a special thank you Amie Hansen

If you have read my blog for awhile especially after having Grayson you all know that I love pictures!

My sister Amie is a fabulous photographer {Amie Hansen Photography} and I REALLY wish she lived next door to me.  My favorite thing about my sister's work is that she captures a story with her images. 
I see this in all her work. 
It is just not portrait images of children and families smiling at the camera. 
It is moments of families together, it is first moments of baby newness, it is moments of mother's with their children, it is moments of dad's with their children, it is moments of fun and laughter from children, and it is moments of children being children. 
It is images and expressions to cherish for a life time!  I know when I look back on images that Amie has taken for me I remember that special day like it was yesterday.  

We had the privilege to have Amie take pictures of our family twice since Crew was born and we LOVE the moments she captured!
She created a story of a moment in time of Grayson:
his love for TRACTORS

She created newness when photographing Crew with all the tiny details

She captured special moments of me with my boys

 

Then there are images spent with family that I JUST LOVE!  These images are priceless to me.  Crew was just a few weeks old and my time was dedicated to him, but I was luck to have my sister along side us on Easter weekend and a trip to the Children's Museum to capture moments of our families interacting together.  

What I love about Amie's work is that she sees things differently and captures images that are beautiful.  

My experience with working with Amie as a photographer has been very rewarding.  Not just because she is my sister, but I have seen her work with other families and the memories she has created for them and I know first hand that those families are forever grateful for her time and talent as a photographer. 
She not only creates images for print, but she goes above and beyond with some sessions and creates slideshows of the images and storybooks. 
Create a story now with your family through photography you won't be disappointed! 

in one week

In one week we will have a two year old...

he looks so grown up in this picture and I can't believe my first baby is going to be TWO! 

I also see a lot of his cousins in him especially Aidan in this picture. 

Thanks Gigi, Auntie Mae, and Auntie JJ for the tractor!

He is in LOVE!!!!

Crew's 2 Month Well Visit

Crew had his 2 Month Well Visit this morning and I WAS so looking forward to this appointment!

I was looking forward to finally seeing our pediatrician vs other pediatrician's in the clinic.  Chad and I both really like the boys pediatrician and after today's appointment he made me feel so much better.  I addressed my concerns with Crew's reflux and how we are not getting sleep in our house and all he does is cry.  After discussing several options we have decided to try the following method first for three weeks to see if things change for Crew.  We are changing his medicine to Prevacid once a day and we are going to try doing the thickening medicine to a bottle of breastmilk for a night bottle and see if that helps! 

We discussed moving to formula, but for now we all agreed to try this and not rule out breastfeeding entirely.  I would really like to continue breastfeeding, but if things don't improve I will do what is best for our family. 

Chad and I are also going to discuss seeing a chiropractor for Crew.  I have heard from several of you that it works.  We want to see Crew happy and not in pain. 

Thanks for your comments, emails, tweets and prayers for little Crew!

Crew's 2 Month Well Visit Stats:

Weight: 10 pounds 2.5 ounces

Height:  21.25"

HC: 40cm

Here is Crew all stretched out at the doctor this morning

Crew looking at daddy



week 17 & 18 {frame a day}

Just catching up

Thanks for all the wonderful comments and emails on my last post I will update you all after our well visit on Tuesday.  I feel prepared with several questions and ideas thanks to all of you!

Have a great week!

Week 17

Week 18



{reconnecting}

I had a free moment where both boys are sleeping and thought that I would try to complete a blog post and say hi!

We are still here, I wish I had more time to blog, but honestly I am so worn out by the end of the day I just get what needs to get done done and go to bed.  Please tell me this all gets easier and I will be back to blogging... 

Crew is doing okay if you follow me on twitter or instagram you know that we have had a few tough weeks with Crew.

First he had a horrible cough that I ended up making three trips to the doctor to have them check him out.  We had two chest

X-Rays done and all was clear.  In the end it just took time to clear up.  It was exhausting for both Crew and I.  He was always waking up from the cough and was not getting much rest, which meant I didn't get much rest either.  Than there is the topic of his reflux and breastfeeding.  We have days where Crew eats every 3 hours during the day and some nights he will go any where from 4-6 hours between feedings.  But we do have several days where all Crew will do is eat every HOUR!  Those days are tough!  Then the topic of his reflux medicine I am thinking that it isn't doing it's job for Crew.  He spits up a lot, he often cries after he finishes nursing on one side.  When I know he is done nursing he cries because he wants to keep nursing, but I have learned my lesson several times if I let him nurse he will puke up everything.  So this will be the main topic of discussion at Crew's well visit on Tuesday!  I have had several wonderful friends and twitter friends give me wonderful advice and I am ready to speak my case to Dr S!

Crew is not a sleeper...he will sleep, but after each feeding day or night he stays up for 2 hours before going to sleep.  I don't mind it during the day, but at night it gets frustrating.  How do I change this?  I want to do the online Moms on Call, but I need to find time to devote to watching it and putting it in action.  I have heard WONDERFUL things about this program.  Right now it is tough because I am trying to balance a lot of things:

taking care of Crew and Grayson

spending quiet time and quality time with Chad

working a full time job

keeping our house clean and picked up because it is still for sale and over the past several weeks we have had a showing every week often two or three times in one week (I am ready to take it off the market and stay put!)

doing household duties (laundry, grocery shopping, paying bills etc)

Adding anything else to my priority list at this moment cannot happen...overwhelmed as it stands now!

I just keep telling myself that it is just a season and before I know it Crew will be ONE and Grayson will be almost THREE!

Speaking of Grayson he will be TWO in 12 days!

We have a fun party planned for Grayson and we are keeping it simple!  Grayson is so much FUN!  He loves to talk and tell me stories all day long.  He loves TRACTORS!  He wakes up and says tractor first thing EVERY morning.  All the way to school in the morning and on the way home he looks and talks about TRACTORS.  He has a little ride on TRACTOR at home and he rides that toy all around our house!  He is adorable and I love my little tractor loving boy!

As for the boys together Crew loves hearing and watching Grayson, he just stares at him.  I often wonder what Crew must be thinking...

Grayson has his moments with Crew where he LOVES him and wants to hold him all the time, but we do have days where Grayson hits him and tries to step on him.  The biggest challenge is when I am nursing Grayson either wants to sit basically on top of me or he is doing things in the house that he is not suppose to do.  For example he will try to pull on the lamp cords and pull them off the table or he will play in the curtains.  It is tough because I know that he doesn't understand what is going on and my time is not directed towards him.  I have tried several things such as a nursing basket with several fun things to do, but that didn't work.  The best thing that works for us right now is Grayson watching a movie, giving him a snack and milk and sitting on the couch next to me.  This way I can still interact with him by talking to him.  I keep telling him that soon Crew will be able to play with you and you will be the best of buddies.  

I am not going to say having two under two is easy because it isn't, but I love my two boys! 

Here is Grayson today playing with BIG TRUCKS!

It was a fun family day!

Crew turned 9 Weeks Old this past Friday...

slow down Crew you are growing too fast!

Okay I need to run and feed Crew and go to bed!