Pictures

The words will be few this week:

Work: much better
Grammy: wonderful visit and invaluable help, but sadly has left us!
3 months 21 days: Cora is now the age, Jack was when he had his surgery - so thankful for this healthy baby girl!

Jack & Cora in pictures:

Grammy and Jack "going on a bear hunt"

BIG and beautiful baby (I'm guessing 17+ lbs at 3.5 months)

New helmet!

 

The best kind of study partner

Happy Baby!

Jack and his masterpiece LEGO fire station

Brotherly love

Work:
I said I wasn't judging the situation for 6 weeks, but I will say what a yo-yo emotions week!  I had many moments of enjoying being back at work and feeling like I can totally do this and many other moments of being like "absolutely not - I cannot do this!"  Huge thanks to my mom who was here to smooth out all the potential rough edges of this past week.  Luckily, I get her help for next week too!  (And Cora, did you really have to play around with a nursing strike THIS week?  Not a real nursing strike, but the easiest baby did throw me a couple curve balls.)

Brotherly love:
I want to write this moment down because it was just so perfect and I don't want to forget it. 

If you wake Jack up, he almost always is grumpy.  Well, I woke him up the other morning and even my promises to take him by the fire station on our run were being met with "I don't LIKE fire stations" along with a loud whine.  Well then Jacob comes in carrying Cora and he lays Cora down next to Jack, face to face.  Jack had his eyes stubbornly closed but then opened one eye and saw Cora.  He reached his arm around her and pulled her toward him and gave her a kiss.  So precious.  Jacob made the comment that it was such a mature response, like something a 7 year old might do, rather than a 2 year old.  (Haha, not that we have any clue what 7 year-olds do.)

I love how he loves her.  He seems to see her in the same light we do - as a precious little baby here in our lives to make them sweeter.  He's not once seemed annoyed by her presence and always lights up when she is around.  There was a week or two early on when he was rough with her, but I think he saw it as a way to get attention.  That was the only adjustment period he seemed to have to her birth thus far.

I'm excited to see their relationship grow as she gets older.  I've always wanted a large (or okay maybe just semi-large) family after growing up with 3 siblings.  It is crazy to think about what life will be like when Cora is Jack's age and is running around with her own unique personality.

It is SO NICE to have surmounted the initial learning curve of having two children, to feel more on top of taking care of them, and thus, to be enjoying them more!

Jack and brand new Cora - June, 2012

September, 2012 - Look at that double chin!!!

On the precipice...

The last two weeks since the hurricane have seemed pretty sustainable, like I'm getting the hang of having two children.  Naturally, right when I've gotten to that point, it's time to go back to work.  I start on Monday and will be working part time (20 hours.)  On the one hand, the schedule (Mon, Tues, and Thurs till the early afternoon) seems quite manageable.  On the other hand, I know it's going to make it a lot harder to feel on top of things.

My mom is coming for the first two weeks to help out which is priceless!  It's not that I don't want to go back to work so much that I don't want to leave my little baby!   So having her here delays that part somewhat, since it's not hard to leave Cora with Grammy. 

So in a vacuum, sure I'd like to work, it just gets complicated when you add in my children meaning that I get to spend less time with them because of work.  There is the time taken by work but then it also feels like the remaining time gets crunched because all the rest of life has to happen in those hours.  And I'm not good at ignoring the "to-do's." 

Ahh, the leisurely activities of unstructured days

BUT, BUT, BUT, I realize I have a big luxury to be able to work part time.  I also know that I won't know whether I can do this well unless I give it a genuine effort, so I'm not even going to judge the situation until at least 6 weeks have gone by.  Hope I can stick to that!

It's a quick post today because I'm enjoying the slow pace of life right now even if I do think there is a precipice waiting for me on Monday!

We love our new swing set!

Cora says tummy time is for the birds.

