Hannah's Half Birthday!

Hard to believe that Hannah is half way to her first birthday.  Where has the time gone???

At 6 months Hannah weighs 15lbs 8oz. 

As you can see by the orange on Hannah's nose, we tried sweet potatoes tonight for dinner.  Yummy!

Hannah loves to put anything and everything in her mouth at this age.  She loves to giggle, pull her mommy's hair, and grab at her brother's face. 

Anytime her toes are out they are in her mouth!!

Hannah's current routine at 6 months is:  Wake up around 6:30am, breastfeed, get changed and out the door to the sitter by 7:15am.  She takes three 6oz bottles at the sitter, rice cereal at lunch, and takes 2 two hour naps.  Home by 5:30pm to eat more rice cereal or whatever new baby food we try (so far we have only tried peaches and sweet potatoes), bath every other night around 6:30pm, breastfeed and to bed by 7:30.  Lately she wakes up at midnight and 4am.  Depending on what kind of state mommy is in I either try and plug her or I'll just give in and breastfeed her as I know that will put her right back to sleep. 

Here is Mr. Man at 6 months.  His legs are definitely chubbier than Hannah's!

We have also noticed that Hannah has more hair than Henry did, which isn't hard since Henry was completely bald until just a few months ago.  Also, the hair she has is coming in a little darker than Henry's.  Henry has bright blue eyes and Hannah has hazel.  Hannah's face is more round where Henry's is oval.  They still look very similar - but they definitely have their own distinct beautiful features!!

Happy Half Birthday Hannah!!

Henry's New Trick - Eating Snow

After this weekends fluffy snow quit falling Henry had to go out and play in it.  Grandma Deaner took him outside for a good 30 minutes on Sunday.  He loves being outside no matter what the conditions are!!

Happy boy with his Herkey hat that Aunt Heidi bought for him last year - it now finally fits!

Grandma Deaner was also nice enough to teach him a new trick.  Eating snow!  She made sure to tell him not to eat any yellow snow though...  He then packed the snow into a bucket and brought it inside to show me his new trick. 

My little bundle of joy.

I'm 2!!

Video post of Henry (A) in his sisters jumperoo and (B) still holding onto both of his new tractors for dear life.  

Henry is a typical two year old and will make sure and tell you whenever he can.  He loves to yell to people 'I'm 2!!'.  I caught it on camera last night. 

Christmas at the Salwey's Part Dos

Friday night we got back to our house from Carroll just in time for church.  We unpacked the car, dressed up for church, came home and opened presents, then went right to bed.  Christmas morning we woke up in time to repack and get back on the road.  It was special that we got to spend Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning at home as our own little family.  A tradition I can get used to.   



When we got to Shueyville Christmas morning we were greeting by Great Aunt Missy, Great Grandma Marilyn and Great Uncle Jay.  It was so great we all got to be together!!  We had not seen them since Danielle's wedding - so the kids had grown leaps and bounds since then. 



Christmas night we spent playing a new dance Wii game my parents got.  It is tradition each year to get a new game and we all have to play.  Well this year we could not get the boys to play along....  Hannah is memorized by Brianna's crazy dance moves!

The boys played pool and darts while the girls played the Wii dance game.  See the rocking horse in the back of the room??  That was the horse that all three of us girls played on when we were little and now Henry can't get enough of it!

Grandma Deaner and I playing the dance duo!  Hannah in the background after Brianna's beer...

Grandma and the kiddos. 

Salwey family picture 2010!!  Even Brian #2 made the picture!!

Henry loves taking 'camel' and 'horse' rides.  For some reason when I give him a ride it is a camel ride, but when you ask him what Grandma is he says 'Horse!'.  This kid is hilarious.  Even Hannah got in on this horsey ride.

After our big meal we opened up presents.  Hannah got her first girly book from Auntie Bri.

Henry got a new Thomas the Train set!!  He was so excited he started jumping up and down yelling 'YAY!'.

Henry playing with Brian in his new tunnel tent combo. 

So many new toys!!  Once we got home on Monday it took Andy and I two and a half hours to unload the car, unpack all the bags and toys, and find places for everything.  Thank goodness for our huge play area downstairs....

