I'm still here ... are YOU still reading?!

Wow.... I can officially say that my days are nonstop, on-the-go, and my attention is constantly needed by two children.  Many of my girlfriends said the transition from one to two was easy... simple... and that it didn't change too much with the way they did things.  So I guess I'll be the first to say it... this two kid thing is hard and quite a challenge.

The hubs keeps reminding me that we are in a "unique" situation though.  Our family isn't together a whole lot during the baseball season, which leaves me handling the day to day routine with the two littles.  I love it, I wouldn't change it, but it's hard.  And at least we are in Baltimore now, taking this challenge on together.  We'll get used to it!

Abby is doing great, extremely happy to have some Daddy time again.  Although mornings pass rather quickly and then he's off to work again.  Then Abby has a mini meltdown, but we simply remind her Daddy has to work and that we'll see him again in the morning.  She's getting much better and realizes Daddy isn't going anywhere for too long.  Abby is changing so much everyday.  She's talking in sentences, learning new words and phrases like crazy, and doing a lot of singing.  We are still in the whiny and "I want" stage, but hopefully that will pass quickly.  Quite the little girl.... and I love that little girl so much!

Levi will be six weeks old on Tuesday.  I can't believe it.  The weekend before Jim got back to Baltimore was really rough.  All along we were debating whether Levi had the typical newborn gassiness problems or whether he was really having a hard time digesting the formula he was on.  Well last weekend just about did me in.  He was awake for several hours straight during the nights just screaming, pulling his little legs up, and turning bright red.  I knew he was in pain and I wanted to get him relief of some kind.  We tried gas drops, without much success and gripe water which worked, but only for a short amount of time.  Then after talking with some girlfriends, I decided to switch to a different formula.  I'm happy to say that it's made a huge difference and Levi is like a new baby!  He is still gassy, but nothing compared to what he was and I'm confident that he is feeling better.

Abby was able to get Levi's first smile and I'm so glad that she was able to share in that first major milestone.  We are loving his little cooing noises and grunts.  He is getting passed the newborn "sleep all the time" stage and is starting to stay awake for longer periods of times after his feedings.  Sleep during the night is getting better and he is waking twice to eat.  Instead of staying wide eyed for a few hours after a night feeding, he has been going back to sleep fairly quickly and easily.  I sure hope it stays this way.  This is manageable, especially with Daddy's help.  :)

Anyways .... we are having fun exploring Baltimore and finding new places to spend our days.  Our place is nice and the people here are so helpful with everything.  I started Bible Study with the ladies last week and look forward to growing together this season.  Tomorrow being Mother's Day, I will take the littles into the ballpark so we can spend the day together, even though Daddy will be on the field.  And I'm super excited to have the hubs home tomorrow night so I can take a bath in our huge whirlpool tub that has been tempting me this past week.  Ahhh, an hour of peace, all to myself... definitely looking forward to that!!

Now time for some photos .... Little Man is growing and changing SO fast!

Look at that baby ... awake and happy!

Abby had a mini photo shoot too :)

Levi loves the swing just like his big sister did. It looks so cozy!

Abby fed Levi today for the first time and I'm pretty sure it made her day.

Found a Spring Fest in the city this afternoon.

Who knew there would be pony rides? Abby loved it!

She makes a cute little puppy, don't ya think?!