Austin is 2 months!

    Austin was 2 months old on Sunday, and today we had his 2 month checkup! First off, I cannot believe he is already 2 months (9 weeks today)! I feel like I just had him, and the time is flying even faster than it did with Connor. I am very happy and proud to say that we are still breastfeeding. Yeah, I know it has only been 2 months, but that is our first milestone! I stopped breastfeeding Connor around 5/6 weeks for a bunch of different reasons, but this time we are still going strong, despite our difficulties in the beginning. Breastfeeding is hard, ya'll. I haven't met one mom who has said it has been easy peesy from the start. Austin was 11 lbs 8 oz and 22.5 inches long today :) That is 2 lbs gained and 1 inch growth from his 1 month appointment. Technically, 30 ounces, but whatever. That is about 1 ounce a day which they said they like to see them gain about 1/2 an ounce to 1 ounce a day. SO, Austin is right on track! He is about in the 40th percentile for everything. Height, Weight, Head size. Perfectly proportionate! I stopped pumping and bottle feeding right after his 1 month appointment, and he has obviously been an efficient eater. I pump once a day, at night, since he goes longer in between feedings, and I want to drain the girls. So, I have stored over 200 oz of breastmilk... that I have hardly used at all. Yikes. Saving a lot for the Marine Corps ball in November though, since we are staying over night.

   Austin has been SO interactive lately. He really coos and giggles at my voice. I love that little smile, and I love that his personality is really starting to shine through. I think he is going to be more laid back but goofy like his big brother. Connor is 'go, go, go' constantly, so I'm curious to see how Austin is. He loves Connor, and Connor absolutely loves Austin. He calls him "brudder" and still says "Aushtin." It is precious. It is still hard with 2, haha, and I am not sure when it gets easier. I really feel stretched thin between the 2 boys. I am trying to balance the time, but Austin is super demanding where Connor is really independent. Though, Connor still wants me to play and watch him do things. Nursing sessions have gotten better, Austin typically goes 2 hours, sometimes 3 in between feedings, so I can play more with Con. Getting out of the house is quite the challenge. Last Friday we went on a playdate with our friends Kelly and Brady who is Con's age. They had a blast, and I was able to leave the house and have Austin sleep the whole way. He nursed in the ring sling during the playdate, and he did great during lunch too. But, it took us OVER AN HOUR to leave. It was an hour away from home, and I tried to feed him before we left, but he was tired and fussy. It was super stressful sitting in the car for over an hour trying to feed him and then get him to sleep. I definitely forgot how hard road trips are with a little baby.Yeee. But, we are figuring it out, and each week gets a little easier.

   Connor is doing awesome! He is SO big. He holds conversations with us, and still LOVES his daddy, or Adam, as he calls him. Haha. Adam hates it, but what can ya do? Connor has really good manners, and is a really good kid. He is so so busy, but I love it. His favorite things are Mickey Mouse, building things, his motorcycles, singing songs and his daddy. He loves to swim and play outside, and he is just such a fun guy. FULL of personality. I love this kid! We haven't officially started potty training yet. I haven't decided if I want to start now or wait until after our 2 week visit to Virginia in August. I might go ahead and buy big boy underwear and start introducing the potty more. He has gone a lot on the potty, and he knows what it is for, but he still likes those diapers. Ugh. I am over changing his big butt, though! haha.

Well that's how our life has been going this past month :) Enjoy some sweet pics of my boys!

A new adventure.

   Quite a lot has changed in my life since the last post! Austin is now 7 weeks old and such a little joy. He is a really happy baby with a lot of gas! Better out than in, I say, but really, I am nervous he is going to rip one in public. I don't think anyone will believe it is him. haha. He has been sleeping really well for the most part. He sleeps from about 7 or 8 - 10 or so, and then he goes back to sleep until about 2, and then sleeps until about 5 or 6. So, I'm only technically getting up once at night. I roll over to nurse him in the morning (so convenient). Breastfeeding is going really well. Better. Austin has gotten really efficient with his feedings. He can eat in about 20 minutes and eats about every 2 hours during the day. I've been out in public quite a few times with him and have gotten really comfortable nursing in public. Now that he is getting older, I am more comfortable going out with the 2 boys. Today we had a play date with my friend Tressie and her kids, and next week we are going to meet up with Kelly & Brady. I, of course, feel super guilty that Connor has been stuck at home all summer. Adam and I went and bought him a big pool last weekend and he loves it! I know that the guilt is something all moms go through, but I am getting much better with dividing my time. At only 2, Connor is really understanding. He understands when I need to hold/feed/console Austin. He helps as much as he can, and he just loves his brother so much. I knew he would be a great big brother, but he surprises me daily with how incredibly sweet he is to Austin. I love them more than life. It is really an amazing thing, how your heart expands when you have your second child. I never knew I could love 2 tiny humans as much as I do. After Connor, I couldn't imagine loving another child as much as him, and you just do.

   In other news, Adam got his orders. Camp Pendleton, California. He called me on Tuesday and asked me if I was in a good mood. I said, "sure.." and he proceeded to tell me that he got orders to Camp Pendleton. We have a house in Camp Lejeune, NC, and we were told that after recruiting duty, he got his pick of where his next duty station would be. LIES. Talking to him I tried to hold my shizz together. That's what we military wives do. Never let our husbands see us fall apart. He could hear my voice crack, and I told him I was okay and would talk to him later. I got off the phone with him, cried for a few minutes, put my big girl panties on, built a bridge and got over it. The more we talk about it, the less dread I feel and the more excited I get. I have only heard wonderful things about Camp Pendleton. 60s/70s all year round, tons of stuff to do for us and the kids, and the beach! Yes, we are literally an entire country away from family, but we knew it was a possibility. And in good news, I am closer to my bff, Lauren and my godbaby :) But, yeah, that is huge news. We will be pcs'ing in late February/early March. Adam getting his orders means that recruiting duty is almost over. We can see the light at the end of this tunnel!! What a relief.

Oh. I signed up for Weight Watchers as well. Going good. Down 5 lbs in the first week and can zip and button my pre- pregnancy jeans!! Yeehaw!

Ill leave you with some snapshots of my boys! Enjoy the sweetness.