3 Month Update

Cora will be 3 months tomorrow!  (I'll avoid the cliche...)  Here are our updates:

Cora: Adorable, the height of preciousness!  This is an easy, lovable little girl.  She's sleeping great.  Her official bedtime is 9:30/10, but she definitely sleeps away some of the evening prior to this.  She usually just wakes once around 3am or so to eat.  Then she falls right back to sleep and then wakes for good between 6 & 7.  She sleeps on and off through the day, but this last week, she's fallen into the pattern of taking a long (like 3-4 hr) nap in the afternoon if I lay her down in her crib.  This is when Jack is napping, so quite the nice schedule!

Cora at 12.5 weeks

She continues to be the easiest nurser, eating about every 3 hours.  She lights up whenever she sees Jacob and me, and now she smiles at Jack too.  Her smiles are awesome - she catches us in her sight and then just dissolves into a grin convulsion that spreads down her whole body.  She also laughed a few times this month.  Priceless!

Jack: He's napping again!!!  Poor kid has had a couple of stomach bugs this month.  Nothing more pitiful than seeing a 2 year old retching over the toilet :(  On a more positive note, the boy has had a month of adventures: trip to SC to see Grammy & Big Papa, hurricane Isaac, a new swingset, and the first day at the Waldorf School.

He did not want to take a first day of school picture.  He woke up saying his tummy hurt, but we thought he was just nervous.  Turns out his tummy did hurt.  Believe me, I felt bad!!

He looked so big with his new shoes on!

Third time is the charm.  He did have a good first day, despite the sore tummy.

Jack continues to be ENTHRALLED by fire trucks.  He definitely wants to be one when he grows up (according to him) but now he also wants to marry a fire fighter.  His latest game involves the following:

• lay down like he's sleeping (in the fire station of course)
• fire bell rings - DING, DING, DING
• he jumps up and grabs his gear (hat, helmet, boots)
• he jumps on his fire truck (could be the swingset, could be his bed, just depends)
• he "zooms to the fire"
• he jumps off, grabbing his hose (a string), gas mask (pair of underwear), and air tank (fire truck sleeping bag) and puts the fire out.
• jump back on fire truck
• repeat (and repeat and repeat...)

Jack in his "gas mask."  They are clean, I promise!!

We have a check-up at the ENT next week and I'm eager to have his hearing tested.  He's either got massive fluid build up in his ears or just a really annoying new habit of saying "whAT?" about 100x/day.

Me: I'm down to pre-pregnancy weight, but not pre-pregnancy body, so I've gotten very motivated this month around getting back in shape.  I'm signed up for a one month pass to Pure Barre (this deserves its own post as it is kicking my butt) and we just renewed our gym membership.   My goal is to go to at least 10 Pure Barre classes this month and work toward running an 8 minute mile every gym visit (yesterday was 8:50.) 

On a less positive note, why doesn't anyone tell you that you have massive hair loss about 2-3 months after you have a baby!?!

I have one more week of maternity leave, so we will be living it up next week!  I'm definitely nervous/apprehensive about the addition of responsibilities that going back to work brings!

Jacob:  We got to majorly rebond with our Daddy last week when he was off work all week (and after we'd been gone for 10 days to SC.)  I realized how much more I enjoy Jack and Cora when it's 2:2 vs 1:2 parent to child ratio!  All our fruit trees survived the storm and now there is an oak and satsuma tree planted out front as well.

Hurricane Isaac and other things

And I thought a few weeks back was crazy!  Here's a look at this past week:

Sunday: Cora was baptized and we hosted 35 or so friends and family for lunch.  I love our porch!  And I love that we can so easily fill it with great friends.  I love this city...

Monday: It's evident that this city I love is likely in the path of Hurricane Isaac.  Jacob and I spent the day debating whether we should stay or leave.  Schools were closed for the week so he was off work.  Between a hurricane brunch/swim date at one friend's house and a hurricane potluck dinner at another's, we decided to stay.  Jacob boards up the windows.  Then we watched some of the round the clock local news coverage and saw that Isaac is looking to be a Category 2 storm.  We didn't know what the right decision was so we decided to reevaluate in the morning.

