The New "Normal"

Guess what! It IS possible to survive with a newborn and 3 yr old!! We're are living proof. Life is finally starting to have some routine to it and we are settling in to our new "normal." I think we are going to make it! Two blog posts in one day is certainly proof, right?! I went back to work the first week of March. It's really been a challenge learning how to balance working from home and TWO babies! I'm not going into the office as much as I did before Maggie because she has a really hard time transitioning from the bottle because of her confusion from her stay in the NICU. However, this week we did NO bottles and have made some REAL progress on the eating front. I'm just praying it stays! She gained more than an ounce a day this week and is about 13.1 lbs!!!! I'm so excited!! I'm starting to learn her routine and am being a better momma to her. So, she is actually taking naps during the day! In.Her.Bed!!!!! Can you say PROGRESS?! Some of her naps are for an hour or more, some are 45 mins and others are barely 30 mins but she'll get there - I'm sure of it (well so long as this blog post didn't just jinx everything!) She's doing really well at night time too. She always has one long stretch of sleep for about 4-5 hrs (sometimes she'll go 7 hours or so). She'll wake up and eat but immediately go back to sleep without any coaxing. We are having to swaddle her with her arms down right now because she is gnawing on her hands SO much that she is very restless if allowed access to them. She sleeps very soundly if she is swaddled. I'm also off of maternity leave from the Junior League. My placement had its BIG event this week. Buckle Up and Be Safe has a car seat check with the Touch-a-Truck event. Because I can't be far from Maggie, I only went for a short period and we ended up leaving earlier than planned because it was SO cold!!!! While I worked the Buckle Up and Be Safe event, Max, Kelly, my dad and his Kelly went to the Touch-a-Truck event.

Max feeding a baby sheep

Sliding with E - that is PURE enjoyment on that face of his!!

Riding on E's shoulders

Daddy with his Babies first thing Sunday Morning

Maggie actually has REAL pictures now! Photos taken on an actual camera and not a phone! YAY!!! Sally took a picture on her camera that is SO pretty!! I'm waiting for her to email it to me so I can use it for birth announcements - yes, I realize that she is almost 4 months old, but better late than never (says the person who still hands out her Christmas cards that she never mailed to people she sees in April!!). I obviously have no shame!

This picture of Max just cracks us up! It reminds me of a picture of Trey from our wedding that we used on a t-shirt!! It's a VERY goofy picture of Max - but the best of both of them! It's so hard to get a good picture of both kids!!

My sweet Happy Girl!! Most days, Maggie really looks like Max as a baby - but I don't know who she looks like in this picture.

As you can tell, Maggie likes to smile!! She is REALLY handing out smiles and it is SO precious! I love getting her out of her bed when she wakes up because she is just ALL smiles!! She has the sweetest coos. In fact, Max and I were playing with her on Wednesday and she actually laughed out loud for the first time! It truly warmed my heart. She also really enjoys sitting up. Maggie has excellent head control. I think she will be sitting up on her own long before Max, who didn't sit up completely on his own until after he was 6 mths old.) Her bumbo is one of her favorite perches. She sits in it so well. Max never really sat in the bumbo (1) because his head control wasn't great and (2) he chubby legs ALWAYS got stuck! Maggie also likes to stand which is VERY different from Max who would NEVER EVER EVER put weight on his legs. He was such a strange baby in that respect. I remember how he would just dangle in the johnny jump up rather than put weight on his legs.

The baby K'tan is really helpful. I know she looks terrified in this picture but she really likes it!

Maggie had her first zoo trip this past week. Sally, Harper, and John David came from Stuttgart and we all met at the Zoo. Maggie slept almost the ENTIRE time in her baby Bjorn. We had lots of fun and can't wait to see pictures that Sally took!

Maggie hit a big milestone yesterday. She ROLLED OVER!!!! Officially! We think she kind of did it in her snug-n-tug the other day but it wasn't all the way and she was swaddled. But she rolled completely over from her back to her belly yesterday while playing on her play mat.

It appears as though Maggie is going to follow Max and I by taking after the McLemores (my grandfather's family). She's a talker! She just screeches at her friends (her mobile). It's so funny to me that both of my kids loved their tiny love mobiles. She will just babble at that thing NON-STOP!!! Which is very similar to Max as a baby and 3-yr-old Max who NEVER stops talking. But I can't complain because I suffer from the same talk-all-the-time-affliction. She's OBSESSED with Max. She LOVES watching him and just smiles at him.

We are still adjusting to two babies but as I said, I think we're going to make it. I'm still real nervous to take them both out in public alone, but the zoo outing was good for my confidence. We've done some quick 5 min. store runs to places like Walgreens that went smoothly. My next goal is to start going to our Stroller Strides classes again. I DESPERATELY want/need to exercise but it's SO hard getting everyone up and out the door in time to attend class. I'm also nervous how Maggie will behave. So say a prayer for us that exercise also becomes part of our new normal.

Have a great Holy week! We love you all and have been praying especially hard for my aunt Libby this week. BIG GIANT HUGS!!!!