July-August

Keeping to our usual lifestyle, taking the kids out to eat for lunch on a Tuesday.  Alex and I love our Tuesdays together, somewhat makes up for the every other weekend he is working.

I wanted to hit up the Once Upon a Child grab bag sale but Alex was working.  I took both kids.  Nolan was beyond entertained with this toy and sat in that cart for almost 2 hours!  I wore (and nursed) Stella in the Ergo.  I got over $300 worth of stuff for $15!!  

Afterwards it was Noodles for Ashley's birthday lunch.  I brought both kids and Stella smiled like a little angel the whole time.  Nolan was a good boy even when he went table to table knocking of table tents, he also put them back.  Days like today, they make me feel like I can do ANYTHING as a mom of 2.

She is just so darn happy and easy to make her smile!

The following day was Kinley's baptism.  Alex was still working so I took the 2 by myself.  Though I had friends help, it was incredibly difficult.  Nolan cried, yelled, and was just a plain stinker the whole time.  Stella slept through mass.  Then I nursed her like normal right after (while Ashley ran laps around the pew with Nolan as her little Emily sat

angelically with her daddy. Then came picture time.  Nolan decided to take off behind the alter.  Ellie caught him and then Stella decided to be all sorts of upset.  Phew my kids were hot messes!  Then we went to lunch at the Hennigs where Nolan refused to leave the sandbox alone even with Tyler sitting on it....and then at lunch time stole Mady's food right off her plate.  Nolan and Maverick decided to to sit in the car even though it was covered in plywood (and then they got mad when they bumped their heads).  Ellie was taking pictures and got some pretty good ones considering, but Nolan has a new style of posing for pictures (hiding his eyes).  Finally, it was nap time and we bailed.  It is days like today that makes me feel like I can not do ANYTHING right as a mom of 2.

Little Miss Stella is outgrowing her bassinet, quickly!  Woke up and she was turned sideways.  I laughed and took a picture...then she propped her legs up....what a stinker!








Slowly (VERY SLOWLY) Nolan is getting better at holding, being with, and not crying and rolling away when we put Stella by him.  Mikey was on and as long as I wasn't blocking it I was doing ok.

Nolan is quite the goof and he may get much of his acrobatic skills from his mommy.  This is how he watches Mickey Mouse.....

  My dad and brother visiting from South Carolina.  We haven't seen my dad since he met Nolan a year and a half ago, and we haven't seen my brother Nate since our wedding 5 years ago.  It was so nice to see them and totally surreal seeing them hold my babies!  We took the kids swimming in the same pool we swam in every time my dad visited.  It was really great to see them and build more memories in the same hotel!

All 3 of his grandkids

All the Chew boys

ur attempt at a family photo

On Sunday July 24, 2016, sweet Stella Rose was baptized into the Catholic Church at St. John Church in Little Chute.  Nolan did great through mass and spent most of the baptism running in the gathering space.  He greeted the entire congregation with a HIIIIIIII when he came in.  Took an adorable family photo and was off again.  Photos following the baptism weren't so hot....but we still managed to get a couple good ones.

Great-Grandparents









Our family photos keep getting bigger and bigger!

Look how different these 2 look!  Nolan's baptism was 1 week after 2 months and Stellas was 1 week before.

We went to Packer Training camp on the Tuesday!  We had a lot of fun and it went really well with the 2 kids!  So glad we can share daddy's passion for the packers with our kids!  Nolan also adorably helps push the stroller and wanted to hold mommy's hand while helping too!

 

 

We took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese in Green Bay for lunch following training camp.  Nolan was in heaven and just running in circles the first 15 minutes just looking at everything!  In our time there he tried about all the rides. He learned how to put the tokens into the machines, pull out tickets, and rode the merry-go-round about 15 times.  He didn't mind seeing Chuck-E-Cheese live, but taking a picture he still liked a little distance (though high fives are still ok).  Also, Nolan eats pizza but from the top down. Meat, cheese, sausage, sauce, crust.

Nolan also got to experience dippin' dots for the first time. Stella was hamming it up while we were paying for them!

Updated our garage to give it just a little face lift with a simple magnet set (one on each door) from Menards!  I am so in love!  

Appleton Kids week had a lot of free events in the area.  We took Nolan and Stella to Funset Boulevard for their free day.  It was SUPER crowded but it was fun! Nolan loved the train but only got to go once it was so packed.  We didn't even wait in line at the marry-go-round, but he also did that a million times at chuck-e-cheese the day before so we were ok with that.  He had a blast in the toddler area.  

Big girl Stella is holding her head up while in tummy time now!  She is so little I sometimes forget how old she is.  I will think wow she is doing amazing for her age---only to realize Nolan did things at the same age.  Amazing what a mom forgets between kids.

My neighbor works for the Calumet County Sheriffs Department.  With all that is going on with police officers right now, his wife, Trista, got the great idea to make some survival bags for local police departments.  We got together on a Friday night, stuffed, stapled, and grouped almost 300 bags!  The kids came along and got to play with the neighbors.  It was a lot of fun and for such a great cause!  Then the next day, I watched their kids so they could distribute to the 9 stations.  

