Sweet baby, special day

Last week Anna was baptized. It was very important to me for both of the girls to be raised Catholic and understand their faith from an early age. My faith is important to me, and I want the girls to have a good foundation from the start. Madelyn is lucky that her Auntie takes her to church all the time, and is already showing her the way. My hope is that someday we will all go to church more often as a family.

We lucked out that the weather was perfect that day, since we set everything up outside. My family was a huge help in getting everything ready, doing the flowers, and some of the food, etc! It came together well and it was a very special day! Unfortunately, Madelyn was under the weather, but even she managed to dress up and (fake) smile for a few photos :) Keeping with tradition, Anna wore my christening dress, that Madelyn also wore. It's amazing that after 33 years, it still looked beautiful and current. We're also lucky it fit our growing girl! 

We are blessed to have wonderful families, and friends who are like family, that shared in the day with us. It was a perfect Sunday afternoon and we loved having everyone together to celebrate! Here are some pictures of Anna's special day. 

mommyhood

No one can prepare you for how much your life will change when you become a mom.  There are all the changes you anticipate, but also, so many wonderful changes you don't expect. It's been such an incredible experience and for me, I've experienced more growth and change with #2. My aunt said to my mom when they were young mothers, "you don't know what it's like to have kids, until you have two." In so many ways, now, I understand.

I was very nervously excited before Madelyn, and once she was born, I was overcome with emotion. I was proud, excited, overjoyed and so full of love. A midst all the emotion of it though, the actual changes happened subtly. For all the nerves you have going into parenthood, we welcomed Madelyn and family life, pretty easily. In a way, it was like not that much changed. As a baby, we toted her around, quickly set up a routine, and still had time for us, whether it was alone or together. In a way, Madelyn fit right into our life, without our life changing, that much.

As we got ready for baby #2, I had some nerves but I felt like we were ready, and didn't need to prep much. I figured it would all come back to us... which it did. What I didn't expect, was just how much life, and I, personally, would change with #2. Now, I know just what my aunt was talking about... she was totally right, you don't really know until you have two!

The joy and love I felt when I held M for the first time, was exponentially greater when I held Anna. It was so overwhelming.  It was the same feeling all over again, but accompanying it was the profound understanding of what welcoming that baby actually means. Doubly blessed, and doubly grateful for two beautiful babies. Two little ones to tug at your pant leg, two little ones to call you mommy, two little ones to need to be rocked to sleep, two little ones to take care of and to love. I love nothing more than being needed by them.  My girls will have my whole heart for their whole loves.

This time, welcoming Anna and watching her grow, I feel like I am a mom. Not that I wasn't the first time around, but then, I was a new mom. Now, I'm fully in mommy mode, in every moment of my day. In addition, I'm more in tune to everything, and I have a greater understanding and appreciation of mommy-hood. There is a lot to learn and with growing girls there will definitely be many hormones flying in our house, but I feel like I get it. I am 100% mom.

Anna will no doubt be an early walker and talker, as she moves non stop and is incredibly vocal. I've just loved watching these traits in her. She also started turning over before 4 months, which in our house, is early. These little developments and changes in her, have been huge milestones to me.  I guess it's because I have a much better understanding of what's to come, or maybe that I'm pretty certain our family won't be growing any more. I'm hanging to each and every little milestone so tightly because I recognize how fast it goes and how special everything is.

Both girls have been sick and not sleeping great lately.  Our normally quiet nights, have been anything but normal and quiet. I've been up at least 2 -3 times a night, often for 30 mins to an hour, to check on them or help settle them. One of the not so glamorous parts of parenthood, but I wouldn't change a thing. I'm ridiculously exhausted, but I welcome it and love doting on my babes.  For the girl who LOVES sleep, I sometimes surprise myself at how easily my body adjusts to such wacky night's of sleep. I'll get a good nights sleep eventually :)

Last weekend, we had Anna baptized and had a small celebration with family and friends.  It was such a special day, and I was surprisingly emotional. I wasn't sure why then, but I've been thinking about it a lot since. I think I was feeling overwhelmingly excited about the special milestone for Anna, and the love I have for my little family. We had a picture taken that day, that I can't stop looking at. It makes me happy and my heart really, is so full.

Mommyhood is a wonderfully exciting, blessed and crazy challenge but it's the best job in the world. Being a mommy x 2 is even more amazing :) I love my little family more than they'll ever know!

Hope you are having a great weekend with your families!