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

Christmas at the Schmidts

Last Thursday we packed up the car and headed to Carroll to celebrate Christmas with the Schmidt side of the family.  When we got there cousins Bennett and Camron were waiting for Henry.  They had so much fun playing all day long. 

Henry and Bennett helping Aunt Heidi make the holiday punch.

Hannah sitting on Grandpa Dale's lap.  She got her beautiful hazel eyes from her Grandpa Dale.

All dressed up ready to open presents!!  (lasted in this dress for approximately 2 minutes - we then changed into much more comfortable clothes).

The crew waiting for Bennett the elf to hand out presents.

Hannah received her very first baby doll from her Grandma Deb!  After three grandson's Deb was ready to finally buy a doll.

Henry playing with Bennett and Camron's light saver sword thingys...

This is Fred - the infamous kitty cat.  Henry loves trying to find Fred every time we are in Carroll.  Fred is not a big fan of kids, so is pretty good at hiding most of the time we are there - but once in awhile he will make an appearance and Henry loves every second.

Another funny Henry story.  He refers to both Bennett and Camron as 'Bennett'.  He hasn't figured out they have two different names yet.  On Friday Camron looked at me and said 'Carissa - why does Henry not know my name??  Why does he always call me Bennett??'  It was too funny.  Henry loved to copy everything both boys did.  It was so fun to watch them run around after each other.

Playing with Grandma Christmas Eve morning.  Henry loves to make ice cream cones and Hannah loved to eat them.

My favorite picture of all.  Henry was so exhausted that he fell asleep within the first two minutes on the drive home.  And notice - his new toy tractors did not leave his grasp!!  He has continued to sleep with his tractors since he got them.

What a great way to spend the first couple days of Christmas break. It is crazy how fast these kids grow up. 

Roller Caught on Tape

Now that I have this great new toy I'm trying to catch on video as many of Hannah's milestones as possible.  Here she is moving around like crazy flipping from her back to stomach.  Once she gets to her tummy she isn't too happy...she hasn't figured out how to flip back to her back yet. 

Hannah is 6 months old today!!  Happy half birthday little girl!

Christmas at the Salwey's

We spent the past three days in Shueyville with the Salwey side of the family.  On Saturday Andy and I arrived with the kids bright and early.  My Grandma, Aunt Melissa, and Uncle Jason were all there, as well as my sisters, their significant others and parents. 

Mom prepared our big Christmas meal tradition of prime rib roast for a late lunch.  Henry napped while we played Wii and anxiously awaited his awakening to open presents.  Once the present dealing began the room shrunk in size.  So many presents everywhere!!  It was so fun to watch everyone open up their gifts - but honestly it was pretty much the Henry show.  He loved opening presents and continues to talk about it today.  We continued to remind him that Christmas was about Baby Jesus' birthday...but I don't think he really understood quite yet.  Maybe next year. 

My parents got us the Flip Video for Christmas.  I am testing it out now.  So far it seems to work so well.  What a great gift!!

Here is Hannah opening her Christmas presents on Grandma's lap.  Henry was so overwhelmed by all his presents.  It was so fun watching him go from present to present.  The excitement in his eyes when he would open each present was priceless. 

We had such a great time over the Christmas Holiday.  Such a bummer it is back to work tomorrow...

Christmas Eve Traditions

We got back from a great trip to Carroll just in time to get the kids ready for 5pm church.  I was so excited to dress Hannah up in one of her many Christmas dresses. 

So pretty in her green velvet dress!

Henry and Hannah.  As you can see Henry has not let the two tractors Grandma and Grandpa Schmidt got him for Christmas leave his hands yet. 

After we got home from church we opened all the presents under our tree.  Henry got more tractors, pjs with trucks on them, and a new train.  He loved opening presents so much that he opened everyone's presents for them!

Here Henry is helping Hannah open her present.  He is oh so helpful:)

We ended the night by reading the Christmas Story (Luke Chapter 2).  A Christmas Eve tradition we plan to continue.  

Merry Christmas Eve to everyone! 

