Faces of Aaron

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas! My parents came up to visit from fl. I hope to have pictures soon :)

Aaron is moving out of the newborn phase and becoming more of a baby. Although his sleeping hasn't improved too much at night, he is getting chubby and strong. I can't get enough of those cheeks!! He is smiling (especially at mommy) and recognizing all our voices. His expressions are priceless especially when he is around his big sister. Here is Aaron's sly little smile and sad face:

"Boy"

Aaron is such a sweetie! He loves to snuggle, watch his crazy sister, and dance with us to Christmas songs! However, he does have a fussy time usually around 8pm. He cries for about 30 minutes and nothing calms him :( Needless to say, it is a sad and frustrating time of the day for everyone. Hopefully it will pass soon!

Elliot calls Aaron, "Boy." She is adjusting well to having a brother, but doesn't like the word "wait," which she's hearing more often these days. I signed her up for a toddler gymnastics class starting in January. I'm hoping it will be a positive way for her to get energy out and make some friends :)

Good Morning Elliot

Some of Elliot's favorite morning activities:

Watching Disney Jr, tucking in her babies, playing with her nativity set, and reading stories.

Big boy

At almost 10 pounds, our big little boy has outgrown his newborn clothes! He was such a little peanut when he was born 2 weeks early. I have a feeling he won't be tall and slender like his sister ;)

One month

On Monday, Aaron turned one month old! In a way if feels like he has always been a part of our family, but at the same time it feels like yesterday that I had him. He is such a good baby, and way more easy going than his sister was. Thank goodness, because I couldn't handle another high matainence baby!

While Elliot's major feature is her big beautiful eyes, Aaron's is his full head of hair. Lots of people comment on his cool spikey hair that naturally falls into a styled look. I love that I have two little blonde babies :)

Our little guy is growing quickly and his kissable cheeks get chubbier every day. He gained a little over 3 lbs this month, and now weighs 9 lbs 14 oz! He also is 21.5 in. long. I know boys are bigger than girls, but I was so surprised that he gained so much weight! Elliot would only gain about a pound a month in the beginning. It's nice having a little baby around again to cuddle.

We are all adjusting better than expected to life as a family of four. I fell into the stay-at-home mom routine a lot easier than I did when I was on maternity leave with Elliot. Thankfully Aaron sleeps a big chunk when Elliot has her nap. I'm also getting a handle on the double stroller with the best of them :)

Ps-Sorry the pictures aren't that great. I had to use my phone.

Aaron Clement Reynolds

This is how our little man surprised everyone with an early and chaotic birth one month ago...

Thursday: I went to my weekly dr appointment and was told that I was probably going to go to my due date since I was barely 1 cm dilated. Tim's mom Mary, arrived the day before and they were returning home from an afternoon together. I asked Tim if we could have a low-key evening because I didn't feel quite right.

Friday: At 3:30 am, I woke up and immediately vomited. After tossing and turning for an hour, I decided to clock my stomach cramps to see if they were steady contractions. I got sick again and called the midwife on-call who said to come on it to see what's going on. Tim & I were at the hospital from 5-8 am. Thankfully his mom was here, so she watched Elliot at home. They decided that I had a stomach bug and didn't have any contractions. So after two rounds of fluids and medicine, we headed home.

The rest of the day I spent sick in bed. Tim and Mary took care of Elliot while I attempted to keep even water in my system. Finally at 5pm I was able to keep water and Gatorade down!

Saturday: We woke up with Elliot at 7am, and I felt very achy. I figured it was because I was so dehydrated and weak. After about an hour of denial that this was probably labor, I started tracking my contractions which were 5 to 6 minutes apart. After about another hour Tim and I realized that we were going to have another baby whether we were ready or not! He quickly got the car seat installed, packed bags, and go the pack-n-play set up in our room. Soon my contractions moved to 3 minutes apart. (When I was pregnant with Elliot, they told me to come in at 3 minutes apart). I snuggled with Elliot and then we headed to the hospital. While we were in the car, I told Tim that I absolutely needed an epidural because the contractions were getting intense and I was so weak ( I hadn't eaten in two days).

