scenes from bath time.

oh my goodness i love these two.  this picture cracks me up.

{also, i pinky swear no babies were hurt during the taking of this picture.  elliot actually loves the bath but had just scooted down a little & needed to be readjusted.  that took place promptly after i immortalized parker's goofy bath-time grin by snapping this picture.}

ok, and now?  photo dump because i can't help myself.

i am one lucky mama.

elliot - two months in mostly pictures.

ok so this month went a little faster.  i just love this little boy!  and while my days are double the crazy & we're still not getting much sleep, his adorable little face & smile & coos make it all worth it.  cliche but true.

{compare previous month pics here}

at two months elliot is:

-->  wearing 3-6 month clothes & size 2 diapers.
-->  eating every 3-4 hours for 15-20 minutes.
-->  cooing & smiling & kicking his legs when he's happy {which is usually right after he wakes up & then has eaten.  that's when he's at his best.}
-->  had his first cold.  it's still lingering, actually.  and he gets congested as the night goes on & he's been on his back for a long time.  so it's still making his sleep no bueno.
-->  his longest stretch of sleep to date was 6.5 hours.  too bad i couldn't sleep for the first 2-3 of them... my mind goes crazy at night.  who knew newborn mom insomnia was a thing??
-->  being put in the wrap or the ergo is like a sedative to him.  he would live in a carrier if he could.
-->  picks up on voices in the room & searches out who's talking.
-->  goes to sleep every night swaddled & then put in his crib awake but drowsy after eating.  usually falls to sleep in 5-10 minutes after a bunch of grunts.  i call his grunts his "dinosaur noises."
-->  sam is pretty much the only person who he'll fall asleep on anymore, outside of a carrier.  he loves cuddling with his dad.  it's adorable.
-->  weighs 14 pounds 1 ounce {90%-tile} & is 23.5" long {70%-tile}.

and is ridiculously cute.

love him.

wordless{ish} wednesday: bro faces.

while i love seeing how elliot is his own little person, i sometimes feel like i'm looking in a mirror of parker's baby face.  my take on it?  same nose, same eyes... maybe same lips.  totally different face shape.  also?  slightly better camera with elliot.  ha!

you be the judge.  who doesn't love a good comparison?

{parker - circa june 2010 - 2 months}

{elliot - circa yesterday - 2 months}

elliot's two month update is coming soon!  with stats!

iphoto dump & potty training update.

you guys, this last week has been rad.

parker has taken to potty training like a boss & seems to be getting the swing of it.  elliot has started sleeping in longer stretches consistently & i'm feeling like normal life is just around the corner.  i've completed most of the editing for all the sessions i've done in the last month & am feeling like a weight is slowly lifting off my shoulders... and?  we are having awesome stormy, wet, soggy, grey fall weather.  i love it.

some of you have asked what we're doing for potty training.  if you're curious, read on... if not, skip this paragraph & look at the pictures!  the truth is, we kinda jumped into it without a huge game plan or any research {i totally thought i'd have an entire strategy mapped out & would have done buckets of research to know exactly what we were doing... but no, we just made it up as we went along}.  basically parker just woke up one day & we told him no more diapers!  he spent the first three days pantsless except naps & nighttime, when he wore a diaper.  we coaxed him into going potty on the toilet & rewarded him with an m&m when he went.  we would have him try like every 15 mins for the first day & before long, he was telling us he had to go & went running to the bathroom.  he got it pretty quick.  goin #2 has taken a little more time but i think we're coming out the other side successful.  the first few times he pooed on the toilet he was pretty terrified & really didn't like it.  a couple accidents in his pants later he realized that was no fun either & has been going on the toilet.  so...?  hopefully we're good.  we've resumed normal life {besides the potty that hangs out in the back of my car for use while out doing errands... that may not be normal} and i can count the number of accidents he's had while we're out on one hand in the last two weeks.  yay potty training!

{update.  parker just woke up from his nap & pooed in his pants 10 minutes later... but he DID realize it & run to the bathroom & finished his business in the toilet, so... progress???  whattyagonnado.}

if you have specific questions about what we did, just ask in the comments & i'll reply in the comments!  ok, enough about potty training.

here are some iPhotos of what we've been up to in the last two weeks.  and if you're wondering what has happened to week in iPhotos, well, i just can't keep it up consistently so my good bloggy friend suzanne over at bebehblog has taken it over!  so it's in transition... go link up with her & keep the tradition alive!

apparently i only blog on tuesdays?

third weekly tuesday post, folks.  this is becoming a thing?  something about tuesdays makes my babies nap at the same time i guess & thus allows for quick updates.  i don't have the time to make something organized & thought out, so here are some randoms, mmmk?

