No longer can our faithful Graco work for us with it just being a one seater so that brought me to wanting to purchase another stroller that will work for us.
I thought about one like this (see below) because several of my friends have it. Well, then I thought: What about Charley and walks? Poor Charley. She is definitely in her "Poor Charley" mode as she is adjusting to another little sister around that pretty much ensures that she does not get one minute of my attention (Aaron gives her some I promise). She really has gotten sad these days when I "sling up" (I love saying that!) Aubrey and put Savannah in the stroller and go on walks. Not even close to possible to take her with me then. Anways, so I didn't think I could manuver that stoller because it would require my hands to be very far apart to guide it and that would not work for attempting to control our crazy dog too.
Then, I thought: Well, eventually I want to officially be a runner again. Well I say "again" when I really haven't been a runner in quite a while due to trying to get pregnant (When we were wanting to get pregnant the first time I thought I should just totally quit exercising to ensure nothing got "jiggled" around. Quite insane I know. It's quite funny too that when I started exercising again is when I got pregnant.), being pregnant, getting over being pregnant, and then lo and behold being pregnant again. Anyways, so I thought about something to the likes of the one below. Then I thought of several reasons not to do that: Aubrey probably could not safely fit in it for many more months, what if I never become a runner again, and then it's the whole thing of controlling Charley with that thing. I also saw this woman in my neighborhood jogging with one and she just looked so uncomfortable...shoulders hunched over, barely able to make it up the hill, legs looked like they could barely move. All that and she looked to be in great shape! No, I knew I better just practice running again with our one seater jogging stroller and invest in one of those down the road.
So then I saw someone in the mall with one like this. It's a faithful Graco. It didn't look so big when I saw it. Now it's out of the box, all put together and it looks gargantuous! And it is the one I'm going to have to manuver 2 girls around in not to mention an oversized and over-stimulated beagle. Oh well...onward I go. And I will let you in on what is most assuredly going to be quite a funny picture when we christen it tomorrow in the annual Highpoint Fourth of July parade. Hilarious I am sure it will be.
Here's the DL of the Boeving house during these first days with little Aubrey Melanie...
- For those of you who don't want to read the nitty-gritty below, I'll just let you know what some of you may be wondering. Yes, I am absolutely exhausted. Not so much because of Aubrey but because of everything else going on with us. No, she's not sleeping through the night yet (just so you know, I have had people ask me that...strangers in fact. I think I may have scared some friends & acquaintances off from asking me this by an earlier post...didn't mean to do that.) but I would say she's a good sleeper with naps and with nights. And, yes, I am breastfeeding and it is going quite well. And, in fact, strangers have asked me about that one too.
Here are the details.
- I constantly have a ringing cell phone going through my ears and my brain either because it really is ringing or because it has been ringing so much with calls about house stuff that it is imprinted in my ears and brain. Between Aaron and I, we are on the phone with the mortgage person, an insurance person, an inspector person, the closing attorney, the realtor, etc. etc. literally half the day. Aaron had to change the tone of his cell phone ring a couple of nights ago because we kept hearing it even when it was not ringing.
- Round three of going to Louisville to look for houses occurred last weekend. We found one! Yay! More to come on that.
- All of my fears of how Savannah would react to a baby have totally been stilled because she is doing great! And I love it that she goes and gets burp clothes, diapers, and yes, even breast pads for mommy. I'm totally proud of Aubrey's big sister!
- This is my new-found baby find. It's great and highly recommended. Thanks, Angie!
- Don't buy those expensive breast pumps and get this one! It's battery operated (tried and true in the car) and works just as well as the big ones that cost $200 or more.
- Speaking of breastfeeding (okay, how many times can I write that word in one post?): I thought Aubrey was a sluggish eater because she is not the marathon eater that Savannah seemed to be those first weeks. I was pleasantly surprised though when she was up from her birth weight by 1 pound and 3 ounces, weighing in at 9 pounds for her 2 week check-up. While no piggie, I'm still hoping she may have a little chunkiness to her.
- Toting two around is much easier than I would have imagined. We have ventured to Target and to the library to name a few places, just the three of us. I think our next fun destination will be the mall to the play area. And, by the way, the main library and the Wolfchase mall's play area are great places to go to be indoors during the summer.
- My emotions? While I haven't cried when I read Just in Case you Ever Wonder these days like I did with Savannah, I am quite emotional. Some of it must be post-pregnancy hormones and some of it has to be the fact that we're moving away from beloved family and friends and yes, even a beloved city, in just a few days. A beloved city because it is our home. It always will be. And that is my number 7 (I will think of two more within the two weeks that I still live here!)
- And if you are contemplating having your second child at the moment, wondering how life will be when you no longer have one little one to cuddle and play with...contemplate no longer. Go ahead and do it! It's busier. It's crazier. It's more draining. But it is wonderful and full and great! All that to say, I think we have officially decided to wait MUCH longer between Aubrey and the next one than we did with Savannah and Aubrey. : ) Hah! Just to even write that is ridiculous in so many aspects. May I remind myself that I am not God.
