Spring is here...

...and then some days it still feels like winter. Such is Ohio. However, unlike most Ohio springs, the sun has been out shining most days and it's a great help in coping with the wintertime depression that sets in about now.

Anyway, today was a decent day and we took the girls to the playground. We had a great time and I really can't wait to go back! Emma was a little hesitant at first with the slides, which was totally weird for her since she LOVES slides. She soon warmed up and of course we couldn't get her off of them after that!

Maggie had her first ride on a swing and she absolutely loved it. She had a blast. So much so, she was cracking up!

Here are lots of pictures because I can't just pick a few...enjoy!

oh, and here's a couple pics because I just think this is neat:

Emma

Maggie

Just a quickie...or is it quicky...quickey -- oh hell, now they all look silly!!!

I just have a few pics to update with...not much is going on. The only new updates on the girls are Maggie has her first tooth and we've registered Emma in preschool for next September!

Ryan and I are doing well...we all can't wait for warmer weather so we can go outside and play!!!

So here are some pics:


Emma chillin' in the laundry basket watchin' some Thomas & Friends...

She asked me to put her hat on....so there she stands, playing on the computer with only a sweatshirt on, a hat, and no pants:

You can't see it in this picture, but Maggie has her very first tooth!! It's barely showing in this pic...if at all...I'm not sure I see it, but I thought I took this picture for that reason...

Emma's crazy static head on the couch....

The girls interacting!!! It doesn't happen often, so I try to capture every and any moment I can!

****** edited to add another little bit of info:

Emma can now read the words yes, no, cat, egg and Emma!!!

Thank you, Michelle!

I came home today to a message on my answering machine from a very dear friend of mine, Michelle. Unfortunately, we don't talk often at all, so to hear her voice was quite a surprise. So I call back immediately to find out what's up only to get grief for not having updated this blog in so long!!! So here I am, I've made it a point to sit down and keep my promise to Michelle to update our blog tonight.

We've got a lot of catching up to do!

In my last post Maggie was 2 1/2 months, she's now 5 months (as of this past Sunday) and still growing like crazy.

At her 4-month well check she was still of the charts weighing in at 18 lbs. 8 ozs., and she was 25.5 inches. I'm still nursing her and we've added some cereal to her daily menu as well as some vegetables. She LOVES to eat!

She's just started to sit independently and is in the process of mastering the art. She still sits with a pillow behind her in case of accidental tipping, but for the most part does rather well at catching herself if she starts to lean. She has mastered rolling back to front and has since made diaper changes very challenging!

Emma still amazes us with something new every day. She's so so smart, I can't get over it! She's still very much into playing on the computer, and for Christmas Santa got her a Smart Cycle, so she spends a lot of time between the two. When she's not playing those two things, she's playing with her trains, or cars, or tools (she got a Handy Manny tool set for Christmas). She's definitely not a girly girl; however, she does like to put on makeup with Mommy, so she's not ALL tomboy either ;) Her words and phrases crack me up daily. She uses 'fillers' in between words...it's like she needs to still make noise even though her brain is looking for the right word to use. If she wants Ryan to help her play with the Smart Cycle it's, "Daddy eeeeee bike eeeeeeeee please?" She knows her entire alphabet, upper and lower case, numbers 1 through 20 (although when she recites her numbers, all her 'teens' sound the same; we just found out she knows what the numbers actually are, though), she knows all her shapes including half-circle, crescent, hexagon, pentagon, octagon, and my favorite trapezoid ("da-daweeed"). When we're in the car going somewhere she calls out triangle or trapezoid depending on the shapes of the houses we pass. And one more thing to brag about: She knows how to read the words "yes" and "no".

Before I end this, I'll add that for Christmas I received Photoshop from my mom and dad, and although I don't have tons of time to learn everything the complex program can do, I have learned a couple tricks. Here are some before and afters.

I'll update again soon!! (NOT two months from now considering I know there are some who check this blog regularly) And I'll post more pictures....it's late now, time for bed!

Again, thanks Michelle for kickin' my butt into gear!

Well, good grief!

It's been two months since my last post!!! I'm sure whoever reads my blog, though, can understand my time is now FULLY occupied by my two angels. As I'm writing this, Emma is upstairs napping and Maggie is sitting next to me in her "fishy chair" shooting me the biggest smiles ever...believe me, it's hard to concentrate with this right next to me!

Trying to catch up will be difficult since so much has happened in the last two months. The girls are both doing great! Maggie is healthy and happy and is growing like crazy! She's 2 and a half months now. At her 2-month checkup she was off the chart weighing in at 14 lbs. 6 ozs., and in the 90th percentile in height at 23.5 inches! Emma, actually, was 13 lbs. 6 ozs. at her 2-month, so exactly one-pound difference! Maggie is "talking" (okay, cooing) up a storm. I think she's going to be a little talker early on. She holds her head up like a champ and can hold herself up rather well when laying on her tummy. She rolls from front to back, but I consider that kind of cheating, though, since she kind of falls over anyway. Most consider it rolling, so I'll take the bragging rights. When she rolls from back to front, though, watch out!

