mostly backward) on January 22!

         

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          a 5, 6 & 7 month Chlo Chlo

          Oh my goodness, here we are again, 3 months have passed and I haven’t posted about our sweet Chloe. I don’t want to forget all the little things she does and her sweet little personality. I have had so much fun looking back at Lydia’s blog posts and comparing the two and remembering how Liddy was at each stage that Chloe is at now.

          Sleep: Around the middle of her 5 month of life Chloe decided that sleep in the night was overrated 🙂 She started waking up anywhere from 1-4 times in the night!! This has lasted up until now (7 months), the past few nights (November) she has only been waking up once around 12;30 or 1 am and then early in the morning around 5:30 or 6 am. So, I would say we are getting there… We thought that maybe she was just hungry and needed to start eating more food. But that only seemed to help a little. We did quite a bit of traveling these months and so I think that threw her off to, with sharing a room with us and such. But, phew, it has been a tough few months… not getting a full nights sleep for 7 months get weary! And of course the nights she would maybe sleep a little better Lydia would have a bad dream or something and wake up! Chloe is still taking 2 naps a day one in the morning and then once usually with Lydia (at least 5 times a week I can get them down at the same time! woo who!) At 5 & part of 6 months she was still taking an evening nap for around 30 min to an hour. It worked out perfect because it was usually right when I needed to cook dinner 🙂 Thanks Chloe!

          We have tried to let her “cry it out” a few times, but then we went to visit family and didn’t want her to wake everyone up and then she got sick… so we are hoping to get back on it once she is feeling better.

          Food: Chloe is a fast little nurser. Most of the time she nurses between 5- 10 min total! I often have wondered if she is getting enough, but she is growing, peeing, pooping and happy so I guess so! We gave her solids for the first time on October 6. We gave her oatmeal and she liked it! She has done much better with baby food than her sister did. So far we have tried: apples, pears, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, prunes, green beans (her least favorite- at least the kind that I have made), bananas, avocado, and squash. I gave her a little yogurt on November 17 and she wasn’t a huge fan, but I am hoping after time she will like it…. that was a staple for Lydia. Poor second kid, we have had to feed Chloe a few times around midnight because she woke up super upset and we realized that we hadn’t fed her all day! But as of late we have been on a better routine and she eats when we eat. Lydia loves to ‘help’ me feed her and Chloe just get wide eyes and giggles at her. Chloe also loves puff snacks and she has had pancakes which she loves too! 

          first bites of solid food

          she loves to eat! 

          She is still nursing every 2 to 3 hours during the day and we are trying to not nurse her in the middle of the night any more. (oh sleep training… you are not fun!)

          She had her first bottle at the beginning of October. I had some milk that was frozen and still good at my mom’s and so when we were visiting so we decided to try it out! She did so goo with it and Chase loved feeding her. We have done several since then… wish I could give her more, but in order to get a bottle I have to pump in the middle of the night, so that’s not always easy to wake up for!

          Travel: We did quite a bit of travel the past few months. September 12 we went to West Texas for Landon’s 2nd birthday and Claire’s baby shower. Love that we are close enough now to get to be part of the small stuff. September 21 we drove to Oklahoma City for a few days to visit Boompa & Grandma and some cousins. Then me and the girls headed to Albuquerque with my dad and Linda. We flew to Arizona from there for my cousins wedding. Then Aubrey and I went back to Albuquerque for a week to hang out. We were supposed to have a week with Gramzi, but she ended up being in West Texas with Brooke for my niece’s birth! November 4th we went back to West Texas to finally meet my sweet baby niece, Claire! And Gramzi came to visit us for a week after that… so fun! Phew a buys few months. Chloe does great with travel, but woke up a lot more in the night- I think its because we are in the same room as her… who knows?!

          Other: 

          *When you say Chloe’s name, she looks up at you and smiles really BIG. It brightens our day. Aubrey (my sister) said, she makes you feel so special when she smiles at you, but then you realize she smiles for everyone. She is one smiley girl.

          *She loves her big sister… she watches everything she does, she giggles at her, smiles at her… can’t wait to see their friendship grow.

          can’t wait to see these girls become best friends

          *She is still really chill. However, if you leave her sitting for too long now she squeaks at you really loud.

          *When she sits (she started sitting at the end of September) she looks up at you, smiles, and flaps her arms… super cute.

