Birth Announcements

I finally mailed Kellan's birth announcements out.  They were only about 3 months late.  I can share it here with you now! I think they turned out super cute. I know I am biased.  I took the picture myself through the slats in his crib when he was just a week old and picked the announcement from Tiny Prints.  It's this announcement.  I have to say, I have tried other websites for announcements and holiday cards but Tiny Prints just get's it right every time!

T Ball

A few weeks ago I asked Aidan if he would like to play TBall. "TBall? Sure!" he said. We were late for Spring registration but I emailed the commissioner and he was able to get our guy on a team.

Adam grew up playing baseball. I'm not sure who is more excited about the season. He or Aidan.

We stopped in to the sporting goods store in our neighborhood and I stood back as the two of them picked out cleats-the black shiny ones just like Daddy's; a tball bat-blue because it's Aidan's favorite color (today) A few extra pairs of baseball pants-to practice in.  Two gloves.  One for our future MLB player and a new one for Daddy to practice with him. 

For a moment I was envious of their bond over the sport. I wished Aidan would hang on to every word that came out of my mouth like he does his Dads.  Then I thought, I have my time.  I get to be the first person to hear about his school day and  kiss boo boos when Daddy is at work.  This will be their thing and I could never blame them for enjoying the time together so much.  I hope when Aidan is grown he realizes how lucky he is/was to have a father so invested in him. 

The first practice was last Thursday night. It was unseasonably cold here in Charlotte.  Aidan woke up at 6am so anxious.  "What do I wear?" "Is Daddy going to stay with me?" "How much longer until practice?".   I had to break the news he had the entire day to go until practice at 6.  But when the time came, it definitely showed that Adam had been working with him. He caught every thing that came his way and hit the ball off the tee time after time.  Adam was gleaming with pride from the sidelines.  Kellan and I watched from the car. 

We've had a few rainy days and cancelled practices in between then and tonight's practice but the excitement has done nothing less than escalate.   Who knows this could be the start of a true love for the game. 

 

Leaving for his very first practice. 

 

Meeting his teammates and coaches for the first time. 

 

 They broke them up in to groups.  Aidan's group hit off the tee first.

 

They don't even keep score in his league.  But if they did...the other teams would be in trouble. ; )

 

 I found myself saying things to him like "keep your eye on the ball Aid".  I may be a baseball Mom after all.

 

 Throwing the ball with his teammates.

Kellan and I attempted to stand out in the cold but it was unbearable.  Especially in the shade.  

The Grandparents, Aunts and Uncles are all chomping at the bit for the first game of the season to roll around so they can cheer Aidan on from the bleachers.  I think we have a fun couple of months  singing our own renditions of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and eating peanuts at the ball field ahead of us.

 

Batter UP! 

St. Patty's Day

It is amazing to me how much each and every holiday becomes such a source of excitement when you have small children.  Since becoming a Mom I try so hard to do it up for every one of them.  So naturally when St. Patrick's day rolled around, I knew Aidan would have some fun activities at school but I wanted to make it a fun day for him here at home as well.  One of Adam's busiest days at the restaurant is St. Patrick's Day because of the bar crawl so I was planning to be on my own for the day but my Mom surprised me and joined us! 

I dug out something green for us all to wear and we booked it uptown for the parade.  It was so hot but worth standing in the heat to see Aidan enjoy himself so much and get Kellan out in the fresh air!

Kellan and Mommy selfie.  He is looking right at himself on the phone. 

 

Nana and Kellan.  She ended up in a tank top and he ended up in a onesie. I can't wait until everyday is just a onesie day.

 

There was a vendor walking around and I stopped him to buy Aidan some necklaces and saw these and had to have them for the baby.  We got some good laughs out of them. 

 

My sweet boy.  Sporting the exact same hat his Daddy wears everyday.  

 

If you know Aidan, you know he is OBSESSED with Star Wars.  Storm Troopers specifically.  This was probably the best moment of his little life. And I caught it! 

 

Sleepy baby boy.

 

After the parade we made a stop at the restaurant so Aidan could tell Adam about the Storm Trooper and we could grab some drinks.  He loves to visit Daddy at work. It was slammed but everyone thought Kellan was such doll with his little horns and Aidan loved to show him off.  

