Things that wouldn't happen if I wasn't sleep deprived...

True stories from a sleep deprived Momma

1. I simply missed the noises coming from the monitor this morning signaling to me that Riley was up. Instead, awoke to her tearing apart the bathroom, clearing off the counter after she used the gigantic horse barn as a make-shift step stool, and notifying me that she pooped in her pants.

2. Went to a friend's house to take care of her fish. This friend shall remain anonymous should the occasion arise that I have to replace her fish after the following: Riley watched me feed the sea monkeys. I settled into their recliner to breastfeed Reese and enjoyed the quiet. After growing suspicious, I found Riley "feeding" the sea monkeys. She had managed to work the top off and dump an entire package of food into their plastic container. I'm pretty sure she killed them.

3. While getting Riley to wash her hands, Reese projectile vomited all over me. I left my diaper bag in the car. I had to rummage through friend's closet for a replacement shirt for myself and stripped Reese of her clothing, all the while scolding Riley for Sea Monkey Incident 2010. I didn't have anything to use for Reese at the moment (outfit or spit cloth) so I used some paper towels on a bath mat as her resting spot. I ran to the car taking Riley with me for fear of Sea Monkey Incident times two. I left my baby on the paper towel, this time on the kitchen floor mat. Upon my return, I then had to clean up the explosive poop that had occurred in Reese's diaper all the while Riley complaining that she couldn't get her shoes on.

4. Had a panic attack.

5. We met Dan for lunch at Chik-Fil-A. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep for a couple minutes while eating my sandwhish with one hand and rocking the stroller with the other.

6. Bribed my two year old (who quite possibly is attaining speed on the black market) with a brownie if she took a nap.

7. I am up, instead of sleeping, blogging and watching So You Think You Can Dance.

The Moby

Stemming from the encouragement of a friend, I decided to buy the Moby wrap. It is a very long piece of fabric that you can use to tie/wrap in a variety of ways in order to hold your baby close to you. However, it seems very complicated. Like 16-steps type of complicated. I decided to enlist Dan's mechanical brain to teach me how to do the different style of wraps.

We found the whole experience quite comical actually. One step instructs you to locate the "fabric pocket." Dan was perplexed because there are obviously no pockets on this contraption.

After he mastered the newborn cradle hold with Reese....

We (actually it as all me) thought it would be funny to give it a whirl with Riley...after all, it says you can hold up to 35 pounds in it...

Here is a quick video of the process...pardon the shaking camera work, I was a bit giggly. I blame lack of sleep!

2 years and 2 weeks

I didn't believe people when they told me to enjoy the newborn stage. "Don't rush it," they'd say, "It goes by too quickly." This time, I get it. Too soon, they are two and walking around in underwear with boxes on their heads doing some serious alphabet work on the fridge.Now, we are rememebring to savor the newborn smell and her little cries. We are remembering to snuggle in bed past bedtime (and pretend to sleep...ahem, Riley).This morning, before heading out to Reese's two week appointment, I remembered to take a quick snapshot of my girls. Riley is absolutely in love with her little sister. At the doctor's office, Riley insisted that the good Doc do to her whatever he was doing to Reese. "Check Riley's ears," she would say.

Reese is growing well, exceeding her birth weight now by 12 ounces.
So for now, we are enjoying our spunky 2 year old and our sweet 2 week old, loving them each and every day.

Fourth of July: Babies, Balloons & Bottle Rockets

Oh yes, add one more to the mix. Reese, only 4 days old, enjoyed her first Fourth of July festivities. Even the rain couldn't stop us.

Daddy and Uncle Kyle filled up water balloons and Riley went to town, in the rain, throwing and catching them. We enjoyed some good food and the fireworks were handled by again, Dan and Kyle. It was a great time.

Sisters: The Meet and Greet

A sister is a gift to the heart, a friend to the spirit, a golden thread to the meaning of life.

~Isadora James

I have imagined this day just as much as I imagined the birth of our second daughter. We have been reading "big sister" books, talking about the "baby", and prepping Riley for the changes that were coming. However, when Riley's rash seemed to mysteriously spread, their actual first meeting was behind glass at the hospital's nursery. So, their first official meeting happened at home, in our little room, while Reese slumbered in the pack-n-play. Riley walked into the room and the scene both melted my heart and filled my soul with pride. Our little girl, now huge in comparison to the tiny creature nestled in the blanket, welcomed her little sister with a warm smile and a gentle voice. The transition since we have been home has been remarkably easy and filled with memories.



Here is a video of Riley and Reese's first meeting.

Hello World!

Hello World!
My name is Reese Bowen and I came into the world on June 30th, 2010. I weighed 7 pounds and was 20 inches in length. Here is the pictorial story of my world-premiere! Enjoy.

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