          *She rolls all over the place, but also still is ok with staying in one place to play (complete opposite of her sister and this age).

          *She has gotten up on her knees a few times and rocked back and forth, but don’t scoot yet, just rolling.

          *She is the BEST smuggler there ever was. She is always putting her head on our shoulders and lets you just cuddle her as long as you want.

          *She loves to be rocked to sleep and when you run your fingers through her hair.

          *She fights falling asleep and cries/gets stiff for about a min or two and then relaxes after you hold her tight and falls asleep pretty quick.

          *She makes spitting noises all the time.

          *She loves her pacci, almost as much as her sister. She will now take it in and out of her mouth and look for it on the ground, grab it and put it in her mouth herself.

          *She likes to be feed really fast.. no patience when it comes to waiting for her food.

          *She likes to be held and in the same room as us.

          *She smiles at Chase every time he walks into the room and comes home from work.

          *She hated her carseat a lot, but is getting a little better. We moved her from her infant carseat in the middle of September because we were borrowing it from my sister and she needed it for my niece who was born on September 28 so we got her the next one up and so I think it has taken some time to get used to.

          *She can put her pacci in by herself now… she is such a big girl!

          first Halloween 2014

          *Her favorite toys are: the baby Einstein music/radio toy, maracas from Lydia’s birthday party, the giraffe musical puzzle, the stackable music stars.

          *She got sick for the first time in November… a bad cough, runny nose and congestion We went to the doctor and she gave her a nebulizer to help with the cough. It was so sad to see her sick, but she was still a happy sweet baby girl. At this appointment she weighed 14 1/2 lbs.

          *Chloe’s nicknames: Chlo Chlo, Coco, Chloe bear, Angel baby, Chlo bow, Chloe Baloney

            Posted in Chloe, Everyday Life, mcpeanut | Comments Off on a 5, 6 & 7 month Chlo Chlo

            Dear blog…

            Dear Blog,

            I think about you often and desire to post pictures, stories and updates on our life and sweet little girls. I have lots of posts written in my head and lots of hopes for you. However, I am a tired tired momma of two baby girls whom take all of my energy and at the end of the day when I might have time to visit you, I decide otherwise…. One day soon I hope to remedy this and update you. Until then I am going to continue to enjoy snuggles, giggles, spit up, kisses, hugs, and love form my two favorite little people in the world.

            sincerely,

            me

              Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Dear blog…

              2, 3, & 4 months of Chloe

              Our baby girl is growing fast and I haven’t had much time to update and post pics of her. And now that she is already 4 months I decided I should post a few from 2, 3 & 4 months! (I want to have it for my records & for her to see them one day as well!… poor second child! ha)

              Weight: 9 lbs 8 oz (10%) (almost one pound smaller than Liddy at 2 months! and I thought she was tiny)

              Height: 22 1/2 in (50%)

              Clothes: She was still wearing newborn and some 0-3 month stuff. And was in newborn diapers still at 2 months. I have loved seeing her in all of Lydia’s old outfits- seems like yesterday that Liddy wore them!

              Month 3 she moved up to size 1 diapers and started wearing 0-3 month and 3 month clothes. She pretty much stopped wearing headbands and just wears bows! She has so much hair… it just keeps getting longer and thicker. She has crazy cowlicks– I am going to have fun trying to fix her hair once it gets longer!

              Sleep: She had started sleeping through the night during month two! What a glorious day that was. We are quite spoiled with a good sleeper. She still slept on and off most of the day with probably 4-5 naps during the day in between feeds, but was defiantly having more awake periods.

              She started to discover her hanging toys in her swing and floor mat. Around 3 months she started reaching for them and “talking” to them. Often times I think she is upset because she is so loud when she “talks” but when I check on her she is smiling, kicking her legs and waving her arms. She moves so much less than Liddy did, but talks a whole lot more.

              Towards the end of month 3 and all of month 4 she has been waking up again at night!! I am hoping it is just a phase that doesn’t last forever. I haven’t really tried much to change it yet, but all I know is she isn’t near as good of a sleeper as she was! Even naps are between 30 min- an hour. Sometimes I will get a 2 hour stretch from her. She is forced to nap on the go more often than not because Lydia and I want to get out of the house. So lots of her morning naps happen in the car, stroller or in the carrier 🙂

              We painted her toes for the first time in month 3 and Liddy loves having matching toes with her sis. Lydia also always makes sure Chlo has a bow in hair too! I love seeing them interact- it is just so sweet.

