Snow Ya'll!

The snow started falling Friday afternoon around 3pm and did not stop until the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, I know because I was up nursing my almost 3 month old! We got a pretty decent amount of snow, at least it was a decent amount for us down here in the South! I would venture to say that there is a good 3 or 4 inches on the ground. We don't have snow plows around here, well at least not that many, some of the main roads get plowed, but residential areas...forget it, so you can imagine what the roads are like, a nice thick sheet of ice.

Sophie was so excited to see the snow start to fall yesterday afternoon and when she got up this morning and saw the ground covered with the beautiful white stuff, she could not wait to get out and play. All she could talk about was eating snow, making snow angels and building a snowman, we read lots of books about snow during the Christmas holiday that is how she knows about all things snow! We got all bundled up which took a good 15 minutes or so and since we don't have proper snow attire, Sophie was sporting 3 pairs of socks 4 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, a scarf, a hat, 2 pairs of gloves, her lady bug boots and her coat! Poor girl had on so many articles of clothing she could not stand up when she fell down! Luckily, since Neal stayed inside to listen out for Jonah who was happily sleeping upstairs, I got to wear Neal's snow pants that he had from a ski trip he took years ago for work.

We had such a blast playing outside, we played outside until we cold no longer feel our fingers. She can't wait to go out and play again tomorrow, because for once the snow did not melt all in the same day that it accumulated!

Sophie wanted to make a snow angel so bad, it was all she could talk about before we got outside, however once she realized she had to lay down in the wet snow to actually make one, her response when asked if she wanted to make one was, "no thanks" so all this hype about snow angels had me wanting to make a darn snow angel! So I did.

Graceful, I know.




Admiring my beautiful snow angel.

Sweet Sick Baby

Jonah has finally gotten used to being worn in the Moby and I couldn't be more thankful. Not only do I get so much joy and pleasure out of wearing my babies, but it just makes life easier, you have both your hands free and you can move about the house and do what you need to do all while keeping your baby close and comforted......especially when they don't feel well. Nothing compares to having your sweet, sleeping baby so close to you.

Stickers

An envelope addressed to Sophie arrived the other day from California, that only meant one thing.....it was from Aunt Sara and there were stickers inside! Sophie is always so excited to get mail, but even more so when it comes in the form of something fun for her. She insists on wearing every single sticker all at once, however this time she saved one and shared with her little brother.

Sick Babies

So far this cold and flu season we have been lucky to avoid any major illness and the last time around when we had a little cold bug flying around our house Jonah was able to escape un-infected. This time however was/is a little different. Sophie came down with something last Thursday, causing her to miss her first day of preschool:(....we think she picked something up from church she ran a fever and then it just turned into some nasty cough and congestion which she is still battling almost a week later. A few days into her illness Neal and I started feeling the sick come on too. Luckily for all of us it is just a little viral something or other. Jonah started getting a little stuffy and had a yucky cough going on so off to the doctor we went this morning, low and behold he has his very first ear infection. My poor little man. He seems to feel okay (other than the congestion) and is not really showing any signs of his ear bothering him and he is taking his fruity flavored pink medicine like a man! Other than that all is pretty quiet here on the Slimick front, we are hoping that Sophie feels well enough tomorrow to start school because she is so darn excited!

Aside from our little sick hump in the road everyone is doing very well and Jonah is growing healthy and strong each and every day he is now 16lbs 110zs!! He is such a happy baby and constantly full of smiles even when he is sick! He loves his toy (a terry cloth doll holding a wooden teething ring) he got for Christmas he can't quite use his hands to put it in his mouth yet so he uses his little balled up fists to keep shoving it back in so he can gum the little wooden teether part! He also is enjoying his baby gym more and more. Sophie is getting so big and so grown up she has turned into such a little girl always wanting to help and be part of whatever it is we are doing, so we have started giving her some responsibilities around the house. She now has to help clear the table and help load the dishwasher after every meal, she also helps fold towels and put laundry in the dryer all of which she is very capable of doing and very excited to do. Her favorite new phrase is, "What I can do for you Mommy?" Here are some pictures of them in action that I took ( yes, me that is why the photo quality and editing is not up to par because I took them not my oh-so-talented hubby !).