 

We went back to Nana and Grandpa's for some treats and when Adam got home we went out for Japanese.  Everywhere we went Aidan wished people a Happy St. Patrick's Day and he loved wearing his green.  Throughout the day he acquired about a dozen necklaces, tons of clover stickers, green beverages and several pieces of gold (chocolate).  We didn't have the heart to tell him the real day wasn't until Sunday and let him celebrate until his little body collapsed on his bed close to 10PM Saturday night.  It was a successful holiday in this house!

Date Nights

I was totally unprepared for how badly I was going to need time with Adam by myself when we went from one child to two.  As much as he was probably feeling neglected with my attention being focused on Aidan and a newborn,  I think I was feeling extremely needy of his time and attention too.  Adam really struggled with not wanting to come home from work because of the work awaiting him here with a new baby.  I was doing so much by myself during the day that by the time he came home, instead of letting him help, I would just try to continue to do it all alone and was making him feel like he was in the way. He was definitely having trouble finding his place and that was the opposite of how things went when Aidan was born.  In the beginning I was sort of crazy over protective of Kellan and I was trying so hard not to make Aidan feel slighted that I was exhausting myself.  I guess I wanted Adam to walk in the door and think I was Super Woman. I could do it all!  What I ended up doing was pushing him away when all I wanted was for him to tell me I was amazing. Haha! We're human and that's real life. Right?

We were doing a decent job of carving out some time at night for ourselves. Most of the time Kellan was in one of our arms but we were trying our best to hang out around him. Just check in with each other. I was letting Adam in to our little circle I had created during the days when he was at work.  My parents had taken Aidan for the night on several occasions and a few friends had volunteered once or twice since he was born to sit so we could go out and it was soooo nice.  As much as I missed the boys and wanted to call to make sure Kellan had eaten or napped, I knew I needed to relax and enjoy the time with Adam.  Nothing is more important to this family than a healthy marriage. 

The night we took Aidan to the rodeo, we called my in laws last minute and asked if they would like to come over and watch Kellan. I had planned on taking him with us and just putting him in the Moby Wrap but Adam suggested we ask them (so we could have the night with just Aidan) and to our surprise they said YES!  When we got home, the four of us were sitting around chatting and my mother in law said that she and my father in law had talked about it and would love to babysit ONE NIGHT A WEEK so that we can get out together.  It probably took me ten minutes to pick my mouth up off the floor.  What a gift!  Committing to a free night of babysitting one night a week.  I thought they were crazy and would change their minds for sure. 

Adam and I went to bed tossing around all the fun things we could do together with one night a week just for ourselves!  Trying new restaurants, seeing movies, concerts, cooking classes, wine tastings, catching up with friends that don't have kids, just sitting in the car in the quiet!  I felt guilty leaving the boys one night a week initially and then I thought I really need this. Mine and Adam's happiness makes us better parents and that makes us a better family!

So we've have two dates since then and they've been so much fun! The first week we went out on a Thursday and it was restaurant week so it took forever to eat and we totally missed our movie!  But we made up for it this past weekend and saw "Silver Linings Playbook".   Now I'm trying to convince Adam to do one of those Art classes where you drink wine and paint something.  He wants to get couples massages.  We can do it all!   If anyone has great date ideas, send them my way!!  And if you can convince your in laws to do the same for you, try it!  It feels relationship changing!

 

Selfie from our first date.  Kellan was still sleeping with us at this point so I look exhausted. 

 

Apparently I think I am one of those people that makes cute kissy faces. Not at all the case!  

Movie theatre from Saturday night. 

 

In the movie. 

Then we made out.



 

Thanks Kathy and Rick! We love you and appreciate you for doing this for us so much! 

Fridays in Waxhaw

I've mentioned here before that we have friends that live in Waxhaw and we go out there often on Friday nights to see them.   It's a boys playground for sure.   This week Adam brought BBQ from the restaurant for dinner and even Scout got to come! Aidan has the best time with his buddy Ryland and Adam and I love being away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Even if it's only for a couple of hours.  Plus the company is some of the best! Thanks for having us Caulder's!

A Weekend in the Park

There are several parks close to our house here in Charlotte but the biggest of them is Freedom Park.  After a walk on the Little Sugar Creek Greenway last Saturday morning, we decided we would head over to the park because Aidan was dying for some time on the playground.  We should have known it was going to be packed.  It was such a gorgeous day!  We spent a few hours and then it was home to get ready for our date night.  We decided we had to come back the following day and spend some more time.  So on Sunday, we picked up some burritos, grabbed a couple of blankets and headed to the park for the afternoon.  The fresh air was just what this family needed!  My parents even came out and joined us for a little while.  We laid out a blanket on Hippie Hill and it was the perfect afternoon!