Windows boarded.  Can't say I helped much.

Tuesday: We were still debating in the morning, but I really didn't want to leave as I just got back to New Orleans.  We both felt like we would need to stay at some point to know whether it's better to stay or go during a storm (as it's likely we'll be in this situation again).  Since Isaac was now back to a Category 1 storm, this seemed like a safer time to test our hurricane durability.  We spent most of the day waiting for something to happen.  We let Jack out on the porch to burn off some energy.  Power goes out at 7:00 p.m.

Jack helps us clear out our fridge by drinking a PB-banana smoothie

Wednesday:  We went to bed Tuesday night in our downstairs living room.  It seemed like the best choice because 1) it was on the ground floor 2) all the windows were boarded up 3) the half bathroom was there and that's our only room without windows 4) it would fit us all to sleep.  Jacob and I were up from 1:30-5:00 because of the winds. Jack and Cora weren't bothered by the storm.  I'll admit it was a little unnerving when the big wind gusts were rattling the house, but I never was too scared.  The storm moved slowly and we were kept inside all of Wednesday.  Luckily the storm kept it cool outside.  We were able to open windows Wednesday night and the gusts kept us comfortable sans AC.  Jack keeps things interesting by throwing up repeatedly, keeping us up from 1:30-3:00.

When you are stuck inside all day, you do things like draw your neighborhood. Black and red fires added by Jack.

Thursday: The storm is past and we were able to get out and clean up.  We walked around the neighborhood and happened upon bags of ice at Whole Foods (we were in the stroller so we did a brisk walk home).  We knew we would lose what was in our freezer so Jacob cooked a big gumbo and we had friends over for dinner on the porch.  Jack has been having a blast having both Mommy and Daddy around to play. He's also loved all the friends (big and little) that we've hung out with.  He put out several hundred fires around the house. (The best was the one in the backyard during our gumbo dinner when his pants fell down.)

Now everyone is sleeping in our room.

Friday: There was no more breeze so we were really feeling the heat!  We got out of the house very quickly and drove around looking for a place that was open for breakfast.  The business district had power (lines there are buried), so we ate breakfast at the WWII Museum Soda Shop, spent some time in the WWII lobby looking at tanks and airplanes, then headed to the Audubon Aquarium.  Luckily our friends Michael and Morgan got their power back and said we could stay in their house since they are out of town.  It was like a cool oasis in a desert (literally since they are one of the few blocks in all of uptown New Orleans that have power.)  This allowed us a cool place to play and sleep. 

No AC attire.  Won't show you what Jacob and I were wearing!

Saturday: Ahh!  Still no power.  We aren't the only ones crashing at our friend's house so we tried to quietly remove our loud children so everyone else could sleep.  We went on a run, to the market, and to the park.  We showered and then went to the Children's Museum.  Now we wait.

And yet truly I have nothing to complain about and so very much to be thankful for!

Grammy and Big Papa

There could be multiple  names for this post.  "Why I love Grammy and Big Papa," "Grammy and Big Papa Camp," "Suggestions for dealing with Grammy & Big Papa Withdrawal?"...

Big Papa

Grammy

We have been having a great visit in South Carolina.  Jacob (though starting to get a little lonely now) has had some rest/quiet/freedom /time to do projects. 
I've had MAJOR help and the gift of time. Time to exercise, read, get things done, play on the computer, and see friends.  

And time to snuggle this one...

Cora has probably had the roughest week since she caught Jack's cold and hasn't been able to nap as well because of all the excitement and adventures Florence, SC has to offer.  She has had extra snuggles and got lots of new outfits (thanks Grammy and friend Kate/daughter Ava).  I probably care more about that than she does though.

Jack has been living large.  He now has a new best friend in his Big Papa (name courtesy of Jack).

