When Mommy is Busy With Miles...

Daddy teaches Carter things :-)

Boys will be boys! 

Two Months Old

Dear Miles,
You turned 2 months old this week, and I just can't believe how much you are growing and changing every day. You don't look like a newborn anymore, but you still love to snuggle in mommy's arms. It's been a great month! We've done so many fun things. Some of the highlights of this month were that you started sleeping through the night this week which has really helped mommy to feel more rested. You smile and coo a lot now too. Your daddy can get you to smile and talk faster than anyone in the whole family. These are the best smiles we've gotten on camera...

Here are your 2 month Pictures:

Here's a picture of you and your dog. You'll be bigger than he is soon!

I tried to get a picture of you and your brother, but as you can see - he did not cooperate. He is 23 months old, and he's turning two next Friday! That means you'll get to go to your very first birthday party soon :-) 

Here are some of the fun things we did this month:

• I took you and Carter shopping with me for the first time. That was a crazy experience! I'll try to limit that in the future!
• We went to Lake Wedowee for Father's Day.
• You got to meet Pawpaw, Aunt Marsha, and Uncle Tommy for the first time!
• We went to Grandmama & Granddaddy's house for the first time.
• You got to meet Nonnie for the first time!
• We played and had picnics at the Spring.
• Your brother rode four wheelers and caught his first fish while we were there. 
• We visited Granddaddy's nursery and saw the trucks and tractors.
• We went to Nana and Papa J's house for the first time, but you slept most of the time we were there.
• Your brother rode the lawnmower, swam, played in the sand, and picked apples. 
• We went to feed the ducks, geese, and turtles at UAH.
• You got to meet your Aunt Bebe when she came to visit for the 4th of July all the way from Seattle!
• While she was here Grandmama, Granddaddy, Aunt Bamie, and Brittni also came up to see her you. 
• We went to go see fireworks, and you slept right through them.
• We all went to the Birmingham Zoo together! When we were there, you got to meet Aunt Nancy, Uncle Barry, Lori, Jon, Julia, Silas, Lia, and Ada. We had a blast! 

(As you, the reader, can see by the bottom of the list...this mommy has some blogs to catch up on - so I guess this list can serve as a preview :-) 

Here are the things you are doing now:

• You weighed 12 lbs. 10oz. (50th percentile) and you are 22.75 inches long (50th percentile). 
• You eat 7 times a day for about 30 minutes. You still keep it all to yourself - very little spit up :-)
• You sleep 7-9 hours at night now (the day after you turned 2 months old, you started sleeping through the night)!!! Thank you :-)
• You take 2-3 good naps a day (1-3 hours)
• You can lift your head higher and for longer periods of time now.
• You hold your head straight up when someone is holding you. 
• You smile and coo at people you recognize - especially daddy! 
• You still grab onto things that touch your hands. You like to hold onto your lovey. 
• You kick and punch your legs and arms all the time while you are awake. 
• You like to watch mobiles and fans.
• Your eyes get big and you look around when you hear certain voices or sounds.

Here is your typical schedule...you eat every 2 1/2 hours like clockwork:

7:00am - Mealtime (you nurse), then you are usually awake for about 30min - 1 hour
8:00am - Naptime (usually in the swing or your bed)
9:30am - Mealtime then Waketime

10:30am - Naptime 
12:00pm - Mealtime then Waketime 
1:00pm - Naptime
- This is when mommy gets stuff done because you and your brother are napping!
2:30pm - Mealtime then Waketime
3:30pm - Naptime (sometimes you just want to be held for this nap)
5:00pm - Mealtime then Waketime (This is usually your "fussy" time of day unless somebody is holding you. Daddy grabs you up as soon as he gets home. You, Daddy, and Carter smile and talk and play while mommy gets dinner on the table. 
7:30pm - Mealtime
8:00pm - Bathtime then Waketime
- Mommy gives you your bath while Daddy bathes your big brother. Then we get to snuggle with just you while your brother is in the bed. 
9:00pm - Mealtime then bed...and you've started to sleep all night long - YAY!!!!!!
REPEAT...

I think we are figuring each other out. You seem to enjoy nursing more now that we figured out that mommy was practically drowning you with milk. We are both glad that we fixed that problem. You are bringing even more joy to our family now, and we all love to make you smile and coo. Sorry we are all up in your face all the time, but you're just too cute!!! You're looking more like your daddy every day, but I think he's a handsome guy, so this is a good thing :-) I love you, Miles - never forget that!

Love,
Your Mommy

PS. This is what your brother looked like when he was 2 months old. 

The Store

It's been a storage facility for our family for so long! We call it "The Store." My family recently inventoried and organized all the treasures inside, and here are a few things we found! 

Nana & Pop Pop's House

While we were in the Auburn area, we spent some time at Nana and Papa J's house. Carter calls Papa J, "Pop Pop" for now. We aren't sure if it'll stick or not. Carter LOVES his Pop Pop...and Pop Pop LOVES his Carter! 

Nana got her snuggles in with Miles while Carter and Pop Pop did their thing! 

Trucks & Tractors

My dad owns a plant nursery. Carter got to visit the nursery for the first time while we were staying with my parents. There are "big trucks" and tractors there!  

Needless to say, Carter was IMPRESSED!

He cried when we left. I think we may have to go back soon :-)

White Oak Farms

My parents live at a place called White Oak Farms. It's not a farm like Old MacDonald had...it's a "tree farm." In other words - they live in the middle of the woods. I grew up fishing, riding four wheelers, wading in creeks, etc. It's a world that I love, and that I want my boys to love!

Carter's First Fish - he was AMAZED :-)

This little boy wanted to "ride trucks" the ENTIRE time we were there! He never got tired of it. I bet he rode more than 25 miles in the week we were there :-)

My parents cleared out a picnic spot by the prettiest little creek. We call it "The Spring." It's a perfect place for boys to be boys!

One of my favorite spots at White Oak Farms though is the porch, and no porch would be complete without rocking chairs and swings!

Miles got to meet his great-grandmother, Nonnie, while we were there! Carter and Miles just love their Nonnie!

A Weekend at the Lake

Kevin's grandparents have a cabin on Lake Wedowee. It's a simple place where life slows down. We love going there and spending time with the people who meet us there. After some crazy weeks at work, we decided to head to the lake for Father's Day. I'm so glad we did. It's one of Kevin's favorite spots in the whole world, and I have a feeling 2 little boys are going to feel the exact same way one day.

When you're at the lake you can:

Ride in a boat...

Jump in the water anytime you feel like it - with your shoes on :-)

Play with sticks, hammers, rocks, and fishing poles...

Snuggle with family!

Miles got to meet his Pawpaw for the first time on this trip!

Carter and Miles gave their Daddy a pool stick for Father's Day. He's gotta practice up so that he can teach them a thing or two one day :-)

The lake was the perfect place to spend Father's Day!