--> still not getting a heck of a lot of sleep around here.  elliot wakes up 2-3x a night & his sleep becomes restless at about 5:00am & at that point i usually pull him into bed with me to squeak out a couple more hours of laying-in-bed-half-asleep time.  i know more sleep is in the near future, it seems to be getting better each week but it's definitely the one thing that makes my day the hardest.

--> oh wait, the fact that we're in the midst of potty training parker is probably the thing that makes my day the hardest.  we got the genius idea to cold-turkey potty train parker last weekend which means the last four days have been spent with a pantsless toddler running around the house & using the potty every 15 minutes.  we only have 1-2 accidents a day & he totally seems to be getting it... as long as we're home & he's within two steps of the toilet.  i'm afraid to leave my house again ever.  maybe when he's 16.

--> operation "be healthy & get in shape" is in {sorta} full swing.  ya like that?  sorta full swing?  i've been running & going back to stroller strides but since this potty training business has begun, i haven't really left the house.  but i have been cutting down the amount of sweets & junk i'm eating quite a bit... unless you count the two batches of chocolate chip pumpkin cookies i made in the last 3 days, well then, there is that.  but it's all about portion control!  what is the fall without pumpkin cookies?  it's nothing, i tell ya.

--> and now?  let's be real.  i have good days & bad days.  some days i feel like i'm rocking this mom of two thing & like i have it all under control.  other days?  i realize it's been 5 days since i've showered, six days since i've blogged, three days since i've worked out, i remember i have a huge back log of editing work to do for clients, my stretchy pants that i've worn three days in a row smell like spit up, the laundry is piled up & the hampers are overflowing, one kid is nursing & the other is currently peeing on the carpet & i think i'm gonna lose it.  sometimes?  it's just plain hard.  it really really is.  and i have those weak moments where i want to curl up in a corner & cry because i don't think i can do it all.  no wait, it's because i can't do it all.

being a mom is hard, you guys.  and just because i have said that, doesn't make me unhappy or ungrateful.  i wouldn't trade my babies in for a single thing & there isn't a second in my day where i would give any of it up.  but it can be overwhelming & it's so easy to start feeling sorry for yourself.

where am i going with this?  well, i guess sometimes i feel guilty for complaining or not appreciating every tiring moment.  in any given second, something could change.  we've been blessed with healthy babies & i have so much to be grateful for.  so why can't i go about every single day being grateful for each crazy moment?  that's what i feel guilty about.  i have very close friends & family who can't have kids, who have lost babies or who have babies with a chronic illness.

so i keep going.  in the end, i do have nothing to complain about.  i can have my weak moments but i know a day will come where i will wish i hadn't wished these days away.  i will miss the sweet baby smell of elliot's head & long for the days when parker's bare bottom sat on my lap & asked to read "the grouchy ladybug" for the 100 millionth time.  i will wish i had enjoyed it more & had stopped worrying about clean hair, clean laundry, my daily run or frequent blog posts.  but sometimes it's easy to lose sight of that.

so that's where we're at.  trying to appreciate every crazy moment & looking for joy in the everyday.  should be easy right?  i mean, look at this face.

big ol' iPhoto dump + an update about a rough-ish patch.

oh boy, it's been a week has it?  i'm one of those bloggers now.  and i can't promise it'll get much better for a while... until this littlest boy of mine starts sleeping some serious night time hours {read: longer than 1-2 at a time... 3 if we're lucky}.  but it's not completely his fault.  parker & elliot caught colds & that's no fun for a newborn who sleeps on his back & breaths through his nose.  so we've had some long nights with a sick baby that usually ends up sleeping on my chest the second half of the night as a result of not being able to breath too well.  in other news, i can't wait for the day i realize what it feels like to sleep four consecutive hours in a row again... it will be so SO glorious.

the nights are rough but during the day this little guy makes up for it.  he is still so sweet & mellow & spends probably 85% of his day being worn by me either in the ergo or the wrap.  we've gotten to be pretty good buddies & i think he's a keeper.

parker is continuing to adjust to the new family member.  i think it's safe to say we've had less tantrums & he's back to sleeping normal hours too {he was waking up at 5:30-6 for a week or so & that was no bueno} so thanks for that, p-ray.

i'm starting to feel like a normal human being again, whatever that is.  i've taken both boys out by myself quite a few times now & we've only had one incident that ended much worse than i could have imagined {think parker panic attack & projectile vomit of his entire stomach contents... we survived though thanks to the help of surrounding mom friends!}.  i'm starting to work out again & slowly weeding out the cookie dough & chocolate milk from my regular diet.  i'm ready for this mama belly to be on its way!

and to top it all off?  it's officially fall.  it may be 80 degrees outside {what is up with that seattle??} but i have a pumpkin spice candle burning & the ghosts & pumpkin decor is making its way up around me house.  there is something to updating your seasonal decor that just makes you feel "with it", am i right?  i think i'm right.

and finally, here is another ginormous iPhoto dump from the last couple weeks.  lots of family/friend/solo outings & baby smiles.  oh yeah, & those baby smiles?  somehow make you feel like you had eight hours of sleep the night before & keep ya going.  they're kinda magical that way.