 

The three Harvey boys.  Kellan passed right out on Adam.  Typical. 

Aidan eating his Mexican grilled cheese (quesadilla)

 

Kellan enjoying a nap in the shade while Nana sits with him.  

 

I couldn't be happier about Spring being right around the corner.  We have had some gorgeous days here and it feels like a little more warm sunshine is just what this Harvey family needs.  Every year I am so excited for the winter to come and then equally excited for the warm weather to come back.  This year I've been a bit more anxious for the warmer weather so we can finally get out of the house more with our little man.  I'm dying to show off the rolls on his sweet little thighs! Plus Aidan starts his first season of T-Ball! I can't wait!

Brothers and PJs

 I have been looking really forward to being able to dress Aidan and Kellan alike. Cheesy, I know. I just can't help myself. It's not an easy thing to do because they are so far apart in age that typically I can't find the exact same thing in both of their sizes. As a matter of fact, I've found nothing in both of their sizes thus far. Everything is for when Kellan gets a bit older. I bought a pair of Carter's PJs in 6-12months and 5T. A little big for Kellan but I know they typically fit snug so he could probably pull them off. Plus he's plumped up a bit. I gave them each a bath the other night and then got them ready for bed. Aidan was thrilled he and Kellan were wearing the same thing. I love it! Next up...Easter outfits!

 And I actually took these pictures with my camera. Whaaaat?



3 Months Old!

Kellan, You are three months old baby boy!  Time has really flown by.  What a roller coaster of a three months!  You are the baby I will always remember that tested my ability as a mother.   That's not a bad thing! You are just totally unpredictable! Every time I think I have you figured out, you throw me a curve ball.  We're learning new things with you everyday.

 

I have no idea how much you weigh but if I had to guess I would say around 13 lbs.  You have really grown these past few weeks.  Everywhere we go, our friends and family are shocked at how much bigger you are.  I love that you are turning in to such a chunky monkey but I'm already longing for that skinny little baby that I had just a few months ago.  You are wearing a size 2 diaper, 3-6 Months in clothes and eating a ton!  We were nursing every couple of hours AND supplementing with formula.  Then just like with your brother, my supply started to dwindle.  I was pumping overtime, take Fenugreek, drinking tons of water and nothing.  You still nurse but I know you are getting hardly anything. It has to be a comfort thing for you. I think we're days from being strictly on formula but it's more important to me to enjoy my time with you than to stress over the breast feeding thing.  You are happy and that's what matters!

Your smile is the best! You are cooing and acknowledging us when we talk to you.  When Daddy comes home if you hear him and he doesn't come straight to you, you get upset.  Am I going to have two boys that worship their Dad? We've realized you are easily overstimulated so we are trying to keep you away from bigger groups of people.  Obviously that will change but for now it's not too big of a deal.  You enjoy being held and thankfully the weather in getting nicer because you seem to be happiest in mine or Daddy's arms and outside. 

 

 

Your brother is getting more and more crazy about you.  The little boy next door was visiting last week and you were crying in your swing.  He said to Aidan "what's wrong with that baby" and your brother jumped to your defense replying "nothing is wrong with him, he just likes to cry".  It was funny.  Grandma babysat you guys on Saturday night and she said when you were upset Aidan said "here, just give him to me" and he was able to soothe you.  He's looking forward to being able to share his toys with you and having a pal to play outside with.

 

Last Wednesday night I decided you were going back in your crib and there was no going back!  We had planned on waiting until the weekend but I just decided the middle of the week was perfect.   You slept from 8:30-1, 1:30-4 and then 4-7.  The second and third night you did not get up at 1 and Saturday night you slept from 9-7:30am!  Last night from 8:30-5! I'll take it! You are doing pretty well.  I have a small desk fan in the corner of your room and a sound machine going for you and you seem to be content with those things.  You sleep in an Aden and Anais wearable blanket and that gives me peace of mind that you are not cold.  You cry for a bit when we put you down but overall I think the transition has gone amazing.

I have never been a Bumbo fan (no reason really other than trying to cut down on "stuff") but when you were crying all the time I was willing to try anything. We borrowed this Bumbo from Candace and we thought you loved it.  That lasted about a week and now you melt down when you are in it. 

 

Still loving the Moby Wrap.  Your arms could be out here but you kept hooking them together and holding them at chest level so you can't see them! I feel like most days you are in it and that's OK with me.  I'm a pro at putting it on alone.  FINALLY.