              There is lots of this that goes on around here. Lately Lydia intentionally goes and plays with Chloe, tickles her toes or her belly, kisses her, waves toys in her face… which sometimes turns into tears for both girls- Liddy doesn’t like it when Chloe cries!

              I love dressing the girls in matching outfits… yes I am “one of those moms” esp while they will still let me 🙂

              Chloe celebrated her first 4th of July! We went as our little family of four to the square in downtown Denton for a parade, which Chloe slept through in the carrier. Then we went to brunch at a new place we now love, came home and made 4th of July crafts and took naps. Then we headed to Nanny and Papas house for swimming, BBQ and fireworks! It was a fun filled day after daddy’s first week at his new job!

              And of course both girls had two adorable outfits for the day, so we had to do a wardrobe change 🙂

              This pose was all Liddy’s idea!

              Chloe has always loved bath time. She loves the warm water and has started kicking and splashing while big sis is in the tub with her. When we wash her hair it lays flat but as soon as it dries it sticks straight up!

              Working on tummy time. Depends on the day and moment if she likes it. She like it a lot more in the beginning, but lately not so much.

              Chloe loves to giggle when we talk to her, tickle her chin, her belly, play “patty cake” or “how bigs the baby” with her. She has such a sweet little spirit.

              She has started the teething process this month… lots of drooling, finger biting, and more fussy. Poor girl. I am not a fan of teething! I know that every momma hates this stage… its amazing once they are past it (even though I know Liddy’s 2 year old molars are just around the corner) you forget how annoying it is for them. Her fussy-ness and more neediness has really shown how impatient I am! I have had to ask for lots of grace and forgiveness lately as I get more impatient with her…. it is pretty sad because looking back she is still way less needy and less fussy then Liddy ever was, but I have gotten spoiled/used to her being so chill that when she isn’t it throws me off!

              we go to the dr. on August 19– so I will update this then! I know she has grown though cuz I am super sore at the end of each day, but she is still a little peanut, but has super chunky legs… I l.o.v.e. baby rolls!

              Height: 24 inches 35% (same as Lydia at 4 months)

              Weight: 12 lbs 8 oz – 23% (Lydia was 12 lbs. 14 oz)

              Getting better at tummy time! And we rolled over from tummy to back on August 2 and on August 11 she went from back to tummy! And discovered her toes on the 9th! Lots of firsts coming up.

              I call her “angel baby” because she truly is a little angel baby.

              We have gone swimming at Nanny and Papas twice and once at a tot pool with slides and water fun in Flower Mound with all the cousins last week. She was a perfect baby while we were there- not a peep… even in the sun and heat!

              Daddy’s fingers taste so good!

              And so do hers… this is what she looks like most days 🙂

              So big sitting up in her Bumbo chair! She has really gone from a newborn to a baby in the past month… makes my heart a little sad, but am loving watching her grow. She is still so snuggly and loves to be rocked and held better than anything. She also like to face out now and see the world. Her fav position is to lay against my legs facing me while my knees are up…. this way we can talk, play and giggle together.

              New sister activity… tickling toes during breakfast!

              She has started blowing bubbles and gurgling! I think we will have a talker on our hands! And we are in trouble again with those eyes and that smile.

              Well, I better go both girls are up from their naps and needing me… after a week of trying to get this post done I wanted to finish it!

              Chloe Jane– Chlo Chlo… 

              We love you oh so much. Thank you for teaching us how much we could love someone, for growing my faith and patience. You are truly a gift and we are truly a gift from God. I am going to go pick you up now 😉 

              Momma & Daddy

               

               

               

                Posted in Chloe, Family | 2 Comments

                Life as we know it…

                I thought it was time for a life update on here…

                We have been back in America for 6 months on the 22nd- crazy to think that half a year ago our lives were SO different. We were speaking Arabic daily, walking to the beach to visit our neighbors and best friends, eating rice and chicken on almost a daily basis, and Chase was trying to figure out the ins and outs of regulations for opening up a business while sipping coffee and eating dates with Omani government officials. I miss this life and will never forget it. We are starting to get into more of a rhythm here in America, starting to feel a little more “normal” most days, but we still have days where this just doesn’t feel like home…. maybe one day it will or maybe not. One thing I know is that we weren’t made for this world, but for somewhere greater and I look forward to the day we get to go to our real home in heaven with Jesus!