5.5 weeks... we're still here!

oh i miss you my little blog!

we're almost six weeks deep in this new baby thing and you know what?  things are getting good.  you guys... i've fallen deeply deeply in love with this new little baby.  i mean of course, the second he came out i loved him.  he was a sweet cuddly little baby & he was ours & i didn't ever want to let him go or put him down but he was still a stranger.  now, just in the last week or so this little baby has lodged himself irreplaceably in my heart.

he gives us the biggest, happiest smiles.  he coos & gurgles & makes eye contact & looks happy to see me.  and that?  has made me fall even deeper in love.  so, things are getting good.

in this last week i've taken both boys out to public places {target, grocery store, the mall, etc.} by myself & despite a parker melt down or two, we've all survived.  the boys usually overlap naps for at least an hour or so most days & i'm gaining confidence in this mom of two thing.  life is starting to feel routine again.  we've gone to stroller strides twice now & i'm enjoying coming out of hiding.  it's nice to have a little bit of a life again & i know things will only get better here on out.  because it's pretty hard at first.  but just like everyone says, "it gets better."

also, i've started doing photography sessions again & had three sessions in just this last week!  elliot has been taking a bottle of pumped milk like a champ while i'm gone & that makes me happy too.

and something i'm really excited about?  being in the market for some new tennis shoes & getting real serious about getting healthy & back in shape.  something about a new pair of kicks helps motivate me to get out the door & get my booty moving!  but first i should probably quit this cookie dough & chocolate milk habit i have, huh?  meh, one thing at a time.  

ok, this post has been random & scattered but that's kind of just my life right now.  moral of the story is we're not only surviving, we are starting to get a little normal around here & things are starting to get good.  i'm loving my new life with these two little boys & am so excited for the coming months.  fall, halloween, thanksgiving... christmas!!  this year is shaping up to be pretty sweet.

and now for a couple shots of my cute boys because that's how i do.

one month.

one month down!

they say the first month is the hardest, right?  it just gets easier from here on out, yeah...?  well i'm not gonna bust out the whole "wow, this month just flew by!  how did we get here?"  because that aint true for me.  this month felt like a month.  and then some.  possibly because each day is about 19 to 20 hours long.  we aren't sleeping much around here but ya know what?  it's ok.  this little face makes it all worth it.

here's my little #2 all growed up to one month.

we really, really love this little guy.  i wish i could say things were getting easier but they haven't really.  the thing that has changed is elliot is spending more time during the day awake & showing more personality & i feel like we're bonding with him.  he's making eye contact, he's smiling & he's even letting out the occasional coo.  it makes my heart all melty.

elliot loves to be held.  if he had his way he'd never be put down & if i had my way i'd oblige.  this is where babywearing comes in handy!  when i'm home alone with both boys elliot spends a lot of time being worn in my wrap or when we're out & about he's almost always in the ergo.  he loooves being worn & i like it too.  he's happy to just hang out or sleep when being worn until he gets hungry... then he means business.

elliot is nursing like a champ.  he loves to eat.  he's nursing about 10-11 times a day for about 20 minutes each time.  he goes about two or three hours between sessions around the clock which doesn't make for much night time sleep.  we have yet to have consistent 4-5 hour blocks of sleep... we're crossing our crossables that happens this month.  he's gained a bunch of weight & is starting to get those awesome baby rolls.  he's wearing size 1 diapers & three month clothes, i think he was in newborn stuff for about a week.

how parker is doing:
parker still loves elliot.  he loves to rub his head, squeeze his arm {sometimes a little too hard!} & give him kisses.  he self entertains really well while i'm camped out nursing all day which makes me feel guilty & neglectful.  and then if he wants something & i can't respond as quickly as i used to he may or may not freak out.  so that can be hard.

he was having trouble going down for his nap & then i realized it was because i was taking elliot in there for stories & songs with me.  i've adjusted to putting elliot down for a nap first & then putting parker down alone which also gives us good one on one time.  he's gone down for a 2 or 3 hour nap ever since without a hitch.  we've been amazed at how well parker's adjusted.  he's such a good kid!