Jonah and Moby

No, not like Jonah and the Whale....but it is kind of funny, Jonah in the baby carrier, MobyWrap. I have been trying desperately to find a baby carrier that Jonah will tolerate, as some of you may know I am a big fan of baby wearing not only for the simple fact that the benefits of baby wearing are endless, but it also makes life easier because your hands are free to do other things while also keeping baby close, safe and comforted. Sophie was a happy little baby as long as she was being worn on me or Neal in our Hotsling and then as a toddler she became very accustomed to being worn/carried in a Mei Tai style carrier called a BabyHawk, which she still occasionally gets carried in and loves. The sling was the only way I kept my sanity with a reflux suffering, very uncomfortable Sophie, she lived in that black and white floral patterned sling! Jonah however fights the sling tooth and nail, cries harder when placed in it, whereas Sophie would see me get it out and stop crying! I moved on to trying the Mei Tai with Jonah...no dice! Which led me to try out the Moby, he is still getting used to it, but the more I wear him the more accustomed he is becoming to being in it he actually stayed in it the whole time during church and even fell asleep!

It is so funny how polar opposite my kids are. Sophie was a very cuddly baby, ALWAYS wanting to be held and had to be rocked to sleep whereas Jonah likes to be held, but when he has had enough he would rather just hang in his bouncy seat. He does not want to be rocked to sleep, he would just assume be swaddled, given a pacifier, laid on his side in the sleep positioner and left alone, he does not want to be held in the traditional way you hold a baby, cradled in your arms, he needs to be upright and facing out to check out what is going on! As you will notice in the pictures he is facing out and his feet are straight out below him, his feet are supposed to be curled up in front of him almost as if he is sitting, and they were when I first put him in the wrap, but he wiggled and wiggled and got those little feet down below him. Oh yeah and the hold that I have him in, the Lotus hold, is for babies 4 months and older with good head control, the rules don't apply to my strong willed little 2 month old!

Sweet Baby Boy & A Dancing Diva

Just a few cute recent snaps of Jonah as he chills out in the office with Daddy and some bath time shots with the awesome sticky uppy after bath hair....his hair is so fine and fluffy that after it gets blown dry it sticks straight up until the next bath!

Sophie also started dance class last Wednesday, a tap and creative movement class (thanks Auntie Nancy!), and she can't wait to go again this week, she had a blast. She LOVES the sound her tap shoes make and was so very disappointed when she couldn't wear the tap shoes outside of the house, it took a bit to explain to her that tap shoes can only be worn in dance class! The pics aren't that great since there is no real viewing area for the parents so Neal just had to snap a few shots as she went in and got situated in the class in her spot. We hope she'll make you proud Auntie Stephanie!!!!

All ready for Dance!


First class under her belt...Success!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures

Things have been a little busy around here to say the least with Christmas and a new baby and all, but we survived the holidays and rang in another New Year! I feel like we just celebrated 09 and here we are in January of 2010 can anyone else find that hard to believe???? We had a fabulous Christmas, to see the joy and excitement on Sophie's face as she opened her presents was priceless. We could not have had or asked for a better Christmas celebrating with family. After being off from work for nearly two weeks Neal was definitely not wanting to go back to work and I was definitely not looking forward to losing my extra pair of helping hands! Back to life and back to trying to get the hang of being a mother of two!

Making Christmas Cookies

Look at those cheeks.....yes, I kiss them all day long!

The Doctor Is In.......


Posing in front of the goodies from Gigi and Papa K.
She got her first camera and this is the view of her we have had since!


Christmas Morning

Trying to get a decent picture of a 3 year old holding her infant brother on Christmas morning proved to be a little more difficult than we thought!


The day after Christmas with the Slimick/Hatfield clan.