They were here 5 minutes......


Rylee yells, "Baby cryin'!" and gives Stella a paci (Stella doesn't take paci's) but at least she smiled about it!


I turned around from the paci situation to discover Nolan as covered B in All Better band aids.









Big girl, Stella, finally slept in her bed. Slept the whole night 8-10 I woke to nurse 10-4:30 she wakes to nurse 4:45-7:30.  I love my little sleepers (please don't hate me)



Noley got a hair cut at grandma's in the garage.  Took a whole 3 minutes! Such a good boy!




Stella is 2 months! 
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Likes: Sitting up to see things, swaddles, daddy and mommy making faces,  nursing/eating, looking at lights, music.

Dislikes: Being cold/hot, being hungry, being over tired.

Sleep: Sleeps through the night.  She goes down around 8 after we get Nolan in bed, we put her to bed.  Bedtime routine is jammies, Vitamin D, swaddle, nurse, in crib drowsy.  She wimpers and pumps her legs and thats how you know she is going to sleep.  She sleeps 8ish until I wake her at 10 to feed her when I go to bed.  Sometimes she doesnt fully wake up.  She usually sleeps until 4 something when she wimpers (Alex doesn't even hear it it is so faint).  I go in there and feed her and put her back down.  She then usually sleeps until 7:30ish

Eat: She is nursing on demand still but going 1.5-3 hours when she is awake (depends if it is hot, if she is tired, etc).  Nursing is going well and bottles are getting better though she hasn't had a lot.

Weight/Size: At her 2 month appointment, she finally measured at 9lbs 9oz (10%) 22.4 in (45%) and head size 14.8 in (28%).  She is a little peanut but following the curve so they are ok with her development thus far.  She is still wearing some newborn clothes but we are slowly switching over to 0-3 now.

As for a status update on her hair....it is still all here, still dark, but getting lighter!

When both Alex and I are home, we have the chance to put the kids down at the same time.  On those nights, we get to read to the kids at the same time.  Here they are reading "Thats Not My Cow," one of my Usborne Books.  Nolan loves repeating the words and touching and Stella loves the contrasting pictures.  I just love these 2 and that they enjoy reading so much!






These 2 are getting closer and closer every day.  I may be pushing her on Nolan a little bit, but he is getting sweeter and more gentle each time. When he says all done we take her away.  It is getting better.  It is slow, but getting there.







We have lots of birthday parties in the beginning of August.  Nolan is really getting better at being social and playing WITH kids, or at least doing what they are doing rather than being in an opposite location.

Layla celebrated her birthday at the splash park (while daddy was working).  Nolan was a sweet little boy this day and played well, ate well, and listened like a champ.  We learned he likes ice cream as much as birthday girl Layla!  Stella was a champ and slept the whole time!  Happy second birthday Layla!

Jaxon moved to South Carolina last year so we were very excited he was back in Wisconsin to hang out for his baseball themed birthday at his grandma and grandpa's house.  We played outside and Nolan learned how to take turns on the "tractor" and the "wagon" that attaches.  He found friend Layla to take turns with.  He did really well eating and playing.  He loved his cup cake so much he found one another kid abandoned and helped himself to 2! haha   Happy Second birthday Jaxon!

 We met some former co-workers Alissa and Renee at the park to catch up and let Renee's kids (big kids) play with mine and Alissa's (2 and under).  So precious!

We have been going to Grandpa's cottage as a family since Alex and I started dating. Hes been going up his whole life.  Grandpa has officially sold his cottage with a closing date of the end of the month so we had our last trip up to Lasata, place of peace.  We celebrated with a lot of family time, firsts for the kids, and lasts for the adults.  Alex jumped off the dock again to feel 11 again, and we swam, played on the raft and such while the kids were napping.  It is an end of an era but not the end of the cousins bonding.  It was a really great week.

Nolan went tubing behind the fast boat with daddy!  He did great on the tube but once it stopped I think he had time to process and he cried a little bit. We tried the next day and it was fine until the boat took off.  Glad we tried it but cant say he is ready!

I was trying to show Nolan how messy he was.  He looks into the camera and says, "Im Messy" I then tried to catch that on camera and all I could get was him making these faces...hilarious!

 

We tried multiple times to get a good photo of the 3 Gloudemans Grandkids...this is what we ended up with....

 This little boy has chocolate on his face because he went pee pee on the potty!  2 days in a row after nap!  Not really pushing the potty thing but giving him opportunities and it is going well so far!

 Stella is loving the Bumbo!  All these faces are so darn cute and she is just so darn big I couldn't pick!

This next week brings Nolan's birthday parties, friends annual camping trip, Nolan's Birthday, Stella turning 3 months, and Labor day weekend!  I keep thinking these posts will get smaller, but they dont!  Maybe in the winter?