- And, I will let you in on a great sleep treat: Aubrey is always taking one of her naps during Savannah's one afternoon nap...it's happened every day since returning home from the hospital. I will also say that I usually take naps then too. Save, of course, the day before yesterday and yesterday and today...I'm going to get back into it though.
- Finally, I have yet to pack one box. I want to be orderly about packing but I'm also learning even more than ever to chill about being orderly. I'm a neat freak through and through...I LOVE things in their place. That, of course, is being thrown out the window these days. It's much more worth it to have a full quiver than to have a clean house.
There you have it.
Well, I would term this day the first regular day. The first week we were home with Aubrey, Aaron was here. The next week my sister was here. Last night Savannah arrived home from my parents and so here we are...the first regular day~no husband, no sister, and no parents to help.
Our day has looked a bit like this: a morning walk~one stoller, one sling, one howling dog that I left behind. Watering of the plants/playing in the water. Much fun. Snacktime for all three of us. Playtime. Lunchtime. Naptime.
Let me write that word again. Naptime. And here I sit blogging...
Just for clarification: Initially, Savannah was in the stroller...I believe she's much too big by now to "sling up".
For those of you who took Mrs. Huntley's econ class your Senior year, does this ring a bell: TNSTAAFL ? "There's no such thing as a free lunch." There are certain things I remember about that class like my project on Wal-Mart where Laura and I went to Wal-Mart one Sunday afternoon and asked them for a Wal-Mart apron so I could strap it on my poster-board made yellow smiley face~Catchie really loved that~ or her potent perfume that permeated throughout the classroom and even into the halls. And then there was the unforgetable TNSTAAFL. I feel like she would remind us of that at least every other day. Here's proving Catchie wrong...
- Click here for $5 off a Pampers product at Target. I didn't need diapers when I went to Target and used this coupon but I did need wipes which did not cost $5, so I got them for free and the leftover was just taken off my Target bill.
- Stop paying up to $1.75 to call information from your cell phone and use this number: 1-800-FREE411 or 1-800-373-3411. Here's more information about this.
Thanks to Amy and Brandi for sending this delightful information on to me! Happy Free Tuesday!
I have not fallen off the earth of the blogging world. We did however have an incredibly busy week last week...much too busy in fact, but that is just how our life is at this point in time I do suppose and actually all~Aaron, Savannah, Aubrey and I~are handling it quite well I do believe. Here's just a glimpse to get you caught up:
My sweet big sister who graced me with her presence and helped out all last week.
A "matchy-matchy" episode with sweet Adrienne Luce and sweet Aubrey. And, by the way, the only pictures from the week. I must do better or poor Aubrey won't have much in her baby book at which to look.
Talked to the lady about our loan. She threw out a ton of numbers. I wanted to throw up because I had not a clue what she was saying. Should have just forwarded the call to Aaron, but thought I would be helpful...did not quite work that way. Aaron arrives home from work to: Broken plank on hardwood floor in the kitchen. My blowing a fuse in the kitchen causing the electricity to subside while Aaron was trying to fix the floor. Two hours later~bathtime for Savannah with the floor fixed and the electricity back on. As I was letting the water out of the bathtub, I failed to remember that her washcloth was still in the tub. It preceded to be swept away in the drain. I called Aaron to help. He worked on it for an hour. Could not find the darn thing and was beginning to believe that I was sabotaging him and/or our house.
One day later: plumbers come. Find the washcloth.
One day later still~June 18th~: Christian Joshua Stewart is born!
The next day: Aubrey's newborn pics and Savannah's one-year pics (3 months late) take place. A wonderful idea: I'm going to be in the pics. As I was trying to make Savannah smile, we toppled over from a chair onto the concrete into a flower bed. Aubrey, thankfully, was not in that particular picture. I shielded Savannah and retained a bloody hand and a two bruises on my thigh~one spanning the length of the top of my middle finger to the middle of my hand. Although the fall was surely funny to witness, I still cannot laugh about it because I'm still suffering the repercussions.
Finally, Friday: My sister takes Savannah back to Missouri. We take ourselves and Aubrey to Louisville. Yes, you read correctly~we took our 10 day old baby on a 6 hour road trip. She did pretty much near perfect on the way there, as well as the entire weekend.
Saturday/Sunday: We look for houses. We like three. I'll let you know what happens with that...
Today: Savannah is not back from my parents yet, therefore when I talked to my mom this morning and she asked me if I wanted to talk to her, I could not because I miss her too bad and I knew I would cry. She'll be back tomorrow...I'm going to wash clothes, clean this awfully dusty house which we only have 26 days to call "home" from this very day, and catch up on some reading.
Rainy days do not get me down, nor do Mondays. Life is much too full for that...Good Monday.
