Life Within the Cuckoo's Nest: May 2015

Some fun 1 month old pictures taken of our little miss!

Baby girl is getting good at holding her head up!

She also makes some pretty adorable faces :).

Our little ray of sunshine!

I can't believe our baby girl is already a month old! The time is just zooming by and we are having so much fun with her! She is just as sweet as she can be. I tell everyone she is our little angel because she is the perfect baby. Up until the last few days she has been really sleepy and basically just laid there and slept all day. Now she is starting to be awake more and is more alert. This also means she is becoming more needy and I am quickly learning how difficult having two kids can be! But I wouldn't trade her for anything.

We get so much attention everywhere we go with this little beauty. She makes strangers stop in their tracks and everyone wants to hold her! Maybe it's all that jet black hair? Maybe it's those piercing black eyes? Or maybe it's the angelic sweetness radiating off of her? I'm thinking it's all of the above :).

Speaking of her eyes... when she looks at you, it feels like she is looking deep into your soul.... seeing past the exterior and speaking to your heart. I know that sounds crazy, but it's true! We have had many a late night conversation with our eyes at night while I am nursing her. She feels like an old soul and I truly believe she was sent to our family with a mighty purpose.

My favorite thing to do with Evelyne is play dress up! Every morning is exciting as I search through her dresser drawers for the next cute outfit and matching headband. Having a girl has been a dream come true! She is already a Mommas girl which makes it hard for Josh to hold her because soon she starts crying for me. I'm sure it is simply because I spend the most time with her because I remember Austin being the same way and now I'm pretty sure his Dad is his favorite.

This month has been one of the greatest of my life and I feel like our family is so much more complete now! Thank you Evelyne for gracing us with your beautiful presence and for being such a sweet, special little girl :).

Moments over the past month:

She is getting chubbier by the day! We love it!

Trying out tummy time for the first time! She is getting good at lifting her head while being held, but it was much harder to do on her tummy.

Taking a break.... tummy time is exhausting!

Those eyes... I get lost in them!

Hanging out with Daddy and brother.

This was an especially hard moment for me as I tried to get things done with a crying baby strapped to me and an awnry, whiny toddler clawing at me. But I am learning each day how to be a better Mother and a better person. Isn't that what Motherhood is all about?

Baby girl all passed out while her brother played at Town Square!

She was limp like a rag doll!

This little dress is by far my favorite outfit and I will be so sad when she grows out of it!

I've been just a little obsessed with taking pictures!

She loves to sleep and we aren't complaining.....

She's the same size as Austin's baby doll!

I wish she would stay this size forever!

All naked and ready for her first bath at almost 2 weeks old!

Austin had fun helping bathe her!

She was content until we started washing her.... then she didn't like it so much.

Having a little chat with Momma.

Taking a nap with Aunt Briana (Nana).

Grandpa Porter came by to help us fix the car and to visit with Austin and the new baby!

We have done a lot of cuddling around here!

I love how she was smiling while cuddling with Daddy! I have a similar picture of Austin....

Here it is! They both have the same sweet little smile!

All snuggled up in the baby wrap.

I sure do love this little papoose of mine!

This wrap has been a life saver!

First time hanging out at the pool with Mom, Grandma Porter, and Austin!

Lounging in the shade with Mom......

....while Austin and Grandma played in the water!

She is normally all balled up with her hands to her face but the heat made her totally relax!

Getting some loves from Daddy.

They look like twins to me!

Yet another adorable outfit :).

Cuddling with Mom while Austin was sleeping.

Little sleepy head :).

Austin has been doing pretty good with adjusting, but he doesn't like sharing attention from his Dad or his Grandma Porter....

Sleeping beauty.

Our adorable 22 Month old!

In two months this kid will be two years old but I swear it feels like he is already there! He has quite the strong personality and is learning how to get what he wants with fun tantrums. But beside that stubborn, infuriating personality is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet! I love the picture above because it shows that adorable sweet side to Austin that we all know and love. I always feel terrible after losing my patience with him because he suddenly turns into the kid in this picture and I realize how sweet and innocent he still is, even if he isn't acting like it at the moment.

Austin has exceeded our expectations with his baby sister and is actually doing a fantastic job at being a big brother! He throws diapers in the trash for us, loves taking baths with her, gives her lots of kisses, and gets concerned when he hears her cry. He isn't always so wonderful, like yesterday when he threw a dinosaur squeeky toy at her face, but what more can you expect from an almost two year old?

Now that we have two kids, we have had to change up our bedtime routine a bit. After we said prayers, I used to rock Austin and sing songs to him while he drank a bottle and Josh would go downstairs and tidy up the house. Now I usually have a crying baby to care for so that old routine wasn't going to work any more. So now Josh gives Austin a bath while I bathe Eve, or just get her fed and in her jammies. Then we all go into Austin's room and sing songs together while Josh rocks Austin and I hold Eve. We say a prayer, do a round of kisses, and we say "I love you buddy" after which Austin mimicks us with the sweetest baby voice :). Austin calls this routine, "Rock you" and if we don't do it, he will start screaming "ROCK YOU! ROCK YOU!" until we do. It is the funniest thing!

Since Eve was born a month ago, Austin and Josh have found this deep rooted bond and they are now even closer than ever! I think it has to do with me being so busy with the baby which makes me feel bad, but at the same time, happy that they are getting this special time together. Austin is Josh's greatest fan! He mimicks everything Josh does and is always talking about his Dad. In every picture he points out, "Daddy!" and makes us laugh when we see him sitting on the love sac biting his nails while watching TV, exactly the way Josh does! Their favorite thing to do together is dance so Josh bought The Night at the Roxbury CD, as well as NSYNC's Greatest Hits and they had a little dance party! It was so stinking cute to watch! Josh was a total dork and Austin tried copying every move he made as if they were the coolest moves ever! I love that about Josh, he's not afraid to be silly with the kids :).

Basically, the pictures below say everything about this past month with Austin. He is an energetic ball of fun and every day he makes us better people. Whether it is by teaching us patience, or by being the sweetest example of innocence and Christ-like love. Our lives wouldn't be the same without him.

Having fun in the ball pit with our friends at Fun Plus Run!

This kid was in heaven!

We Moms kept yelling, "Don't throw the balls!" but of course they didn't listen....

Oh Austin, how we love your silly face!

Every morning Austin runs to find the baby, gives her a kiss, and says "good morning!"

These two are going to be good friends.

We went to Town Square while Daddy had a week off work and played in their kids area! All that playing called for a smoothie break.

And some pretzel bites.... his whole mouth is stuffed with them! Austin got this balloon from the clowns that were putting on a show and had a great time with it!

We chased birds....

He also rode on the train! He loved it I promise..... he just wouldn't smile for the camera.

There were lots of fun toys to play with! I was surprised he didn't want to play in the water though.

The train was his favorite and he talked about it for days.

We loved having Dad around for a whole week!

Taking a wagon ride to the splash pad.

Playing in the water with Daddy!

Morning snuggles with Momma.

Hanging out on Mom and Dad's bed with Eve. Look at those long legs! He is growing so tall!

Play date with his best friend (twin) Emmett.

I was busy tidying up the house when I realized it was unusually silent. I started panicking and ran to see what was up. I found Austin lying on the floor next to Eve, playing with her :).