                But until then we are fitting to find joy as we settle back into American life and find a new normal. Today, Chase is on his way to Denton pulling a U-haul with all our stuff that we have stored and collected over the past 4 years, while his family cleans the house for us (we are so blessed). Tomorrow me and the girls (and my mom- so thankful and blessed she could come to help!) will be joining him to move into our new home in Denton, Texas! This will become our new home, where we will start a new chapter in life and find a new place to serve and new friends to do life with. We are excited, anxious, ready, apprehensive, and joyful. It is bittersweet to leave Albuquerque, my mom, Andy, Aubrey,l Nate and friends (green chile & mountains!). We were so blessed by them these past 5 months- it was a perfect place to have a baby and start to heal/recover from the crazy year of change we had.

                Chase will also be starting a new job June 30th! He got a job with Guidestone Financial. He will be learning all about financial services while working towards getting his CFP license (certified financial planner) and will also work on getting his MBA. (which Guidestone will help pay for both! what a blessing!) His office is 45 minutes away with no traffic… which means it will be quite the commute- boo. We are going to look into him taking public transportation, which will hopefully help cut down some of the time and allow him to study and read on the commute (or rest for his second shift at home with the girls!) This new work schedule (8-5, plus commute, Monday – Friday) is going to be a big adjustment/culture shock for us…. me and the girls will be going through some growing pains in the next few weeks as we settle in without Chase and without my mom’s help, so if you think about it will you say a little prayer for us? Thanks!

                Despite all the change and newness that we are embracing, we are excited and ready for some stability, for a schedule and to find a new life rhythm. We think it will be good for us and a season of growth and greater dependance on the Lord.

                I will let you know how we are in a month after we get moved in, unpacked and start this new chapter. We thank you all for following us on this crazy journey of ours, for supporting us, loving us, praying for us, and allowing us to be real with you. We are on the uphill climb and thankful for what the Lord has brought us through. We don’t know what the future holds, but we are excited to see and to be doing it together.

                Did I mention that we are doing this move with a 20 month old and a 2 month old?!

                 Did I mention that we are doing this move with a 20 month old and a 2 month old?! 

                They have been doing really great with all the change (so far), however, Liddy has been testing the waters lately and been a little more needy, winey and a tad more difficult. Think she is still getting used to not being the only one to have momma’s attention… please tell me it gets easier?! I am thankful that she keeps me on my toes and I laugh everyday because of her! She is at such a fun age despite her desire for independence!

                And then there is Chloe… she has been a dream baby so far. What a blessing for us in this season. God knew what we needed.

                  Posted in Everyday Life, Family | 3 Comments

                  Chloe at one month…errr 7 weeks.

                  6 lbs 8 oz at 2 weeks! 

                  about 9 lbs (I weighed her on my scale at home so not exact)

                  Can my baby already be over one month?! She is actually 7 weeks!! NO WAY! I can’t believe it. I know every mother says this, but really it just seems like time is flying. And I have a feeling it is just going to get faster as time goes on.

                  Chloe has been such a doll. We have been so spoiled blessed to have had such an easy first 6 weeks. We have forgotten at times that she is around. She is such a cuddle bear and loves to be snuggled, swaddled, and held close. I love love cuddling her and will often stay up later than I should just to hold her. She loves to sleep and lay on her belly against your chest- melt.my.heart.

                  Clothes:

                  Chloe is wearing newborn clothes and diapers still. I think in the next week she will start graduating to size 0-3 month. She mostly hangs out in pjs or onesies with pants and a bow headband. It is fun to see her wear things that Lydia used to wear, but also fun to dress her in new stuff! Her hair is adorable and what makes her her. It is so so soft, long and sticks straight up, even if you comb it down. I think it is getting longer and thicker already. She has some crazy cowlicks- which will be fun to tame one day!

                  Chloe’s little “nursery” area in our room at my mom’s house 

                  Sleep:

                  So far we have no routine and no patterns. She just sleeps a lot. The past few days/week she is starting to have more awake time though, which is fun! I want to try and start putting her in her crib for nap time and start establishing nap times so that once its just me and the girls I am not in big trouble (I am afraid I might me..), plus I think Liddy is craving/needing some time with just me with no baby sis in site. I will let you know how it goes next Chloe update post. At night she has mostly slept 3 1/2 – 4 hours with a surprise occasional 5- 7 hour stint (not very often though).

                  bath time! Her cord fell off on day 5, so she got to have a real bath pretty quick! We have to wash her hair often because it gets oily from all of us touching it so much 🙂 

                  matching sisters … there will be lots of this! 

