2nd Annual Christmas PJ Playdate

Ryan and Rory hosted the 2nd annual Christmas pajama/hot cocoa/cookie exchange playdate last week.  We had so much fun doing it LAST YEAR that I decided it has to be an annual thing.  It's so much fun to celebrate the holidays with all of our good friends here and it reminds me every year that I am so thankful for the Mom friends that I have made in Massachusetts.  These women have become my extended family and without them,  I know that life in MA would be very different.

The day before, I let Ryan help me decorate the sugar cookies that I baked for the party.  She ate WAY too much frosting and sprinkles, but she and I had a good time and she definitely thought it was a treat to get to make a huge sugary mess.

The day of the party, I made sure that the house was decked out in holiday decor and that there were plenty of yummy treats to share.  I also had my signature hot cocoa bar which is always a hit with everyone.

We had a wonderful time with all of our friends.  The kids played and the Mamas got to socialize amid the chaos.  Ryan had a GREAT time.  Every time I looked over she had another cookie in her hand.  I'm pretty sure she had about 15 during the few hours that everyone was over.  You'll see in that in every picture taken of her, she had a cookie.  That's my girl.

A lot of babies have been added to the bunch this year.  I'll be interested to see how many new ones there are next year! A big thanks to all of our friends that joined us.  It's definitely feeling like Christmas around here.

Rory Louise: 3 Months

They say that if you can get through the first 12 weeks with a newborn, then you are home free.  I'm not sure I totally agree with that because every stage has it's challenges, but at 3 months old, I feel that we have finally started to get into the groove of having two kids.  It seems like we have figured out our daily routine, which undoubtedly means things will probably be changing here real soon.  But for now, 3 months kind of feels like a sweet spot.

Rory continues to be an overall great night sleeper.  Her naps can be hit and miss unless she's in her carseat where she will usually sleep for hours.  She regularly wakes once a night around 4am but has, on occasion, slept all the way past 6am.  Absolutely no complaints from me about any of this.  She still likes to be swaddled and while she is still in our bedroom for now, we did transition her long self out of the bassinet part of the pack-n-play.

The bottle continues to be a sore subject in this house.  I've tried multiple types, multiple people, multiple positions, different times of day, being overly hungry, being not very hungry, it doesn't seem to matter.  This girl knows what she wants and it is not a rubber nipple.  I've gotten to the point where I don't even want to try anymore because it is just way less frustrating to breastfeed.  I know there are worse things in the world that we could be struggling with and I guess since I'm at home 24/7 and Josh rarely has time off, it really doesn't matter, but still, it would be nice to have the option to get away for more than few hours at a time.

She still loves to sit in her bouncer or lie on the floor and watch the goings on of the house.  Ryan regularly brings her toys which she now brings to her mouth and gnaws on.  It helps give her hands a little break from the constant chewing!   Her eyes light up whenever anyone pays her any personal attention and she gives the absolute biggest gummy smiles.  No laughs yet but she sure seems oh so close!

Overall, Roars is a very happy, content, and relaxed baby.  She brings such joy to our entire family and it's hard to believe that she is no longer a newborn.  We love you so much Rory Lou and are so excited for what your 4th month will surely bring!

The Annual Cutting of the Tree

Josh had the weekend off after Thanksgiving and since he likely won't have another entire weekend off until Christmas, we decided we'd better venture out to get a tree.  Cause Lord knows I had no intention of cutting down a tree on my own with two kids.

This year we traveled to Sutton, MA (about a 30 min drive) to try out Sleighbell Christmas Tree Farm.  I had researched online to find a place that looked kid friendly, allowed you to cut your own tree, and wouldn't cost us my monthly diaper budget to purchase.  Other than the increase in blood pressure due to anxiety that our tree tie down job to the top of my Corolla was sub par, Sleighbell Tree Farm didn't disappoint.  They had a huge, picturesque farm, a gift shop filled with fun Christmas decor and wreaths, a tractor ride around the farm, food stand, and a fire pit where you could sip hot cocoa and apple cider.  Of course, we didn't get to enjoy most of that since we had two kids on the verge of meltdowns by the time we had finished the tree cutting/purchasing, but it sure LOOKED fun! Maybe next year? Ha!

Josh officially cut down his first Christmas tree and then quickly realized after the fact that we should have brought one of the tree carts from the parking lot with us.  Luckily, Mr. Christmas Cheer hasn't lost all of his once football glory day strength.  Especially since his three girls were no help.  We just watched from the sidelines shouting out tips for sawing and giving encouragement as we trekked back to the main lodge.

While he was getting the tree cleaned and stuff, we girls headed into the gift shop to pick out a wreath.  Ryan was given a candy cane which basically made her day and then she got to play with the snowman.  Around this time, Rory woke up and let me tell you, Josh and I attempting to tie the tree to the top of the car with the kids had to have made for quite the scene.  Just envision all doors open, a screaming baby, a toddler in the front seat turning on the windshield wipers and hazard lights and honking the horn, Josh yelling at her to stop, and me trying to console Rory all while haphazardly tying a way to big tree to my car.  It was during this moment that the movie Christmas Vacation came to mind, "I don't know what to say except it's Christmas and we're all in misery."  So true Ellen Griswold, so true.

  

However, we did all make it home, tree included and it did make it into our house....though the top had to be cut off because it was about a foot too tall for our living room.  Okay, this post really is starting to sound like a Clark Griswold movie.  But Ryan loved decorating it and I've only had to bust out the Super Glue to fix about 7 ornaments that have been dropped by the toddler but seriously, I just love Christmas time.

And as Clark would say, "Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas."

When Life Gives You A Sick Toddler....

.....use the time at home to do Christmas photo shoots.

Okay I'm kind of joking...but only kind of.

Monday morning Ryan woke up with a stuffy nose and slight cough which quickly turned into a mild fever and green gunky eyes and then climaxed with screaming that her ear hurt around lunchtime.  A quick call to the doctor resulted in a non-brushed hair mom and two kids basically in pajamas with leftover breakfast stains being thrown into the car for a 2pm appointment to get her checked out.  We have our first ear infection and conjunctivitis case.  Luckily, she's doing much better but that's meant that we've had an entire week at home and oh my heavens, we are going a tad stir crazy.

Sidenote: Have you ever tried to keep a 2 year old from touching, kissing, and coughing on their 3 month old sister....utterly impossible.  Praying those breastfeeding antibodies are doing their job!

So what's a Mom to do?  Well I guess the normal answer would be catch up on paying bills, folding laundry, and cleaning house.  But, that's really not a good time so Christmas themed photo shoots with my soup-can ruined iPhone camera were a must (no joke a can of soup fell off a shelf onto my phone and cracked the screen, what luck!).

Without further ado, the photo montage entitled "Mom's Bored And The Christmas Decor Is Out."

You guys, it's only December 3rd...I think I may have a Christmas addiction problem.