how i'm doing:
i feel like i'm pretty much healed from pregnancy & delivery.  i'd say i'm at about 99% because there is the occasional weird pain & i have to slow down a little but for the most part i'm pain-free.  i'm just so, so tired.  i'm kinda getting the hang of the two kids at home-alone thing or at least i feel like i'm getting less intimidated by them & am regaining control.  we have meltdowns & duel crying sessions but i can deal with it.  this crazy life is becoming our new normal.  i have yet to take them to a public store alone... maybe this month?  but we have gone on lots of successful park & playdate outings.

how sam is doing:
sam is my rock.  with working all day & driving an hour each way to & from work, i don't now how he hasn't lost it.  but he is what keeps this house going.  he's given me breaks to get out by myself  twice now & he's done extra housework to keep this place from falling apart in shambles.  i'll repay him some day with meal planning & folded laundry again soon.  maybe this month?  we'll see.

i really do think we're through the hardest part.  brand spanking new newborns are hard but they make up for it in cuddly cuteness, no?  oh my gosh & that smell.  i cannot get enough of elliot's smell!!  every time i pick him up & have to take a whiff of his head.  so, so good.

and he is just so dang cute.

love him.

our week through iPhone - week 96

happy middle of september, friends!  wow, is it really already half way to october?  yes, yes it is.  fall has completely snuck up on me here in the northwest thanks to this crazy run of 80 degree weather we've been having.  not that i'm complaining but i must say, i am ready for jeans & long sleeves, cinnamon spice candles, pumpkin cookies, crisp mornings & well, everything else that comes with this time of year.  can i get a "heck yeah" for the fall??  LOVE this time of year.

in the meantime, we've been using this awesome weather to get out a bit.  last weekend we took a little family trip up to mt rainier for some hiking & we managed to get outside pretty much every other day this week.  oh!  and it was my birthday.  it was such a good day thanks to amazing friends & family who made sure it was a good one.  i have to say, i have the best friends evvvvver.  no really, i do.

oh!  and elliot is one month old on monday.  you may say, "what??  already??" and i say uh, yeah... it's about time.  because i have to say, this month felt like a month & then some to me.  but i'll save that for his one month post next week.

for now?  here's a glimpse into what our week looked like through the camera of my iPhone!

----------------------------------------------------------------------

***photos edited via instagram.  do you instagram?  find me @amy_agoodlife & let's picture bond!***
that was our week!  how was yours?  i wanna see, so link up!

Game Rules:
1.  your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone. that's it!  you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

2.  if you want to grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog do it.

and please post a link to my blog so others can come here to grab the code, too.
the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

Grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=163135" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

it's my 30th birthday, it'd be silly if i didn't blog.

oh boy, the big 3-0.

i don't have many minutes to put together anything big & prophetic about transitioning into the next decade of my life because i have two cute little boys who are doing me a birthday solid & napping at the same time.  it's a birthday miracle... who knows how long it will last.  but i am turning 30 & some day i might wanna look back at this day and see what i was doing.  so here's a quick update.

we're into our second week of this new normal life.  it's not so bad.  i've managed to pack both boys up all by myself twice now & actually leave the house in a car... like a couple of legit outings.  both times were successful & i'm starting to feel like this whole two kids thing might be humanly possible.  parker has been a pretty good kid & often surprises me with how well he's taken to elliot.  he LOVES him.  loves giving him kisses & just thinks every little squeal, hiccup & grunt from him is hilarious.  i can't wait until parker makes him laugh, my heart will probably jump out of my chest.

i'm still not getting a whole ton of sleep but in the world of newborns i think we're doing pretty good.  elliot goes down around 9:30 & usually wakes up around 1-2 & again around 4-5.  he's kinda hard to get back down after both feedings & sam usually takes one for the team & stays up with him for half an hour or so before he has to get ready for work so i can get a few extra minutes of sleep before parker's up at 7.  life is starting to feel a little more routine.  most days i manage to get out of my pajamas & get ready for the day & usually my teeth are brushed before noon, so i think i'm winning.

how do i feel about turning 30?  well, since life has pretty much revolved around the new member of our family, i haven't really had time to dwell on it with a pity party.  but honestly?  meh, it's just a number.  i think age is more about how you feel & act & how active you are & i plan to make this year a good one.  i plan on getting back into shape, spending lots of time playing with my boys, building my business & enjoying life.  i'm really excited for what this next year will bring.  like, really excited.  30 will be good.

and because a post is no fun unless there are fun things to look at, here are a few pictures of what life around our house looks like lately.  lots of pajamas, messy hair & downtime.  can't complain about that!