Xxo

My lil nugg

My little nugget is 4 months old - ahh! What a fun month it has been! Anna has grown and changed so much this month. She weighs 14lbs 8 oz and is 25 1/4 inches tall - 75% all around. She is in mostly 6 months clothes, but has also worn a few 9 months things comfortably too. My 'lil nugg' is so strong that I often hold her on her hip like she's 8 months old :) I'm by no means trying to rush anything, because this time is so precious, she's just big and strong so she can hold herself up that way. The poor thing went into her 4 month appointment tired AND hungry so she cried almost the whole hour that she was at the office with Daddy. She's had a low fever, been very sleepy, and has two very swollen thighs from her shots, since her appointment yesterday.

Anna is incredibly observant. It's so neat to watch her play on her mat, discover a rattle or watch Madelyn play. She watches everything with such intent and focus, its amazing. When she's not studying something intently, she is moving. Moving her arms, her fingers, her toys, her legs, her head - this child does.not.stop.moving. Well, until she's sleeping :) I feel like she's eating more than Madelyn used to, but she doesn't weigh as much, and honestly I feel like its because she gets these little workouts from moving so much!! She's started to sleep on her side, which is just the most precious thing ever. She LOVES her lovey, way earlier than Madelyn was ever interested in them, and she just snuggles them so tightly. She still loves her paci, although she's also started to enjoy sucking on her fingers just like her big sis. I think we might be starting to teethe because she loves shoving things in her mouth and she drools allllllll the time!

This month, I went back to work so the biggest adjustment for Anna has been spending her days with Mimi. It definitely has been more of an adjustment for me, and probably Mimi, than Anna. She's really so easy going that she hasn't been phased by the changes. She's so good for my mom, and loves her special time with Mimi. My mom, and Madelyn are the only ones that can really get Anna to laugh... and she really laughs. It's the sweetest little cackle. She thinks Madelyn is hysterical, it's so special to watch them interact. It totally melts my heart!

Happy 4 months to my little nugget - I love you sweet girl!

Funk

The Gerges household is in a bit of a funk right now.  The days are crazy, the nights are crazy, some of us aren't feeling great, or sleeping great, and everything is just a little off. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home, and hopefully things getting back to normal soon.

Next week, Anna will be 4 months old. Since her birth, I have had two surgical procedures at the hospital, 3 visits to my GP, 2 visits to my OBGYN (and a 3rd next week), a visit to the eye doctor, neurologist, gastroenterologist, dentist, oral surgeon, and last Friday I spent the night in the ER. In general, I am totally fine... I must admit, I am very lucky to have had two great pregnancies, 2 relatively smooth labor and deliveries, but my body just doesn't seem to bounce back that well after childbirth. Similarly, after Madelyn was born, I had 3 sinus infections on my maternity leave, had my initial visits with the neurologist, follow up Celiac Disease testing with my gastroenterologist, and issues with my vision. 

I remember my GP explaining that it is not uncommon to have health issues after the birth of a baby, and "trauma" of delivery.  I mean, I'm aware of post-pardum depression, but I feel like you don't ever hear about this kind of thing when you are planning to get pregnant, or pregnant.  It's easy to be distracted by the emotions and excitement of bringing home a baby, but it is so important to pay attention to your own body and help it heal properly too.  In two particular instances this time around, I listened to my body and the symptoms I was having, and I was right - things weren't right.

I certainly didn't expect to have issues after Anna was born, but interestingly enough, I've had my share of issues since. For the better part of the last 2 1/2 months, I have been uncomfortable or in pain. As it turns out, my stomach is really swollen and I have heartburn (very common after childbirth - who knew?!) and a ruptured cyst - which is causing all the cramps and discomfort. So, I'm fine and starting to feel better on medication.  Mostly, I was relieved to know that the things I was feeling weren't normal, and were being caused by something. Because, quite honestly, the only doctor I haven't seen is a shrink, and I was beginning to feel like that was next ;)

The other issue we're working through, is Madelyn's adjusting to all the changes.  She was an easy baby, good sleeper, and she is a very cautious and somewhat timid toddler.  She has always been a creature of habit, but luckily, many of the big changes she's endured in her 2 1/2 years, she's handled well. From moving, to changing classrooms at school, switching to her big girl bed, potty training, and even welcoming Anna, she's adjusted with few hiccups. She's had her moments, like every toddler where she pushes buttons, exerts independence and plays games, so these things aren't new.  However, what has happened over the last few weeks since I've returned back to work, has been dramatic. 

