Archives for March 2015

Life Lately

March 29, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Life has been good lately.  Much like every other family in the world we’ve been dealing with some challenges, but our kids keep life really happy for us.  So tonight I’ll focus on them… their smiles, their carefree outlook on life and their endless love.  They make this world a fun place.

 

Kenz selfie

Kenz is one funny little girl!  Just this week she learned to lock herself in the bathroom… apparently it’s way more fun that sitting on the potty.  She also realized that Denny’s real name is Denny and she started to call him that instead of Daddy.  Yikes, she might make me gray before I’m 35.  But she’s also so sweet!  She loves giving hugs and constantly says, “Love you mommy,” “Miss you Daddy.”   It’s pure melt-your-heart material!

This smile!

Speaking of melt your heart, Mitchell is such a little blue-eyed sweetie.  He is more alert everyday and loves to watch his big sister.  He is full of big grins and giggles!  We can’t get enough of him.

 

Sibling love aka we bribed Kenzie with an ice cream sandwich to hug her brother.

 

Mak & Mitch are quite the team.  They don’t even have the slightest clue yet how important they will be to each other in life.  It is going to be fun to watch them learn the awesomeness of a sibling!

This is the final full week of my maternity leave so here’s to a fun, relaxing 7 days with my favorite little loves.

Xoxo

Erin

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Never Eat Alone

March 23, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Hello Irony,

Nice to see you.

A few weeks before maternity leave I made a one-click Amazon order for the book Never Eat Alone.  What was I thinking?  Not only have I not made it past the first page, but I’ve also never disagreed more with a book title in my life.  Never Eat Alone… are you kidding me?!?  I want nothing more than to eat alone.  Quietly.  Without food to cut up.  Without a newborn to bounce up and down.  And without epic negotiations that involve rounds of ‘one more bite’ in return for godforsaken Frozen fruit snacks (thank you Disney).

Is this what Keith Ferrazzi was referring to?

In fact Eating Alone sounds so amazing that on my first day back to work I might lock myself in the conference room, dim the lights, sit quietly and slowly savor my very own sandwich.  The sandwich would be mine, all mine!  Not leftover from Kenz and not in the shape of Elmo.

But then I think about the two little people in our lives and all the ways they make our mealtimes crazy… Kenzie’s cute lunchtime chatter, Mitchell’s dinnertime coos and their cute jammie breakfast attire.  And with just two weeks left before I go back to work I better embrace the craze these two munchkins create.  I’m pretty sure that before I know it I’ll be spending countless days eating alone at my desk while I blast out e-mails just so I can leave on time and get back to my meal crashers.

So until then, bring on the craze kiddos… the spills, the chatter, the whines and even the chewy sugar-covered Olaf treats.  This mom is really going to miss these days of never eating alone.

XOXO

Erin

PS  If anyone has cliff notes for the book, please pass them along to me.

 

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Two months!

March 15, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

Hey world,

What’s up?  Littlest M here aka Mitch Man.  Now that I’m two months old I figured it’s time I pull my weight around here and blog.  My sister aka Makenzie the Overachiever posted her first post at only 10 days old – check it out – so I sacrificed my fifth nap of the day to make this happen.

Can you believe I’m two months old!?  Me neither.  So far I’m liking this thing called life.

This month has been busy.  I’ve been eating a lot.  I like my bottles in the morning, afternoon, evening and all during the middle of the night.  Mom always tells me that it’s a good thing I’m so cute because I like to wake her up often.  But can you blame me?  I’m just a guy trying to bulk up so I can impress my buddies at Rollie Pollies.

Which way to the gym?

 

I’ve been out and about exploring the world.  Mom keeps Kenz and I really busy checking out lots of fun places.  Then we get home and take long naps.

The Science Museum was really cool and I even got to ride around in the front pack! Then I settled in to watch some ESPN and the next thing I knew I was sleeping. Oops.

I just can’t keep my eyes open some days.

Mom and Dad took me out to see the neighborhood this month too! Seems like a cool place to call home. But what’s up with this powder blue bear suit?!? What will the ladies think?

And my newest trick is that I can smile and giggle.  You should see all the crazy things my parents do to make me giggle.  They are so embarrassing!

Mom and Dad were being crazy and I couldn’t stop giggling. Good thing I’m still in diapers.

 My big sis, Kenzie has been busy this month too.  She finally figured out how to ride her trike.  How cool is she?!?

She told me that she’ll give me a ride to the toy store later this week when Mom and Dad are sleeping.  She’s the coolest.

See you next month!

MM (aka Mitch Man

 

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Trading in my Rookie status

March 12, 2015 by · 1 Comment

I think I’m ready to trade in my Rookie Mom status.  I’m no pro but I’m nine weeks into my second maternity leave and I’ve learned a few things along the way…

When it comes to kids, 99% of tears can be solved by one of the following: a binky, a bottle, a swaddle, a clean diaper or an episode of weird Disney collector on YouTube.

Cat food is non-toxic and therefore is not harmful when digested by children (thank you Poison control center).

The world doesn’t judge you if your baby cries in public.  In fact, most people don’t even notice.

Kids look to their parents to determine their mood.  You’re cranky, they’re cranky.  You’re happy, they’re happy.  You’re calm, they’re calm.

Diapers leak, bottles leak and boobs leak… don’t leave home without a spare onesie, burp cloth or scarf.