"Matchy Matchy" is what our friend Maggie told her mom when she saw Savannah's and Aubrey's newborn pictures side by side. I'm now not so convinced the girls look as much alike as I thought they did. Nevertheless, I am sure that I love to dress them up in matching outfits. Now, I've heard of some moms dressing their kids up in exactly matching outfits all the time. I don't think I can take it that far, but it has been fun to try to do it...even if they're not the exact outfit, matching same colors can be just as fun. Maggie, I'm going to "matchy matchy" my girls like your mom "matchy matchy"s you and Lily!
Savannah is loving to "rock" Aubrey...
A piano recital for the family...
This Father's Day, Savannah's daddy let her experience the wind beneath her wings..Happy Father's Day to a silly and very sweet Daddy~Aaron!
Okay, I'm just now realizing you may not realize what Aaron is doing..he's "running like the wind" with Savannah.
Sweet tea and a salad. That was what I was craving tonight for dinner and so we made a stop at McAllister's to suffice my hunger. On the way out, this woman stopped us. As Aaron halfway rolled down my window, she began her story. From California, the police were putting she and her two children up in a hotel due to an abusive situation. Tonight was her son's birthday. She had been to several churches in the area and they all told her to come back when their food bank was open later in the week. Could we take her to the store so she could buy food to make her son a special dinnner? No, she didn't want the money or fast food...the dollar could go further at the grocery store she said.
My mind was racing. Aaron's was too. What should we do? I immediately thought: Did she just not pull up in the Mercades next to us? I asked her that. She pointed to another beat up car and said that was hers. Aaron and I softly spoke to one another trying to figure out what to do. Sure, Kroger was literally feet away but we had two little girls in the back seat, one just days old. We didn't want to take the time or risk our family's safety to walk in with her, etc.
We ended up giving her 5 bucks. With tears in my eyes, I shared with her the cross of Christ and the Hope of the Lord. I told her that I prayed she would use the money as she was telling us she was going to use it. She told me to quit crying (little did she knew I had just had a baby 5 days ago and my hormones are extremely wacko) and that she was a Christian.
We drove away a bit distraught wondering had we done the right thing? Ideally, we should have taken her into the store and watched her buy the items. Or walked her into McAllister's to buy food for her. If the police had really put her up in a hotel, would they not provide food for her too? Why would churches turn her away? Where were her kids? Was she just looking for the money for her next high?
Ironically, I just shared a conversation about situations like these with a group of friends last weekend. It's hard. I'm not one to have a difficult time saying no. Tonight, my heart just would not let me. Maybe it was just my emotions getting the best of me. Maybe she really was sincere.
My question still remains: What do you do in situations like these?
Well, we have officially been home for almost 3 full days with our new baby girl! Although there have been no breakdowns on Aubrey's part, Savannah and I have had a few as we adjust to being a family of five. And, yes, I must say "five" because Charley has been extremely annoying these past few days and she very much wants as much of our attention as the two "real" daughters. We're getting there though and I must remember this is a big change for all involved!
Aubrey~She is such a sweetie and a sleepy-head! She really is doing well and we just adore her!
Savannah~Although she has had bouts of fussiness as she takes in the newness of being a big sister, she very much dotes over Aubrey~trying to give her graham crackers and milk from her sippy cup; patting (more like hitting) her back to get her to burp; and bouncing her quite vigorously in the bouncy seat. I think our biggest challenge may be just keeping Savannah occupied as we are in the house more over the next few days and not able to be out as much. Thank goodness though for Mama and Papa Boe, Aunt Natalie, and Honey! Her toy baskets, Mom's purse, running hands under the faucet, and jumping on Charley only take so many minutes a day. We adore her too!
Aaron & Laurin~I think it's finally becoming a reality that we get to be Dad and Mom to two little girls! What a blessing! Physically I'm really feeling very well especially compared to how I felt at this point with Savannah~very sore and very sleepy. The soreness just has not come this time around and though I'm sleepy and I'm sure it has not all sunk in yet, I feel like I am not living in a daze like I felt with Savannah, probably due to all the pain pills I was popping during those first days with her.
For more pictures from the hosptial, click here...sorry I have no new pictures other than those. I do have some ready to post, but am having trouble with my computer. Soon, I promise!
Aubrey is here! After a long day of labor~long but thankfully not painful~Aubrey arrived at 5:54 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz. and 20 inches long. She is indeed precious and a sweet gift from our God.
Once she was ready to meet us, she was quickly ready, taking less than 3 minutes from the time the doctor said: "Push!" until he said: "Here she is!". And, when meeting her little sister, Savannah did really well: gave her a kiss and then began to walk around the hospital room acting like a little monkey. She did want to hold her but once we put her in her arms, she quickly decided that was enough.
I do think the girls look like sisters, especially as newborns...the first picture is of Aubrey and the next one is of Savannah. And just for the record, I do plan to give in tomorrow to the newborn novelty of the coming home outfit...I've decided I just would not be a true Southern mom if I do not.
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