Science Center of Iowa

On Saturday morning we were feeling ambitious and decided to take the kids downtown to the Science Center of Iowa.  The last time we visited the Science Center Henry was less than a year old.  So I knew this time around would be much more fun and interactive.   

They have a room called 'Little Discoveries'.  There are several stations set up for toddlers.  There is a bubble station, grocery store, ramp to run up and down, and a golf ball station.  It took Henry about five minutes to warm up, but once he got comfortable we couldn't stop him from running around. 

We ended up staying close to three hours since Henry was having such a great time and Hannah was being perfect as always.  This is definitely a place we will revisit again and again.  And next time I will bring my camera.

Tower Building

This afternoon Brianna and Brian came over to spend time with the kids.  Henry's new obsession is building very tall towers with his Lego's.  Him and Brian built the 'coolest' towers for a good two hours this afternoon (thank you Brian for your patience).  Henry wouldn't leave his side all afternoon and did not want him to leave this evening.

Henry is still learning how to share his toys.  Each time Hannah would grab one of his Lego's he would yell 'No Hannah!' and grab it out of her hand.  This is just the beginning I am sure. 

What a great Sunday afternoon.  

Sitting Beauty

Over the past few weeks Hannah has started sitting on her own for a few seconds at a time.  Each day she gets better and better.  Today while Henry was napping (since he likes to push her over when she sits) I set up the pillows in the living room around her and let her practice her new skill for a good 10 minutes.  The flower toy sitting in front of her is the perfect toy for this stage. 

It won't be long before she won't need any pillows around her.  This girl catches on quick! 

No Silly

Henry's new favorite phrase is 'No Silly'.  I just asked him to come and sit on the couch next to me and eat our banana shakes daddy made us.  He looked at me and said 'No Silly'.  He is turning into such a big boy. 

Crib Climber

Henry can now climb out of both sides of his crib.  So we will be turning his crib back into a toddler bed today.  Hopefully it goes a lot better this time around!!

No Swaddle a Success!!

I am happy to report that Hannah has slept the past two nights without her swaddle blanket!! 

She is getting so big and strong that she has been breaking out of her swaddle blanket numerous times at night waking everyone up.  And since neither kid has been sleeping that well the past week I decided it was the perfect time.

Two nights ago we put her to bed sans swaddle.  She woke up every two hours crying.  I went in and gave her the paci and rubbed her belly and she went right back to sleep.  I never fed her either, which was the first night for that as well.  She went from 10pm - 7am without eating - a huge stretch for her!!   

Last night was even more of a success.  She slept from 10pm - 5am with no wakings at all!!  Not even a peep!!  Praise the Lord!

Last night Henry slept all night too.  Could we be turning the corner for the better??

The Hardest Job in the World

I will say it again and again....being a mom is the hardest job in the world.  My 8-5 job is a piece of cake compared to parenthood. 

The past few weeks have been a struggle for us.  Henry has clearly reached his terrible two's, and with Hannah's sleep patterns not improving, it has really been stressful lately.  It seems that Henry is always doing something he shouldn't.  Examples are throwing his trains at his sister, opening and playing in the knife drawer, pulling the breakable decorations off the tree and throwing them, not wanting his diaper or clothes changed.  When we tell him he can't play with something he isn't supposed to he throws an absolute fit.  He throws his entire body on the floor followed by crashing his head on the ground.  I know he does it just to see our reaction.  I try to ignore it like they say to do - but it is so hard!!  I hate that we are always punishing him, but if we let him get away with whatever he wants all the time he will know who the boss is real quick - and know it isn't mommy. 

Another thing that has made parenthood very difficult is that Henry will not let Andy even touch him.  All he says is, let me rephrase that, all he screams is 'NO MOMMY DO IT!!'.  He won't even let Andy take him out of his crib in the mornings anymore.  All Andy wants to do is help, but Henry won't allow it.  So this has only added to the challenge.  Soon this will change and Henry will think his daddy is way cooler than his mommy - but it has really made caring for the two kids hard!

The past two nights have been better.  My approach has been a little different.  I have been more calm with my tone, and when he does something he shouldn't I don't make that big of a deal out of it.  I also may be letting him get by with a little more too...but he has been a lot happier. 

