The ones I love...

No time to blog right now... Just wanted to say that I love my little family.  We had family pictures taken three weeks ago.  Hopefully the pictures will be ready soon.  I'll post those when I get them.  Until then, here are some pictures of the ones I love

Saturdays

The past two Saturdays have been fun family days.  With the basement finished we don't have any pressing projects to take over our weekend, which means we have time to enjoy each other's company.

The weekend before last we went to First Watch for breakfast with Aunt Christy then took Audrey's first trip to the zoo.

That trip went so well that we decided to give Aunt Christy a call again and  make our way down to Washington Park.  After another trip to First Watch and a stop at Findlay Market, we visited her apartment to check out all of her new furniture and decorations.  We walked across the street to Washington Park and checked out City Flea before making our way to the playground.

Jack really loves the playspace and can't get enough of all of the water features.  I'm thankful that our city has such a wonderful park and love that Christy lives across the street!

Working together

Jacob and Jack recently worked together on their first building project.  Jack picked up a cool kit with the materials to build a Penske Moving Truck during his trip to the Taste of Colerain.  (Thank you to my Aunt Louie and Aunt Marcia for taking Jack on that fun outing.)

Jack was so excited to get out the hammer and work with his daddy.  It was fun to watch them together and I'm hoping that it's just a taste of the future.  Here are a few pictures of the Samad men working on their project:

Clippard Park

Jack, Audrey, and I met up with our Thursday Morning Mom friends this morning at Clippard Park.  It took a bit to get us all out of the house, but we made it just in time to play in the splash park and grab some lunch before we left.

I can't believe I actually remembered to bring my camera!  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of all of the kids together.  Jack had a blast though, and I managed to capture some of his joy in these shots:

Audrey was a trooper.  She slept the whole time and made it all of the way home before waking up to eat.  These kids are making it easy for me to get out!  Thank you, little ones!

She's so alert!

Love it or hate it, we are a Baby Wise family.  This book was a huge help to us while we were sleep training Jack, and it's proven to be helpful with Audrey as well.  I won't go deep into the philosophy, but basically the idea is to encourage a routine of eating, then wake-time,then sleep. 

One comment we get about Audrey (and did with Jack as well), is that she's so alert.  The book mentions that people will point that out, and it is one of the most frequent comments we hear.  We laughed when we heard it with Jack over and over and it's happening again with Audrey. When she's awake she is wide-eyed and exploring her surroundings.  She really seems to be taking it all in.  Here's a picture of her with those alert eyes.

And here are a few more cute ones to enjoy.  Thank goodness for my camera phone.  I don't think I even know where my camera is right now!

Holding hands

Today Jack sat on the couch with me while I fed Audrey.  He watched Sesame Street and sucked his thumb contently while he waited for me to finish.  At one point he leaned over to rest his head on my arm.  That's when I looked down and saw this:

Jack, you are such a sweet little guy.  Thanks for being so patient and loving your sister so well!

Healing

I haven't shared too many pictures of Audrey's forcep abrasion.  I'm amazed at how quickly it has healed and so thankful that her cute little face isn't scabbed over any longer!  

After talking to a friend (who happens to also be a plastic surgeon), he assured us that her little red mark will be completely invisible within the year.  

Here are a few pictures of her little cheek:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 4

Day 4 - after the bath

Day 8

Day 12

Day 14 - First real bath!

Gifts for Audrey

Today Jack helped me to reassemble our baby swing.  He was surprisingly helpful and loved playing with it once it was completed.  He has already figured out how to start the music and can adjust the volume on his own.

Here are two pictures of Audrey enjoying her swing.  The pine cone and apple are gifts from Jack.  I'm just thankful he knew to leave them on the tray and not her face.

Audrey's Life: Week #1

We're starting to figure out life as a family of four.  Thanks to everyone who has helped us out along the way.    I've been feeling pretty good and I've been able to squeeze in a few naps thanks to helpful family and Jack's love of nap time!

I don't have much time to write (and my brain isn't all that clear right now), so I'm just going to add some pictures -- that's really why your looking at this blog anyways, right?

The following two pictures are from the day we came home from the hospital.  Jack was happy to hold Audrey's hand and give her a kiss.  One week later, he's still just as happy to have a little sister!  He has such a sweet demeanor and has shown her love and attention without prompting.  It has been a fun treat to see these tender moments.

Helping entertain Audrey during tummy time

Drew sneaking kisses - with Aunt Jodi and Uncle Andy

The girl cousins - they are both naturals!

The boys

All 7 cousins - #8 due in January!

Buddies

Jacob and Jack have become buddies since Audrey was born.  Jacob's been great at keeping him distracted and entertained while I nurse, change, and care for the little one.  In fact, Jack has switched from calling my name exclusively when he wakes up to calling, "Dadda, Momma, Dadda, Momma".  Jealous?  Only a bit.  I'm so glad that Jack is getting so much love an attention from his daddy and I love watching them bond!

Jack loved watching Jacob mow the lawn this morning.  He was so excited that he grabbed his own lawn mower and brought it to the front door.  Here are some pictures of the boys working hard cleaning up our yard!