We arrived at the hospital at 12:30pm and settled into the diagnostic room. I was having regular contractions and 5 cm dilated. The nurse said that the anaesthesiologist was ready, so as soon as they got the IV in me I could get the epidural. Since I was dehydrated, they were having a hard time finding a good vain for the IV. While the nurse was figuring that out, my water broke! All of a sudden I felt the overwhelming sensation to push!! Thankfully the midwife was right there and confirmed that he was coming. The absolute worst thing is the world is hearing "Don't push" when you are in incredible pain and your body is pushing whether you want it to or not. I was screaming at the nurses while they yelled back at me to breath through it. Finally the IV was in place and they rushed me to the delivery room. The nurse told me to wait for the contraction and then push. I said screw that, and gave four big pushes and Aaron arrived at 1pm. We were only in the hospital 30 minutes before he was born!!! Tim & I were so overwhelmed with his crazy fast delivery that we were speechless for several minutes.

Sunday: Aaron and I came home to an eager big sister, Daddy, and Grandma. Elliot was a little confused but thought he was cute and kept smiling at him :)

Over the next week, Mary flew back home, and my mom flew in...Tim, Mary, and my mom all caught the 24 hour stomach bug that I had...and we made an emergency trip to Target so our little man could have some clothes and diapers (because he came early, I didn't get to have my shower at work).

Aaron has made sure to already make his mark and make a dramatic arrival, thankfully nothing else has been too dramatic :)

Fall Update

Since we have a new addition to our family, Baby Aaron, I thought I should keep up the blog :)

Here is our fall so far...

At the end of September, we went on our annual trip to the Renaissance Festival with the Clements. It was as usual a lot of fun; however Elliot didn't take her nap that day so we only have one good picture of her. Her favorite part of the day was playing on the pirate themed playground!

This fall was Elliot's first trip to a pumpkin patch! Well, it was really a church's big parking lot, but she still had a great time wandering around and trying to pick up all the big pumpkins. She would have sat among the pumpkins all day if I let her. She got very upset when it was time to go.We got a pumpkin to carve and then Elliot picked out two smaller pumpkins for her and her baby brother :)

This was also Elliot's first time trick-or-treating! She was an adorable duck :) We picked that costume because it was the first animal noise she learned to do. The village in our neighborhood did a family trick-or-treating event the Saturday before Halloween. The restaurants and shops had "We have treats!" signs to show who was participating. Some places had candy, the library had free books, the cupcake shop allowed kids to decorate their own cupcake, and lots more! It was the perfect casual way to trick-or-treat with a toddler! By the end, Elliot got really good at getting candy! At first she only took one piece, and then she starting grabbing handfuls...and sometimes going back for seconds :)

During our time spent at home with hurricane Sandy, Tim and Elliot carved a great jack-o-lantern :) Elliot had no problem digging in with all the goop!

Now that you're updated, hopefully soon I'll post about the addition of our sweet baby boy :)

Florida Part 2

On Monday, Elliot, my mom, and I set off to visit more friends and family! We met my grandpa at the best place for breakfast...Cracker Barrel! He hadn't seen Elliot four months, so she was a totally new little girl :) She impressed us all by finishing off an entire parfait by herself! I always enjoy seeing my grandpa, especially now that I live farther away. After a yummy breakfast, we look around in the gift shop. Elliot loved the necklaces, and got very upset when I had to carry her out the door because she didn't want to leave without one.

Then we traveled a little farther north to visit my old college roommates in St. Augustine! It had been almost two years since I had seen Megan, Brittany, and Sarah! I love these ladies and miss them so much!! Although we graduated five years ago and our lives have changed so much, we are always able to start back right where we left off :)

Elliot was a little overwhelmed by Brittany's three boys, but she warmed up and had fun with them. She loved playing the piano with them, but did not like it when Titus would take out the blocks she so carefully cleaned up. Elliot is not afraid to show her bossiness if someone is not following her directions...

After too short of a visit, we drove back home through one of Florida's many thunderstorms. I always forget how crazy Florida weather can be! When I was little, my mom and I used to watch the thunderstorms and playfully count the time between booms. Because we made it a game, I was never really afraid of storms. So my mom carried on this tradition with Elliot, who loved watching the wind and rain with Nana.

Unfortunately, we had to leave the next day and head back home. We had a great time, and I extend a warm welcome to all our friends to come and visit us in DC :)

Here is Elliot outside the Disney shop and saying "buh bye" to Florida.

Thankfully we'll see my mom soon when our baby boy decides to arrive in November! Then Nana will get lots of Elliot time while Mommy cares for the little one :)

Florida. part 1

On July 27th, Elliot and I took our annual trip to Florida to see my family and friends. Elliot and I (and baby boy) shared a plane seat going down there. Elliot actually did really well! We flew through her nap time so she was mostly just tired and wanted to read her new books.We were greeted by my ecstatic mom and headed east to the beach where my parents live.After getting Elliot checked out all her new toys at Nana and Grandpa's house, we took a quick swim in the pool. I forgot how nice it is to have a pool right in your backyard!!