Luckily Hannah is a great baby.  As long as she is fed and changed she just sits back and watches the Henry show.  Hopefully she doesn't remember too much of what he is teaching her at this young age.  I am hoping Hannah is much easier when she reaches her terrible two's.  If not, it may just be the Schmidt family of four forever.

Rice Cereal

We finally tried rice cereal with Hannah and it was such a success!!  She is such a pro and was definitely ready.  I was so impressed with how well she did.  The first time we tried feeding Henry rice cereal I don't think he got any down - he pushed it all out of his mouth with his tongue since he didn't know what to do with it.  Not this girl.  She knew just what to do with the food!  She did push some out with her tongue at first, but really caught on fast. 

Of course Henry had to help.  'Me do it mommy' is all he says these days.  So he was very helpful shoving the spoon in Hannah's mouth. 

'Cheese'!!

This is a huge milestone in Hannah's life.  She doesn't solely rely on me anymore to keep her growing.  It is pretty amazing that she is how big she is just from breast milk these first few months.  Very powerful stuff!!  That also means I soon will only have to pump two times each day at work instead of three - something I am really looking forward to!

Mr. Moose at Santa's Workshop

Last week we made our annual trip to see Santa.  Last year Henry sat great on Santa's lap.  This year was a different story.  Henry refused to sit anywhere close to Santa without mommy right there.  So mommy sat on Santa's lap with Henry on my lap.  It was pretty humorous.

Unfortunately I covered up Mr. Moose.  Which is actually a reindeer.  Last year I sent out the below picture of Henry with Santa and titled it 'Mr. Moose' thinking the reindeer behind him was a moose.  Oops!

Henry with Santa in 2009.

Henry checking out the big fish in the Bass Pro fish tank while Andy shopped around.

Henry loved playing with the train at Santa's Workshop.  He was able to make it start and stop all by himself!

Sleep....Who Needs It???

Last night Hannah woke up at 11:30pm, 2:30am, 4:30am and 5:30am.  Not sure what has gotten into her, but her sleeping patterns are not improving like they should be!!  I fed her at 11:30pm, then plugged her at 2:30am and 4:30am, then fed her at 5:30am. 

I am so very thankful for every minute I get to spend with this little baby girl...but four times at night??  Last night was out of the norm.  But she is still waking up twice at night.  She used to only get up around 3am to eat, but now she has thrown in a 12:30am feeding.  Yes, I am sure she is growing - but a two month growth spurt?? 

As I have said before...this too shall pass.  But I am ready to get more than three hours of sleep in a row!!  People always ask how I do it.  I honestly think that there is a super power that comes along with being a mom.  It allows you to stay up all night with your baby, come to work and be productive for 8 hours, then come home to chase around a 2 year old, and then do it all over again. 

Would I do it all over again...of course...but not after a couple years of solid sleep!!

50 and Fabulous

My mom turned the big 5-0 today.  We threw her a big birthday bash last night in our hometown of Shueyville.  It was such a great time! 

Birthday girl herself!! 

We couldn't remember the last time it was just the five of us in a picture.  There have been several (great) additions since.

Grandma Deaner with her two grandbabies.

I had to throw this picture in - can you believe we got a picture with both kids smiling??? 

Life size Jenga game that we had a blast playing.

Three sisters.

Danielle trying to explain to my mom how to take her birthday shot. 

Mom and Dad.

My mom has taught me so many things - but most importantly I am the mother I am today because of her. Thank you mom for a lifetime of lessons and raising me to be the strong woman I am today.

Happy 50th Birthday Mom! 

5 Months Old

My little princess turns 5 months old today!!  She continues to be the happiest baby ever. 

Always smiling. 

She is really getting good with her hands.  Always grabbing toys.  She loves to watch her brother - she never lets him leave her sight!

Her eyes continue to change each day.  Some days they are green, some days blue,

but most days they are hazel.  So pretty!

When we took her to the Dr. two weeks ago she weighed in at 14 lbs 2 oz.

She never stops moving her legs!!

This is the part where I usually post Henry's pictures - but I can't find his 5 month pics!!  So we will skip that part this month.