Emma's new obsession (among others) is playing on the computer. She's mastered using the mouse and plays all kinds of games by herself on the Playhouse Disney and Noggin websites. We also picked up a Blue's Clues game to load onto the computer for when the internet is acting up. There's no telling a two-year-old that the router's not working too well today.

Our Thanksgiving was really really nice. We were able to see some of Ryan's family who we don't get to see too often; and although Marshall and Annette's house was crowded, it was really great having everyone together. I love the family I've married into! We also went to my mom and dad's, which it's just us, them and Grandpa...very low-key in comparison, but still great!

I can't wait for Christmas. What a totally different feeling there is this time of year when you have kids to celebrate with/for. Although Emma still isn't quite understanding of it all, it's still fun. I can't imagine what it'll be like next year when she has full understanding. I can't wait to bake cookies for Santa (and then stay up to eat them)!

Here are a couple more recent pictures....I'll try to post right after Christmas, if not sooner!! Everyone have a safe and happy holiday season!

Luckiest parents on the block...so far!

We're coming up on four weeks since Maggie's birth, and things are going beautifully. Maybe it's that we're more confident this time around since we've done this all before, we know what to expect (for the most part) or maybe it's that we're just plain lucky. Whatever it is, I hope it continues!


Maggie is still an AWESOME nurser, and has even had a few bottles and made easy transitions between bottle and breast. She is a hungry girl, that's for sure!! She, like her sister, doesn't like to mess around when she's hungry. It's "FEED ME NOW" or pay the consequences ;)


She had her two-week checkup with her pediatrician last Tuesday. She weighs 10 lbs. 10 ozs. now and her doctor says she looks wonderful. See for yourselves:







Emma is still adjusting to the new addition. I think she finally realizes that this baby isn't going anywhere. She hasn't acted out at all, but she sometimes gets a little "clingy" with me. She helps with diaper changes in that she puts diaper cream on baby's belly (it's so cute), and she'll give baby her "bink" when she's crying. She'll give kisses to Maggie and tell her she loves her, but only at our request. She's doing good, though. It could be a lot worse, I'm sure!!






Days alone with the two girls have gone a lot better than I could have ever anticipated. I was so worried about sharing my time between a newborn who is very demanding and a toddler who, although is independent at times, is also very demanding. I have to admit, the Disney channel and Noggin have played a good part in time management, and I really feel guilty about that, but at least the TV Em is watching is educational and I do get some good one-on-one time while Maggie is sleeping.


I have yet to journey out with the two of them by myself. Emma can be a little bit of a handful to say the least. She hates sitting in shopping carts, and sometimes holding hands isn't her cup of tea either. That behavior is usually only with Ryan, but I'm still not ready to take that chance.


Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Home sweet home!

Maggie in her homecoming dress

We got home Wednesday afternoon and things have been great!! Shortly after we got home, though, Maggie had this crying fit and we didn't know what was wrong. Ryan and I both thought, "great, she was perfect in the hospital and now that we're home, she's going to be a nightmare child!" We realized, though, that we never got a good burp out of her after her last feeding at the hospital. We got a couple good belches out of her and all was well....and has been since. We are having such an easy, wonderful time breastfeeding; I couldn't be happier. The past two nights at home have been fairly easy, too. Last night she had a hard time falling asleep, but as soon as she did (around 3:00) she slept until 7! Same with the night previous. She woke up to eat around 2:30-ish, and then slept until 7.





I'm still a little sore, obviously, but ibuprofen has been taking the edge off pretty good. I really pulled some muscles in my back while pushing and that's my biggest complaint.





Emma's been doing really well, too. She doesn't pay too much attention to Maggie, but I'd rather have no reaction than a negative one! She's really fascinated by her nursing, she just stares and tries to understand what in the world that baby is doing to her mommy! She finally said "Maggie" this morning (and not while watching "Maggie and the Ferocious Beast"), and she's touched Maggie's forehead a couple times. Oh, and she brushed her hair last night!! I worry about handling the two of them on my own, but I think once I feel "back to normal" or at least can walk without pain, I'll be all right. I think that's the worst part with Emma; the fact that I can't play with her not because I have to tend to Maggie, but because I can't move too well yet. We'll get over that hurdle, though, soon.





I do feel a lot better now than I did at this same time after having Emma. I think I'm just thrilled to not be pregnant anymore, so these pains and nuisances that I endure right now are nothing ;) Ryan is really really great at taking care of us, too, and I'm going to be really sad on Monday when he has to go back to work. I have our moms, though, to help us out so I'm set!





Well, time to grab a quick shower before Mags's lunchtime!!!

She's FINALLY here!!

This will be just a quick post until I get more sleep and feel like posting more details:

Maggie Lee Hamric was born at 10:14 p.m. on September 15, 2008.

She weighs (get this) 9 lbs. 15.2 ozs., and is 22 inches long. She is a healthy, happy baby and is doing great!! I'm feeling pretty darn good myself. I didn't tear at all and we are all still in total shock that I pushed out a 10 lb. baby in 10 minutes!!! (after nearly 19 hours of labor, though!)

Here are a couple pics....