He continues to adore his Grammy and Aunt Kristen.  He has been able to play involved games of fireman/fire station (complete with fire dogs, a "life net," helmet, boots, a hose, and pretend fire truck).  His Big Papa arranged a tour of the fire station down the street where Jack got to climb in the engine and see where the firemen sleep. 

He's played golf, read books, gone to the beach, eaten contraband foods, and stayed up late. 

He's met his furry cousin Donaghy and seen Aunt Kristen sing onstage at play practice.

Tomorrow we fly home - all 5 of us.  The only downside to this week is that we miss Jacob.  He has been working on some surprises around the house, so I'm excited to see the changes.  Up next: Cora's baptism on Sunday and a cook out afterward.  Jack starts school on Monday, so hopefully he'll transition well from constant adult playmates to playing well with new friends!

An adventurous week!

Lots going on this past week!

Sweaty nap in car better than in hot house

!

Our AC went out last Friday.  By Sunday it was up to 90 degrees (inside that is) and we spent a creative Sunday out and about around town to escape the heat.  On Monday, Jacob went out of town and the temperature went up to 92 degrees.  I didn't think I had the sanity stores to make it through the night alone in the heat, so we Pricelined a hotel and spent a quiet night at the Courtyard by Marriott.  I thought I was game to come home the next day but after a day spent in every free air-conditioned place I could think of, the 94 degree inside heat had us back at the hotel.  As you can imagine, we are NOT happy with our installer but have our hands tied while we wait for the system (a complicated geothermal system) to be fixed.  The installer finally put a window unit in our bedroom on Wednesday, so with Jacob back in town, we all camped out there Wednesday night.  As of today, we are still waiting for it to be fixed!

On Thursday, I flew with Jack and Cora to South Carolina.  They did great on the flight (a direct flight to Charlotte) and we were happy to be reunited with Grammy.  In the past few days we have visited both great grandparents, gone to the beach with Aunt Kristen and Uncle William, gone to church, and had a "meet Cora/happy birthday Big Papa" lunch with extended family.

A pumper engine made out of sand

Pretty girl all dressed up for church

2 Month Update

Miss Cora is 2 months!  What's Cora like these days?  Well...

• Her nickname is Cora-bell.
• She weighed 14 lbs, 2 oz and was 23 1/4 inches at her 2 month apptmt.  That's a big girl!
• She has an AWESOME smile - it is a sweet, full-on, quiet smile and she pulls it out when she sees either her Mommy or her Daddy. 
• She has started making some "talking" noises - they are so quiet and sweet - little tiny coos and goos.
• She is gradually going longer between feedings - she went 8 days only waking once between 3/4 a.m.  The last two nights, not so much, but hopefully that was just a fluke.
• She is the easiest nurser!  She eats on one side only, takes about 5 minutes, and then is set for another 2-3 hours.  
• She spends most of the morning trying to sleep, but seems to always get woken up (hello Jack).  She then eventually conks out for a 2-4 hour nap late morning or early afternoon when I can get her in a quiet spot.
• She is very loved by the rest of us and we are all really enjoying having a baby in the house.

Jack

• I love potty-trained children!
• His hair grows crazy fast!  We are cutting it every 6 weeks, but he starts looking like he needs a cut after three.
• He is unpredictable these days!  95% of his interactions with Cora are sweet (rocking her chair when she cries, putting her paci back in, and hundreds of kisses), but I never know when the 5% is going to come out!  Little stressful!
• He is enamored, in love, passionate and all other similar words about fire trucks!  A visit to the fire station makes him positively giddy.  He spends hours building fire stations and making fire trucks out of LEGOS.  He plays fireman a lot and can do a mean fire engine siren.

Me

• I started cooking again last week and cooked 5 interesting meals in 8 days + a birthday cake + cookies.  Part of this was because we were on vacation, but I'm pretty proud of myself.  My favorites: NY Times chocolate chip cookie recipe, pork chop meal, and quinoa salad.