 

Your growing, growing, growing bud!  Although days with you can be very trying, we love them all!

I feel less like a disaster and more in control.  I know what everyone of your cries means and Daddy and (Aidan just about too) have almost mastered how to please you at the drop of a hat.  We're a pretty good team around here!

 

I sometimes still cannot believe we are a family of four.  It seemed like you were never going to get here when I was pregnant with you and now that you are, it's all going by too fast.   We all love you so much Kellan.  Happy Three Months baby boy!

Kellan's Dimple

I have briefly mentioned here before that Kellan has had some issues since he was born.  He was born with (I hate this term) a birth defect called a Sacral Dimple. A sacral dimple ( I am going to spare him the picture of his on the Internet) is a small indentation on the lower back above the crease in his butt.  Our pediatrician found it when she was examining him shortly after he was born.  Most cases of Sacral dimples end up being nothing but Kellan's was questionable because we could not see the end of the dimple and it was farther away from his crease and curved off to the right.  Leading our pediatrician to believe there was a chance his spine could be tethered.  A normal spinal cord hangs freely and when you have a tethered cord there is tissue that limits it's movement and affects movement and feeling in the legs and can cause issues with the bowel and bladder.  I asked anyone that came through my hospital door what they knew about it and the consensus was that they saw them relatively often but Kellan's was unique.  It was like no one wanted to be the one to tell me bad news.

The unfortunate thing about getting that kind of news is that although Kellan seemed to be moving his legs alright, he was still so young to really know what kind of movement he was truly getting and we didn't know if it would effect anything else.  He had an ultra sound done in the hospital and after a lot of confusion and a lot of frustration on our part, we finally got the test read two weeks later that ruled out the tethered spine.  Talk about worried, sleepless nights and a lot of bitchy phone calls from me to our neurologists office.

There was however a little bit of epidural blood hanging around at the end of the spine.  Which brings us to our latest ultra sound.  We have been letting him grow a bit to see if it would clear up on it own or if he would have to have a surgery to remove the spot of blood.  I've been praying around the clock that the spot would be gone because the last thing I want is for him to be put under and for anyone to go near his spine. 

We have yet to get the results that were supposed to be read by our (bone head) neurologist but the ultra sound tech said one of two things...that it could be gone because she didn't see anything OR he could have grown too much and we will need an MRI to see it better.  So we wait.  Whatever the outcome at this point,  I'm just considering it a gift from God that his spine is in perfect shape.  Adam and I were getting prematurely emotional about him having issues being a normal kid.  You never want anything to restrict your child from doing whatever they want.  Keep your fingers crossed it's cleared itself up!

Nakey baby ready to go. 

Adam cannot stand to see his boys upset. EVER. 

 

He was such a good sport. 

 

Starting to get a little agitated.  

 

It looks like Adam is holding his hand here but Kellan was actually sucking on his knuckle to soothe himself.  It was precious and heartbreaking all at the same time. 

 

  The second they were done Adam elbowed right by me to get to pick him up first. He likes to be the hero.  He was basically whimpering at this point.  Poor baby. It wasn't even that bad. 

Sleep or Lack Thereof

Never was there a truer statement than "every baby is different".  I am learning that the hard way around here!  Aidan was such a good sleeper.  He was sleeping 12-13 hours a night around 3 weeks old.  Everyone always told me not to get accustomed to that because it was not the norm. 

When Kellan came home, he started sleeping through the night at just a week old! I was getting up to pump since he wasn't getting up to eat! I knew it was too good to be true!  In the past two weeks or so, that has all changed.  Could he be going through a growth spurt?  I've tried everything but this is what our night is looking like right now...

I put him down at 9:30. He's up at 12:30, 3:30 and 6:30 to eat.  I stay up until 12:30 to get that feeding in and then try to get some sleep between his other feedings. I'm not exhausted by any means but I could always use more sleep and when 6:30 rolls around, he is up for the day! Which is hard because we are not early risers in this house.  Aidan has to be woken up everyday for school and Adam and I are notorious for sleeping through our alarms! On the weekends, Aidan will get in bed with us and we lay around sometimes until 10am.  We are going to move him to his crib next week (12 week bday) and I am hoping he will get on a better schedule.  Wishful thinking?

At least he is super snuggly in the middle of the night. 



 

 

4am.  I look exhausted. Kellan looks ready to party. 

 

Up before the rest of the house.