And when it comes to moms, 99% of tears can be solved by one of the following: a glass of wine, a nap, a few minutes of HGTV or a hug from a little set of arms.

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Armed with these lessons, an overflowing diaper bag and a little bit of momfidence, my babies and I have been taking full advantage of my time off work to live it up!

Here’s what we’ve been doing over the past two months:

::  Making it out the door.  Some days this is a victory in itself.  ::

“Smile kids! We are all wearing pants, we are not covered in poop and we are out of the house before 11 am.”

 

::  Enjoying play dates  ::

It has been SO wonderful to spend time with many of my fellow mom friends who I often only see on Facebook.  We’ve been hosting and attending lots of play dates and it turns out that play dates are just as much fun for the moms as they are for the kids.

Kenz and one of her favorite buddies.

 

::  Bouncing around town  ::

So far we’ve been to the science museum, Rollie Pollies, Explore & More, story time at the library and this cool bounce house place.  Mitchell sleeps through most of our outings but Makenzie is having a blast.

This girl has no fear

 

Being worldly and checking out the Dutch windmills at Explore and More. Following this we continued our European education by enjoying some French fries from McDonald’s. Oui Oui!

 

::  Going for walks  ::

Now that Elsa broke the Frozen spell on Lancaster we’ve been enjoying a few trips around the neighborhood.  We can’t get enough of the fresh air and the extra hour of daylight.

Kenz carrying her baby like Mommy.

 

::  Roadtrippin  ::

Call us crazy but we decided we needed a trip to Ohio to see some of our favorite people.  Luckily we have two good little travelers.

Tired dolly

 

Kenz and her future boyfriend Keene.

 

Breakfast with Nana and Papa

::  Soaking in the smiles  ::

Usually we plan a day or two each week to just hang out in the house and have fun.  It’s a good place to be when you get to see grins like this all day.

Littlest M showing off his grins.

I’m still years away from Mom Pro status but each day I learn a few more lessons about how to be a mom of two kiddos.  My next lesson is going to be how I’ll leave my little M’s to head back to work. I work with awesome people and we have a good support system so we will just have to take it one day at a time (and plan on lots of take out).  Until then we’ll soak up our days together and enjoy a few more weeks of road trips, play dates and time in the slow lane.

xxoo

Erin

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99 Problems but a Mitch ain’t one

March 1, 2015 by · Leave a Comment

If you’re having baby problems I feel bad for you friends, I got 99 problems but a Mitch ain’t one.

Just kidding. I do not have 99 problems but my hidden rapstar couldn’t resist a little Jay-Z action in this blog post.   Snazzy, right?

On a serious note, little M is such a good baby and he is ONE MONTH old!

It’s hard to believe that Denny and I have been a family of four for a whopping six weeks now!  It can sometimes be chaotic but these two make life really fun.

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Besties.  How did we get so lucky?!?

 

I’m hoping to keep up with Mitchell’s month by month posts like I did for Makenzie so here goes:

 ::  Mitchell Dennis – One Month Old  ::

 Check out this little guy!

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One month on February 15th

He rocked his one month check-up!  Weighing in at a whopping ten pounds… Mitch “Adorable legs and awesome hair” McGee!

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Watch out ladies, here I come!

 His personality is very sweet and mellow.  He sleeps so much that one of our friends call him a Buy now, pay later baby because we may pay for his laid back personality someday in his teenage years when we have to drag him out of bed.

He has been smiling and making adorable cooing noises.  He often makes noises that sound like a dolphin which has earned him the nickname Dan Marino.

So far doesn’t seem to mind the chaos around him that Big Sis creates.  We often remind Makenzie to be gentle but he sleeps through her frequent hugs, kisses and snuggles that she gives him.  We can’t wait to see their relationship develop as they grow.

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Little M is doing great at night and sometimes sleeps 6-7 hours.  As much as I can’t wait for a solid night of sleep I’m enjoying the quiet time with him in the wee hours of the morning.

As for daytime, our little guy has been hosting play dates and venturing out and about around town but he usually sleeps right through it all.  He is now booking appointments for March for those interested with hanging out with him.  You can call his mom/secretary for available time slots.

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Dressing him in outfits that have ears now because we know he’ll probably put a stop to it by high school.

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He melts my heart.

 

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 ::  Makenzie Ruth – 28 months old  ::

 Since I’m working on Mitchell’s update here are a few updates about Big Sis Kenz.

She’s officially Frozen obsessed!  She loves everything about the movie and carries her Anna and Elsa figurines with her everywhere she goes.  She even met Anna and Elsa a few weeks ago.  Awesome!

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She cracks us up with her silly personality all the time!  She likes to play pretend shopping and often goes to Target and Tim Hortons with her purse and babies.

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Purse and sunglasses needed during her shopping trip in the playroom.

Makenzie has turned the tables and now puts us to bed.  After we read her nightly book she goes to Mitchell’s room, kisses him and shuts his door.  Then she comes to our room.  Denny and I both have to be under blankets before she tells us good night and shuts our door.  Her final stop is her room.  She shuts her door and the climbs into bed.  If she has a toy cell phone, she occasionally makes some calls and then finally goes to bed.  Hilarious!

She continues to be a really loving big sister.  Every morning she runs into Mitchell’s room and says, “Missed you Mitchell, love you Mitchell!”

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It’s fun to tap your brother’s head.

 M&M keep life fun, crazy and full of great moments.  Stay tuned as they continue to grow!

XOXO

Erin

 

 

 

 

 

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