Jacob

• After many hours of studying, Jacob successfully passed both his finance and accounting courses.  Next up, "Finance 2" and Managing Change.
• We now have sweet olive trees, fig and lemon trees, blueberry and blackberry bushes, and some grape vines planted.

 Oh and are these not adorable???

Jack at 10 weeks

Cora at 8 weeks

Vacation, Vacation!

I'm a big fan of vacations :)  We so needed one too!  The last 8 weeks have been a whirlwind and it was time to get away, just us, and relax.  Fortunately, we were able to do this for a few days this past week.  We knew we wanted a beach, so we decided to try Gulf Shores.  We got a condo through Vrbo.com and packed (everything we owned into) our car and headed out late Wednesday.

We spent 3 nights at the Crystal Towers and it was perfect for us.  We had a nice ocean view, easy access to the beach, a great pool set-up, and a kitchen. 

So what is a vacation like for the Landrys these days?  Up at 6:15 each morning (Jack and Cora were aligned on this one), breakfast, out to the beach by 7:30, 3 full hours of sand castles, water play, and pool time before bringing the fair-skinned ones back inside.  Then LEGO play (we chose not to leave home without them), lunch, naptime (hallelujah!), and then more beach.  Naps meant Jacob and I also got to nap and finish books on this trip!  On Saturday, we were out of the condo by 10:30 but by that point had already spent several hours at the beach/pool.  You can be surprisingly efficient with your mornings with small children!

Vacation seemed like a good time to get back to cooking, but in a fun way.  We picked out some interesting recipes (lentil galettes and lemon/eggplant risotto) and brought all the ingredients with us. 

Lemon-Eggplant risotto - delicious, we will repeat this!

Watching a small child experience new things is such a precious and happy thing.   Jack had a blast on this trip and it was so much fun to watch.  It makes me tear up to see how much he loves to spend time with us (the feeling is mutual by the way) and it was so nice to have nothing else to distract us from just enjoying him.  Cora graciously took a backseat on this trip and let us focus on Jack.  This baby is a great sleeper and she either slept or was content to be held.  (I definitely appreciated the two parents: two children ratio - very convenient.)

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Cora asleep in the stroller

Jack's beach fashions

The LEGO fire trucks make a beach appearance

 

Classic Cora expression

Pretty girl gives great smiles these days!

Is this not the sweetest chunk of love?

A good vacation tires you out

Need a Stitch Fix?

In reading my friend Jessica's blog, I learned about Stitch Fix. The name is great.  Basically, when you feel the itch for new clothes, the company will mail you a package of 5 items selected based on a style profile you have completed.  You get to say what types of clothes you are looking for, describe your body type, and rate various outfits as to whether you love them, hate them, etc.

I loved the concept because I'm feeling both excited about the return of "my" body post-pregnancy and my usual inadequacy when it comes to style/fashion.  I'd love some help bringing new looks into my wardrobe!

So who is this a good fit for?  Someone who wants to buy new clothes and wants to be a little more adventurous.  You decide when you want a stitch fix and commit $20.  The items are then selected and sent to you.  If you don't like anything, you can choose to return all 5 items in the pre-paid shipping envelope and you'd be out the $20.  If you choose even one item, the $20 is applied toward the total of that item.  So again, if you are looking to purchase new clothes and are open to something new, then to me, this is a great arrangement!  (and all within the comfort of your home) :)

If you are interested in checking it out, use this link and I'll get a referral credit.

So how did it work out for me?  First, I got a lot of laughs filling out the style profile and affirming that yes, I'm not very stylish.  (It didn't say that, but it was easy to determine this myself!!)  I bet the company knows this too based on my "Any final comments?" remark about me being a nursing mother so easy access shirts/dresses being my priority. :) 

I kept this shirt.  I liked some of the other items but they were a little short for my mommy self :)

The shirt in action