Monday, July 15, 2013

instant grandfather

Though Luke and Annie are surrounded by our amazing families, I wanted to dedicate a special post to one man in particular.


This man became a grandparent almost overnight.  He and my mom started dating when Luke was just six months old, and they got married a year later.  Cramer does not have biological grandchildren but from the very first day, he has loved Luke with a selfless and gentle spirit, as if he came from his very flesh.  They share a love for all things motorized and both have a quiet, introverted character.

Luke and Annie will never know a time when "Mamer" was not a grandfather to them.  I am so thankful for how he loves us and it blesses my heart to see Luke love him right back.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Independence Day

Happy Fourth of July.  We started out this morning at the parade in town where Luke enjoyed a bomb pop for breakfast...


...and Annie enjoyed a morning nap.


Later this evening we went to the Martin's for a delicious steak dinner and playtime outside.


I love my handsome boys!


And this one is growing too fast!



Say cheese!


Happy Independence Day!

Tuesday, July 2, 2013

annie girl - 2 months

(I thought time went by quickly with the first baby.  But oh my word it's gone by even quicker this time!)

Annie girl,

You are two months old.  This last month has been a bit of a roller coaster, but I think we are finally coming down from the crazy ride.  Let's just call it the month-o-reflux.  For a while there you were pretty miserable.  You cried for about an hour after every single feed.  It was awful to watch you arch your back and scream and hold your breath and cough and choke and scream some more.

But hallelujah (seriously, praise Jesus) we have gotten that under control.  You're on some pretty good drugs now and your little esophagus is starting to heal.  And you are so much happier!

You weigh 10 pounds 6 oz.  You wear 0-3 month clothes and size 1 diapers.
You are nursing so well and I love it!

You take one long nap in the morning, another long nap in the afternoon, and you cat-nap throughout the day between feeds.  You eat every 2-3 hours during the day and every 4-5 hours at night.  Last night you slept from 10 pm to 5 am (longest stretch yet!) and it made mommy so happy!

You swaddle to sleep, just like Luke did.  But you like to fall asleep on my shoulder and you don't use a paci.  In that way, you are so different than your brother.

You smile at people when they talk to you, and you smile at the toys hanging from your bouncy seat.  You will lay on your play mat for about 10 minutes at a time.  You like to be held facing out, so you can see the world!  I feel like just overnight you've gone from newborn to infant, and I love to see you awake a little more.



It may be cliche, but words cannot describe how much I love you, how deeply I care for you, and what an amazing little girl you are.  Keep growing strong, little baby.  We love you.