Madelyn loves sleep, always has. Since she started in her new classroom last September she started to resist and eventually stop napping there. She would still nap at my mom's on M/W/F, making up for the T/Th that she didn't nap. While I was on leave, she napped every single day, sometimes 3 - 4 hours. So she's definitely not ready to give up her naps. I was worried what would happen when she started going to school full time, but I sort of thought, she'd either be so tired that she would nap, or she'd just fall asleep easily at night, maybe a little earlier. Nope, and nope. With the exception of the two weekend days, she hasn't napped. Holy God, she is so sleep deprived, that each day she seems to be crankier and crankier than the last. The spunky, charismatic, energetic little girl is so, so, tired, she just walks around like a zombie. 

All of the hours that she's behind on sleep have compounded, and the last few days have been BRUTAL! It started on Monday.  Her tummy was upset, and so she was all worked up over having an upset tummy. Then, she clung to me for dear life when I dropped her off at school, and was crying when I left. She refused to nap, and fell asleep in the car on the ride home. She had a good dinner and bath and was ready and asking for bed at 6:45pm. The normal routine is quick cuddles, book, goodnight kisses and I tuck her in. So simple. When I went to leave her room, she FLIPPED. Like, flipped out! She shot up out bed and proceeded to cry, and then scream, bloody murder, finally stopping when she passed out at 9:05pm. I couldn't leave the room, I could barely leave her side. She was clinging to me, pulling my clothes off, and not letting me out of her sight. It was so out of character, I literally had no idea what to do. I left her in there screaming, Brian tried to calm her, we tried another book, more cuddles, and at one point, some yelling from me. Ultimately, she fell asleep when I got in bed with her. Oh crap. 

More of the same on Tuesday night. Sara happened to be here, saying goodbye before her huge trip to Africa, and she tried to assist. At least that night she was asleep by 8:30pm... a little progress. I refuse to get in bed with her again, because I just don't want that to start. In the moments that she's not crying, she's smirking and smiling at me, so I know she's fine and I know I have to fight through this because I can't let her win. How to do that, I don't have the slightest idea. Tonight, she was passed out by 8pm, as long as I stood in her room. I guess standing in there, is better than sleeping with her, right? Oy vey. I stood in there for about 10 minutes before I could tell she was asleep, and there were minutes that I don't think I took a breath, I was so afraid to wake her! All she needs is her sleep, lots of catch-up sleep, and time I guess, because this too, shall pass :) 

It's crazy how being sick, being short on sleep, or stress can just totally jumble up your days. I feel like I've been so distracted recently. I mean, the days since going back to work have been crazy anyway, and now any free time in the day, I just feel distracted. Distracted with how I'm feeling, and how Madelyn is feeling, overwhelmed with the tantrums, and then stressed with how Madelyn is doing, and remembering doctor's appointments, etc. Brian and Anna are holding down the fort :) Hopefully, our next few weeks will be a little calmer than the last! 

Summa-time!

Summer is FLYING! We've been lucky to have had some really great weather already this summer. We've spent lots of time outside, at the beach or by the pool, and had fun with family and friends! So far, so good :) It's hard to believe it's the middle of July already! Here are some pictures of our summer so far:

 first time in a suit!

someone LOVES the pool this year!

wouldn't be summer with one of these pics :)

the lovey obsession has begun!

 Anna - 16 weeks!

Meeting our new newphew Hayes!

what a little stud!

 Hayes! 

 Summer on Chappy...nothing better!

 The McGuinn-Hayes Wedding!

 Anna's first trip to the beach

 State Beach - MV

 A coincidental run in with the Vandall's at the beach on MV!!

 bedtime stories :)

Face lift

We recently gave our kitchen a face lift, and we are so happy with the result! We have a galley kitchen, with lots of cabinets and a decent amount of counter space. Its not my "dream kitchen", but really, it's very functional.  Like just about everything else in our house, the kitchen cabinets were painted a creamy beige color. When we first moved in there was a navy floral wallpaper on the walls, that, was brutal. Once the wallpaper was down, we felt a little like we had a clean slate. It immediately brightened up the room. From there though, we weren't sure what to do. We were undecided between just waiting to do a major reno, or getting new cabinets, or just painting the cabinets? Ultimately, we've decided we'll do a renovation down the road, and the perfect temporary fix was to paint the cabinets and the walls.

While we were away 2 weeks ago, we had the cabinets painted white. Last weekend I painted the window and door trim, and this weekend I painted the walls. We went with Benjamin Moore's White Dove for the cabinets, which I LOVE, and Behr's Silver Drop on the walls, which is warm and subtle. Funny enough in pictures, it doesn't look that different. In person, it's much brighter, richer, and more modern. We desperately need new lighting, mainly because the current light fixtures are SO outdated. But, I also think the lights cast a bit of a yellow hue in the room. So, I'm pulling for recessed but that's all TBD.

Here are some pictures of the update, from the day we moved in, until now!

 Day 1:

The Before - 

After: