Welcome to the World Elisabeth Jane!

We are very excited to announce that Baby Girl March arrived on Friday June 26th at 4:00 AM! She was 8lbs 1oz and 21 inches long. We are so in love with her and can't believe it's a girl!! 

Jack is taking to her well! He giggles when he looks at her and is into touching her little nose and fingers! 

We loved introducing Jack to his new baby sister! Melts my heart!

Joe's first reaction was "a girl! What do I do with a girl!?" After just 2 days with her I heard Joe say "I'm obsessed with this little girl! If she wants a pony I'll give her a pony!" Needless to say, he is falling hard and fast for this adorable little bundle! 

We are home from the hospital and settling nicely into life with 2 kids! I can only describe it so far as busy and full of excitement! It truly has been a blast! I shed a few tears last night - tears im sure every mom is guilty of "my babies are growing up so fast - before I know it Ellie will be moving out of the house!" I don't think Joe quite understands my anxiety he is a bit better about living in the moment!! 

She has pretty much just slept since she was born! I totally forgot how much newborns sleep! Cheers to enjoying that while it lasts! While she sleeps Joe and I have been spending time with Jack just playing and keeping life as normal as we can for him!

Elisabeth had her first doctors appointment and is back to her birth weight, nursing very well and growing like a weed! 

Elisabeth got to meet Uhr Oma (the beautiful woman she is named after!) Oma could not get enough of her!!

She has also had snuggle time with her Omi, Tante Stefanie and Grandma and Grandpa who drove from Cleveland the day she was born to meet her!!

We love you sweet Elisabeth Jane! Welcome to our growing, beautiful family! We could not be more blessed!!

40 Weeks and Waiting!

June 23rd the long awaited date that baby #2 is due! We are definitely anxiously awaiting this little one and cannot wait to meet him/her!!! We are trying to stay as busy as we can to pass the time!

I realize, especially the second time around, that babies make their entrance when and ONLY when they are ready! You can try all the tricks suggested but nothing makes that baby come if it doesn't want to! I think I've walked about 20 miles so far this week and still nothing!! I've even cut the grass, run a few miles, and swam many laps and still the baby stays comfortably inside!

Here I am at 40 weeks pregnant celebrating the due date! 

Today we headed downtown with Omi and Henry to enjoy the amazing Smale Riverfront Park! Cincy you really are outdoing yourself! 

Gosh I just can't get enough of these 2! They are just becoming the best of friends! They scream each other's names everytime they see each other and just do anything they can to make the other laugh! I could watch them play together all day!!

Now we wait...we will continue to

Soak in our time with just Jack but each day the waiting gets a little more difficult! I really am trying to just relax and be ok with this less crazy time in our lives and blogging helps remind me to live that! I know I will forever look back so fondly on the start of this summer when Jack and I spent our days exploring the city together! 

The Ins and Outs of a 21 Month Old!

Jack is in a great stage right now and we just love his humor, silliness, and goofy personality but he can also be quite the little stinker at this age! He learns more and more about what he wants which makes for the daily meltdown (or 2 or 3). We have been learning and developing over the past few months a little more of our parenting philosophy around the house and Joe and I have been checking in with each other to make sure we are on the same page about discipline. Each day Jack throws something new at us! It's been challenging and exciting to watch our family change and grow!

I am 38.5 weeks pregnant and I have a feeling this new addition is going to rock Jack's world! The pregnancy has been going well and, because I was late with Jack, I am preparing myself to go past that 40 week mark and just enjoy our simple family of 3! (Remind me to reread this post next week as I will be begging this baby to fall out of me!) 

We have been trying to stay cool on some of these awesome, hot summer days! We love this weather and have been spending time at the pool, walks downtown, and other outdoor cincy adventures! 

Jack has started saying 2 word sentences which has allowed him to be more specific about what he wants/needs. It's really cool to watch him figure out how to string words together. "Oh gosh, oh wow, oh yea, more please, this way, Jack's ball, Jack's plate, papa's shoes, (he is really into identifying each person's belongings and using their name and the name of the object together - Mama's shirt). Basically as we talk to him right now he repeats every 2nd or 3rd word we say. If I say to him "tell me about your day" he will respond "about day"

He knows how to be silly and how to get ahold of our hearts - which in turn makes us give into him more...Joe is better about keeping us strict about certain things and I find myself wanting to baby him more - especially as I get closer to baby #2's arrival I find myself getting sucked into the emotional side of Jack not being my only baby anymore and I become the super soft parent...

He still loves taking baths, he is getting more used to the pool, he loves more then anything to be outside, he still loves helping Papa and takes his job of cutting the grass very seriously! He loves sports and anything that has to do with basketball! He points out every basketball hoop, baseball field or football stadium as we drive around town. He talks a LOT! He likes to still snuggle and give hugs and kisses. He loves his blankie and would take "bae bae" anywhere and everywhere if we would let him (which is tempting because there is nothing blankie can't fix!) He still loves trucks and any machine that makes a loud noise! He continues to be a pretty good eater but definitely has his favorites (eggs, Brussels sprouts, yogurt, jelly, ketchup (dip it), and fruit of any kind!). He loves to kiss my belly/the baby and makes a "muah" sound followed by "aww" when he does. He still loves to nurse (which could get super interesting in a few weeks..) and he loves his best friend Henry!

He gets most upset when he has to come inside or when we tell him "the kitchen is closed." He likes to take control when playing with other kids which can cause some meltdowns, he is into the word "mine" or "jacks" and it's been great to have Henry around to help him learn to share! He still gets timid at the park when he gets near the slide and is a still working on not being scared at the pool. He collapses to the ground and covers his face when he is upset or angry but can still be distracted or redirected pretty easily. He gets very sad when he gets in trouble and his lip pouts and quivers. He is constantly checking in that Mama and Papa are around - calling out our names 20x/day just to hear us say "yes?" He hates diaper changes but is still a super easy kid to put down for naps/bed! He still loves to sleep and continues two naps a day. I can tell each day he is getting more independent and growing up! I feel the new baby will give him a chance to grow up even more, but will also be a bit of a threat to him and his time with Mama and Papa! 

We love you little buddy! We can't wait to see how awesome of a big brother you will be! We will grow together as a family and figure out how to adjust to this exciting new addition! Life as a mom has been more then I could have ever dreamed of and I can't believe how blessed I am to get to do it all over again! Jack has completely stollen my heart and after 21 months of him in my life I still get giddy every morning to open his bedroom and snuggle him in my arms and hear him say "mama!!" With such enthusiasm! Bring it on baby #2!!

Oma Pancakes!

My Oma is most famous for her Oma pancakes - thin, buttery, delicious, German-style, buttery pancakes! They are amazing and every one of her kids, grandkids, and now great grandkids love them! My Oma loves to make them when you come over for a visit and will especially make them if you're sick or "looking too thin." You cannot say no to an Oma pancake, or 10, no matter how full you are!

Jack and Henry visited Great Oma today and got to have their first experience with Oma pancakes rolled up with strawberry marmalade! They loved them!

There are 4 ingredients - milk, eggs and flour and then fried in butter! No matter how hard anyone in the family tries we can never make them as good as Oma - will we ever learn her secret!?

Most likely any family member reading this blog right now has their mouth watering wishing they could have one! Don't worry we ate enough for you all!  Because I'm pregnant for every pancake I ate today Oma made me eat an extra one for the baby! 

The boys kept saying "more, more!" Very full, happy bellies!! We love you Oma!