THE BEACH, IN NOVEMBER

Today is November 1st and we went to the beach. It was 72 degrees with a perfectly sunny sky. Days like this are the reason I love living in California. These are the days that keep me happy when I miss my family and Boston.
We went to Seacliff State Beach in Aptos. This was Lydia's first trip to the beach and I must say, she really, really loved it! My little (very daring) water bug, Brooklyn of course loved it too. She raced in and out of the waves for a solid hour and a half. I have never seen a toddler love the beach and water more than her. It makes me wonder how Lydia will feel when she starts to run around.
I was pretty nervous to bring two babies to the beach alone. Everything was perfect until right before we left. I had to drunk Brooklyn in the water to wash her off then attempt to change her, as I did this she screamed for the crackers she saw Ty eating, Lydia had a blow out and was screaming to eat as well. Lucky for me, my awesome friend Carrie came to the rescue to rock Lydia while I dealt with Brooklyn. Next summer with two running toddlers is going to be a challenge but for now I am game to take these two to the beach any day. 

^^Big sister/ little sister.

Closest thing we are getting to a smile lately. {sigh}

^^My baby's foot steps. Precious

^^Lydia's first time at the beach! We didn't have any swim suits her small size. :-/

^^This was our day. Lydia in the baby carrier, Brooklyn dashing in and out of the water,  Mom rescuing her  each time the waves carried her away.

^^My very favorite part of the day. Brooklyn spotted this seagull stealing her bag of veggie sticks from our bag. She pointed and started screaming, "No! No!" over and over again as she chased him down. This was a 3+ minute chase. She persisted until the seagull dropped the bag and she recovered the snack.  I could not have been more proud in that moment. Love this girl and her fierce determination, (and her love of food). 

LYDIA IS ONE MONTH

Our little Lydia is ONE MONTH old! She is such the apple of our eye it is totally crazy. I had a lot of anxiety prior to her being born that I wouldn't be able to love her the same way or as much as Brooklyn. Boy was I ever wrong....

At her two week appointment she had gained all her birth weight back and was up to 8 pounds again. We just switched her from NB diapers (which fit up to 10 pounds) to size 1 so I'm guessing she is close to the 10 pounds now. She is waking up every 2.5-3 hours to eat during the night. However we have had two nights with a 6 hour stretch! She is a very quite sleeper, which is awesome. Brooklyn use to squeak and squeal like a pig so the silence is music to our ears.  She is still very, very sleepy during the day. Her head/neck strength is getting a lot stronger in the last few days. She does not like tummy time much and will last for only a few minutes. She looks like she is on the edge of doing her first roll but isn't there yet. She virtually never, ever cries. I actually sometimes yearn to hear that sweet newborn cry. She is a great self soother and will suck on her hand or fingers. She will be moving into Brooklyn's old her own big girl crib once my sister leaves next week! Brooklyn will be transitioning into a twin bed at 15 months {Lord, help us!}. We call Lydia our little broken bird because of her small cough and twisted foot. The poor little thing is always chocking when she nurses. After she gasps for air and then does this little sad cough. It always makes us nervous and scared, something we will continue to monitor. As for her foot, it was twisted outwards while in the womb. It takes several months to correct itself so we are watching that too. She really is just the sweetest girl around. She is dainty, cuddly and totally girly. 

Happy one month, baby Lydia. We love you! 

GILROY GARDENS WITH THE KIDDOS

My three favorite step kiddos came into town to visit their new baby sister. They were all really excited to meet Lydia but even happier to see Brooklyn and all her new tricks. She has perfected saying Brielle and Drew. Sawyer is a little harder but we are working on it. This was a short trip because new mama wasn't feeling well enough to host three extra kids for a full week. We did some swimming, going out to eat, Gilroy Gardens, cousin's birthday party, hanging out and church. 

Gilroy Gardens is the greatest place for kids ages 1-11. From Brooklyn to Brielle everyone had an absolute blast. There were only a few rides Brooklyn and Drew were not tall enough for but they were awesome and peacefully waited while the others did the ride. I couldn't get too many pictures because most of the rides are set back behind trees. I am not complaining because this is the beauty of Gilroy Gardens; it is actually set inside a garden!

I love seeing all of my little ones together. Such a great trip, as always. 

^^I love all five little people in this picture. Brooklyn had just woken up, can you tell? She was dazed out just enough to hold Lydia in the perfect baby pose.

^^Rob clearly had the best time on this ride. He begged to go again! Of course mom said yes. :)

^^Our family of SEVEN. Makes me feel at home, except a little luckier with three girls and two boys. 

^^ Look at that beautiful double stroller.. Mmmm, just love it!  

^^This is what riding a carousel with two kids under a year and a half, plus keeping an eye on a six year old looks like.... little fuzzy, little blurry. 

^^I am obsessed with the relationship these two have. Such little buddies. 

^^Happy 18th Birthday to Chase! 

MOMS ARE THE BEST

After having a baby you are sore, sleep deprived and just in a general state of miserable-ness. Meals from the church and visits from friends are oh so nice but can only go so far. What every girl needs is a TV watching partner, a best friend to gossip with, a maid to clean her house, a nanny that on demand takes the baby and a chef that will fix unlimited meals for the several times you change your mind on what you feel like eating. The best thing about hired help is you can boss them around (a little) and you don't have to feel bad. Of course we aren't all celebrities, fortunately for us there is one person who can do all of these things, and better than anyone we could ever hire. That person is our mom. 

For me, my mom has been just what the doctor ordered after the birth of both my daughters. She somehow knows exactly what I need and when I need it.

Because we do live so far when we do get together its always the very best time. My mom came out for a week and a half to visit and help with Lydia a week after she was born. 

I was still am so sleep derived I didn't take my usual million pictures. It was awesome to have her here to take Brooklyn on a walk and to the park every morning while I got some sleep. Other than that daily ritual we spent hours watching home improvements shows and planning our dream homes, we did some shopping and errands, decorated and organized Brooklyn and Lydia's rooms, did a lot of eating out, got ice cream and cupcakes, visited with the in-laws, sister/brother-in-law and the cousins, went swimming, and picked pumpkins to name a few things.

This goodbye wasn't as sad as usual. 

We will be reunited at Thanksgiving and again at Christmas this year!

^^First time meeting! Lydia needed a minute to warm up to her grammy 

^^She is now rocking the glasses because she is a grandma!

^^Sprinkles cupcakes= heaven. 

^^This is what Brooklyn looks like when grammy brings her for ice cream. 

^^My girls are so lucky to have grandmas that love them the way these two do. 

^^Trying to control the wild woman. Look at Lydia's broken neck. 

^^From our day picking pumpkins. 

^^Brooklyn matches my mom and Lydia matches me. Love. 

^^Good bye mom! Until next month...