                  Other: 

                  My family says that Chloe looks just like me as a baby- same hair do, skin color and eyes. She has moments where she looks like Lydia, but mostly she is her own little self. She is a very chill baby and just goes with the flow. So far she has traveled to west Texas (Aunt Brookes and Lubbock), Angel Fire for her first family vacation, and Dallas where she helped us house hunt! She has traveled by car and plane and has done great with both. We said that we wanted Chloe to be a flexible traveler like her sister and so far she is! Hope we get to take her to Oman before she turns two. She loves being in my carrier, which helps free my hands to care for Liddy.

                  Mother’s Day in Angel Fire 

                  We have another pacci baby on our hands (at least for now!). Which of course can cause some problems with big sis as she wants to steal Chloe’s often, but she is sweet and also will bring me hers when she is crying.

                  She has started to coo and smile in the past few weeks. Oh so much fun to see and hear. It is such a joy to see her develop and start to grow her own little personality. I am amazed at how quickly the newborn- sleep all the time- phase ends, but thankful for each step.

                  just a few days old

                  We have be spoiled by having lots of hands helping us adjust to life with two babies under two. However, soon I will be by myself and we will go through another adjustment period…. I will let you know how that goes! So far life with two has been fun, exhausting, and such a joy. Lydia has been a lot more fussy, demanding and clinging with me lately. She is super sweet with Chloe, but just doesn’t like my attention to be divided… I know we will adjust and she will be fine, but some days it is tough when both girls want their momma at the same time. But I know this season is oh so short and so I am trying to soak it all up and not take anything too seriously.

                  Boompa & Grandma

                  Gramzi & Jaju

                  Papa & Nanny

                  I am spending most of my free time snuggling and loving on sweet Chloe when Liddy is sleeping or otherwise occupied… since I know from experience this time how quickly this phase passes. And at night when I think about editing pictures or posting on the blog I would rather snuggle my baby and watch Gray’s Anatomy (yes, I have started watching it on Netflix… its become my wind down/nursing show)

                  Thank you Jesus for my sweet baby girls!

                  Chloe,

                  Daddy and I love you so much and are so thankful to call you ours. You have made becoming parents of two so easy! Thank you for your sweet, chill spirit, your sweet smiles, and wonderful snuggles. We cherish you and love you SOOOO much. Welcome to our crazy family- there will be lots of dancing, laughs, and silliness! We pray that you would know Jesus loves you and that you would follow Him one day. 

                  love, momma & daddy 

                    Posted in Chloe, Family | 1 Comment

                    Birth Story: Chloe Jane

                    Finally getting around to post this… have been working on it for over two weeks! (welcome to life with 2 under 2!

                    As you all know miss Chloe was breech and we were given a 10-15% chance that she could flip back on her own. My sister suggested that we go to the pool and do flips and handstands to try and get her to turn. So, on Sunday, April 6th we headed to the pool and did just that- summersaults and handstands (it was a sight to see I am sure…a 9 month + preggo woman flipping around). We said lots of prayers and asked all of you to pray…. and trusted that whatever happened the Lord’s hand was in it. We went in for an ultrasound on Monday, April 7 and sure enough she was head down! Praise Jesus!! Now we were just hoping that she would stay that way till Thursday, when we had our c-section scheduled…

                    Thursday, April 10 at 7:30 am we drove to the hospital to get another ultrasound and make a plan for when we would get to meet our baby girl. Our doctor hooked us up and scanned my belly and low and behold she was still head down and in perfect position to have vaginally!! So, no need for a c-section, now we just had to decide if we wanted to induce due to a “unstable vertex” (meaning she could flip back at any point) or if we just wanted to wait it out. I was ready to meet our girl that day and we had all the grandparents in town… but I also wanted to make the best decision for us and the baby. So we had our doc check to see how far dilated I was (Aubs had checked me the night before and I was still a 1 … so I wasn’t expecting much), but again much to my surprise I was a 3!! That made me decide to go ahead and induce! But first I needed food since they made me fast in case we would have a c-section 🙂

