Archer is 2

So my first born is now a toddler is 2 years old. We had a very low key birthday celebration at home and I think it was the perfect day. I wrapped all of his presents in Thomas the Train paper and put them on the mantel. He was awake all of 30 seconds before he noticed them. We let him open one present and saved the rest until after cake.

Grandma R. sent him birthday balloons which he loved! He carried them around, ran through them and tangled up in them multiple times. Definitely a big hit! I ordered him a Disney'sCarscake from Coldstone Creamery. He loved the cars toys on top more than the cake. My kid would rather eat grapes than birthday cake. I suppose that is a good thing.

We got to Skype with both sets of Grandparents which is always nice. I thought I would be more sad not having a party with family and friends, but all we really need is our little family to make it a great day. I'm not saying that I never want extended family around for celebrations though.

Archer is an amazing kid. He talks all of the time, picks up on words and their meanings after only hearing at seeing them once, and I often find him in a corner looking through one of his many books. He knows what he wants and when he wants it so we have a lot of defiance showing through. As his parent, however, it is my job to teach him that he cannot always have what he wants so he sheds many tears when I say "not right now". Gummy vitamins, for example, are only allowed once/day. Whoever created those are an evil genius. They made them good enough so kids would eat them and too good so they would want them more than once. Many a temper tantrum have been thrown over wanting those vitamins.

Archie sleeps fantastically since Fletcher was born (thanks again Grandma R.!). He sleeps for almost 10 hours every night but he likes those early mornings. We haven't slept past 6 am in a very long time and our Keuring coffee maker has been working overtime.

Cars has become one of Archie's favorite movies. We watch it about 3 times a week which I suppose isn't overly excessive but still more than I would prefer. Archie knows how to open the Blu Ray player and put in the disc. He also knows which remote we need to make it play. This kid is no dummy.

Anyway, here are some pictures from Archie's birthday. I cannot believe how fast he is growing.

A draft I started about 1 month ago

I have now been a mother to two boys for a little over 4 months. Before Fletcher was born I was so stressed over how I would handle feedings and naps with the both of them. Now I realize I am too busy to worry about things like time management. If you ask me what a typical day is like I probably couldn't tell you. They are both too long and too short but my kids are happy and healthy and my house isn't in complete shambles. Plus we are all sleeping okay but my definition of good sleep has drastically changed since have kids.

Some days I am able to read a few chapters of a book or catch up on a few episodes of television shows I watch. I may or may not have dinner started by the time Dave gets home from work. I get laundry done, but finding time to fold it is a little more difficult. Not a day goes by though that I do not stare at my children in wonder. Not a day goes by that I do not think what the heck am I doing? Being a stay at home is the hardest job I have ever had. Some days I wish I had a job that I had to change out of my pajamas to do. The grass is always greener....

Weight post

One month ago I started calorie tracking and eating better. I did not do so well on my vacation, but quickly got back into the swing of things when we got home.

7/5/11 - 174 lbs.

8/7/11 - 166.2 lbs.

I lost almost 8 lbs. this past month. I have 11 more to go until I get back to my pre pregnancy weight and 21 more to go until I get to my goal weight.

First plane and car trip with the boys

Last week we took the plunge and endeavored upon our first plane trip and first car trip with both boys. Having flown a lot with Archer we weren't terribly nervous about the trip but we were wondering how we were going to carry all of our stuff and keep Archie from running off. He does not like to be contained making shopping trips especially enjoyable (note sarcasm). Anyway, we got a GoGo Babyz Tavelmate off of Craigslist for Archie's car seat and it was a lifesaver! Archie loved riding in his car seat through the airport and we didn't have to remove it to install his car seat on the plane. I highly recommend this product if you plan on flying with a convertible car seat.

So the plane trip was fairly uneventful. We had a layover in Milwaukee and Archie got to run around and play for a few hours and slept most of the trip to NJ. Fletcher slept most of the time as well. At the end of our long day of travel was Grandma and Grandpa R.! I love when we visit our parents b/c nobody loves our kids as much as we do except them.

Our two main reasons for traveling to NJ were to spend time with family and to attend the wedding of Elizabeth and Kevin K. Kevin is a friend from U of M so we got to see a lot of our college friends and their lovely children. Seeing everyone really made me miss the camaraderie and closeness of everyone. I cannot wait until we move back east one day and are closer to friends and family.

After the wedding we headed up to Vermont for a mini vacation within a vacation. Dave and I love VT, NH and ME and Burlington is only about 6 hours from the grandparents house. We all loaded into the minivan and headed to the land of Green Mountain Coffee, Lake Champlain Chocolates, King Arthur Flour, Ben & Jerry's, maple syrup and my cousins Lori, Erik, Corie and Zak. We ate at some great restaurants recommend by Lori, went to the aquarium, Lake Champlain Chocolates, walked around town, and went out to dinner with aforementioned cousins. The only downfall of our trip was our last night there when Archie came down with his first stomach bug. Thank goodness for Grandma R. who jumped in to save the day. Dave and I would've been a panicked mess without her.

While we were in NJ we went to visit the Whippany Railway Museum and Archie had a blast! It was a hot day and then it started to rain while we were there. Archie walked out into the downpour with the wild abandonment that only a toddler can truly pull off. Luckily I had my camera ready and took dozens of pictures. Fletcher was content to sit on Grandma's lap and watch. I don't think he's ready for the rain just yet.

The day before we left I was struck with the same stomach bug that Archie had. It made for an uncomfortably long day of travel, but it was nice to get home and sleep in my own bed. All in all, we had great time on our vacation and Dave didn't get sick until after we arrived home. There is always a silver lining!

Trip to the zoo

Archie was more interested than the last time we went to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, however, some things still frightened him. At the zoo, you can feed lettuce to the giraffes. Seeing them so close made him nervous. He also absolutely hated the merry-go-round. Dave had a death grip on him to keep him from jumping off the platform. Is it bad that I laughed?

Anyway lets get to the important stuff-pictures!

Archie likes the water

It's that time again...the next 30 lbs.

So I started off my most recent pregnancy at 155 lbs. I gained 47 lbs. with Fletcher. Seeing the scale top 200 was a little unnerving but I am now at 174 lbs. post pregnancy. My goal weight is actually 145 lbs. which puts me in the healthy range according to the BMI . That is 30 lbs. that I am looking to lose before my next pregnancy, which will not be in the next year at least.

I am starting with the same program I did after I had Archer. I am using the iPhone app Loseit! and have it set to the lowest weight loss goal of 1/2 lb. per week since I am still breastfeeding and do not want to deprive Fletcher or myself of essential nutrients. Basically it helps me choose me healthier foods b/c I have to decide it I really want to blow my daily caloric budget on crap. Dave and I are also rejoining the YMCA since both kids are now eligible for the child watch program. We are going to try for 1-2 weekdays after work and at least 1 weekend day. Dave and Archer are also starting swimming classes next week. I want to lead by example for our kids so they will grow up healthy and strong.

Today after work we are going to bust out the double stroller and walk to the post office which is two miles round trip. We have also been better about grocery shopping so we have a lot more fresh fruits and veggies laying around. Last night I made a nice stir fry using only fresh vegetables. For us that is huge!

So here I go again.