The next day Elliot felt awful :( We think she might be allergic to the cat...sorry baby girl, not kitties in your future. We decided that some fresh salt air might due the trick, so my mom and I took her to the beach! She did not like the loose sand and enjoyed picking up the rocks, not the seashells (because that's what she collects at home, it's what she knows). Elliot is also recently fascinated with her shadow. She says hi to it whenever we are at home, but she could not understand why her shadow was at the beach!!

That day we went to visit my friend Jessica and brought over lunch from my favorite burrito place, Dakine Diegos! And then Elliot and I took it easy at my parents' the rest of the day. That night I got together with my dearest friends Kim, Jackie, Alexis, Jessica, and Leah!! We ate dinner, caught up, and played games. I stayed out until 12:30 am!!! I know! The last time that happened was before Elliot was born!

On Sunday, Elliot felt better, so we loaded up the car with beach gear and headed over to the beach for the morning. Again, she wasn't too sure about it, but after playing with her beach toys and taking brave trips down to the water with Nana, she was a regular beach baby :)

Part 2, coming soon :)

Blueberries for Elliot

One thing I love about where we live is the location. We are ten minutes to DC and forty minutes to the country. We can see towering monuments with gorgeous mountains behind them. So Elliot and I met up with Rachel and her son Wilson to take advantage of the country side. Close to where they live in Maryland, is an orchard that grows tons of seasonal produce and flowers. Of course we had to go blueberry picking since it is Elliot's #1 favorite fruit, and one of her top five favorite foods. After a quick wagon ride, the four of us were in the thick of blueberry picking!

Elliot did really well at picking the blueberries! Fortunately, the juicy big ones came of the branches really easily.

She was very serious about her job, and was a good little helper...

 that is until she discovered that they tasted amazing! For the rest of the time, I picked and Elliot ate :)

We had a great afternoon, and I can't wait to go back to pick apples and pumpkins!!!

PS- FL pictures up next :)

It's A Boy!

We are having a baby boy and are so excited! I knew it was going to be a boy. Tim hoped it would be a boy. And God is blessing us with our boy in 15 short weeks!

The three of us found out the sex at the 20 week ultrasound. My practice has a new policy where they do not do the 17-20 week ultrasound until at least the 20th week. They do this now so the doctor does the ultrasound with you, not a technician. While it drove me crazy to wait longer this time around, I enjoyed it much more! The pictures were clearer and the doctor was able to tell us in more detail about what we were seeing. He also pointed out where they look for specific disabilities and abnormalities and that we were in the clear. Elliot of course had no idea what was going on, she just though it was cool to look at the glowing screen in the dark room :)

So you would think 5 weeks later I would have the boy's room started. Ummm, no. His room is the now "guest room/office/store the crap we don't know where it should go" room. So last week I cleared out our storage closet to make room for all the stuff that was in his room to make room for his stuff. A charity is coming in two weeks to pick up the bed and dresser. Other than that... I still have a lot to do. But hey, he'll spend the first couple months in the Pack N' Play in our room, so we have some time. When you come to visit, just don't expect to see a finished nursery like Elliot's room.

A Weekend Away

Last Friday, I did a very difficult thing...I left my baby girl for the weekend. Although I did shed a few tears while I was packing up her bags, I knew she'd be in good hands. And of course she has a great weekend with my coworker Kim and her family! I don't know if she missed us at all :)

Then Saturday morning, we flew to Kentucky with Sam and Jenny for Brian and Karly's wedding. The short flight was in a, to quote myself "tiny ass plane," but the ride was thankfully smooth. Then we rented a car, and made the drive to Jasper, Indiana. We made many jokes about how small the town was, but it really was a cute place...but I defiantly wouldn't want to live there. The outdoor ceremony was sweet, despite the heat. I was very thankful that Sam and Jenny came too, because Jenny is pregnant and due in December. So her and I sipped on water, while the boys bellied up to the keg of beer. We also had a good time meeting Mike's girlfriend and catching up with them.

Brian and Karly were of course adorable! We're so happy that our friend Brian found someone who fits with him so well. Karly was gorgeous in her lace wedding dress! After dinner there was dancing, corn hole, and hanging out. Karly never left the dance floor, and Brian ended the night rapping :) Overall, it was a wonderful wedding, and I'm really glad we went!