                    Around 9:30 am we got checked into our room, that Aubrey had picked out for us- with a great view and lots of natural light- perks of having a sister as a nurse! Our doctor decided that we would start with a cooks catheter (a balloon they insert to cause you to dilate to a 4 or 5) and wait on pitocin. However, as soon as she inserted it, it wouldn’t stay because I was already around 4.5 cm! So, she said that there was no need for an induction at that point, we were just going to wait and see what my body would do! At this point I was not having consistent or painful contractions, so we decided to walk the halls to try and get stuff started…

                    Chase caught me at just the right moment and he just thought HE was tired… 🙂 

                    About 12 pm I was still around 4.5 cm and not having much action in the contraction department (we almost started playing a round of “BS”, but decided to walk around some more instead) so my doctor suggested we get pitocin started. About and hour or two after they started pitocin I started feel contractions and getting a little more uncomfortable (finally!… I know as strange as it sounds I was looking forward to the “can’t-talk-inbetween- contractions stage because I wanted to get this show on the road). We did a lot of walking the halls and sitting on the birthing ball. About 4 pm my doctor came in to break my water and thats when labor really kicked in… I was now getting to experience the “can’t-talk-inbetween-contractions stage and was quickly reminded that I wanted that stage to be over!

                    I had such great support during labor…. my own personal nurse, hand masseuse and back masseur  🙂 

                    At some point (I don’t remember when) I wanted to get a little relief from the pain so I requested for some Fentanyl, which takes the edge off and allows you to rest in-between contractions. This stuff was great and lasts about an hour. As soon as they gave it to me I felt a lot better and felt almost like I was high. I leaned back on the bed and my family asked how I was and I just gave them a big smile and a thumbs up! ha During this time I requested to use the “peanut ball” to help open the cervix (Aubs had told me what a miracle worker they were), since I was just laying there… this was super painful during contractions, but I was thankful to rest a little bit in between. After all this they checked me and I was at 7 cm. So I got up to change positions…. then started to feel like I could/wanted to push, so they checked me again… I was a 7 again… sigh. At this point I started asking for the real drugs (epidural)… I was just hesitant because I didn’t love they way it make me feel last time, but was D.O.N.E. and needed to rest.

                    I am so thankful for the partner I have in Chase, he was so patient, kind, loving and encouraging before, during and after labor. He is more than I deserve or could ask for. I really enjoy the closeness that labor brings… what a gift from God! 

                    As we were waiting for the anesthesiologist to come and work her magic, I felt like I could push again, so they were thinking maybe I could be complete! So they checked me… nope now I was an 8. I said, “get me the drugs” after this news… So I got them… it was SO painful and SO hard to sit still while she poked my back, but Chase was my support and helped me through it. During this time I felt an even stronger urge to push… so they checked me again and I was a 9!! (all of this was around 9:30 pm or maybe a little later) They were telling me that the drugs probably wouldn’t fully work or take effect by the time I was ready to push… but it would give me some relief…. I was totally fine with that, in fact that sounded way better to me- I wanted to be able to feel when it was time to push. At 10:15 I was at a 10 and they called the doctor and by 10:28 pm Chloe was here! I only pushed twice and she came 🙂

                    Chloe’s cord was wrapped around her neck really tight and so the doctor had to cut it before she could be delivered completely. She was put on my chest right away, but then they took her to the table to get fluid out of her lungs and just make sure she was ok… and about 3 minutes later she was back on my chest. So thankful for the doctors and nurses and for their care for us. What a little miracle Chloe is.

                     in love all over again… 

                    Chloe’s doting fan club 🙂(papa, grandma and big sis weren’t able to be there, but admired from a far! – Jaju came by earlier as well) 

                    I am super thankful and happy with the way my labor went. It was such positive and fun experience. I loved being at Aubrey’s hospital and seeing her in her element (she is great), getting to meet her co-workers, getting to have family in the waiting room, getting ice chips (yup, didn’t have those in the Middle East) and for the food that was delivered to my room while we were in the hospital. I was happy that I labored naturally for the most part, and am even happier that I was able to get the “good stuff” in the end to help me finish strong. All in all it was a really great experience! Can’t wait for my next baby, however we hope to wait a little longer this time! 😉

                    (sorry for the Loooong post… good job if you made it to the end!)

                      Posted in Chloe, Family | 2 Comments