13 Months Old // 0-2 Weeks Old

One night, I noticed that as I was rocking Delaney to sleep, she grabbed a burp cloth that was hanging over the side of the rocking chair, tucked it under her arm, and nuzzled it to her chin. She was snuggling with it, and it was so darling the way she seemed to be comforted by it. So at 13 months old, Laney has started napping with what we're referring to as her snuggle bunny - a small pink blanket with a bunny head on one corner. Now that she has passed the 1-year mark, we feel comfortable with her sleeping with a soft toy in her crib. I figured that as she gets older, it might help comfort her as she falls asleep and if she wakes up in the middle of the night. So far, she's loving it! Every night when we hand it to her, she smiles and lets out a little giggle. If we forget to hand it to her, she looks over at it and reaches for it. She's only allowed to have it when she's in her crib, so it has become a special part of her nap time and bedtime routine. Sometimes as she's winding down in her crib, she'll stand up, hold the snuggle bunny over the side of her crib, and let go. She looks down at it lying on the floor and starts to whine when she realizes she can't pick it back up. We decided not to go into the room to give it back to her because we're hoping to avoid the game of "drop the bunny on the floor so mama and papa will come in and give it back to me." She's been dropping it out of the crib less and less. She's a quick learner.

Laney's love affair with the country singer Luke Bryan began when she was just a few weeks old. If we were driving somewhere, she could be crying in her carseat and would immediately become silent if the song "Crash My Party" came on the radio. At first, I think we thought it was a fluke. But then as she was having another crying fit, Brad would play the song on his phone and she'd stop crying again. She would stare at Brad and excitedly kick her little feet into the air. To this day, she still loves all Luke Bryan songs. We use it to our advantage and play his songs in the car if she's having a meltdown during a long road trip. It works every time! Recently, there was a music awards show on TV and Luke Bryan was performing. Laney dropped everything she was doing, crawled over toward the TV, pulled herself up on the ottoman (it was in front of the TV to block her from playing with the cable box and cords), and stared at him. She was completely mesmerized! As soon as his performance was over, she got down on the floor and crawled back over to her toys. It was hysterical.

Laney's first molar just came in! Her gums were swollen for a long time as it pushed its way to the surface. Then one day she was playing tag with Brad, crawling around the ottoman in the living room and chasing him. She reached to pull herself up on the ottoman, slipped, and hit her mouth on the edge of it. At that moment, her molar finally broke through and her mouth filled with blood. I completely freaked out until I realized it was from her new tooth. She cried for about one minute and then forgot all about it. I'm still recovering…

Our little explorer finally stopped picking everything up off the floor and putting it into her mouth. Her Grandpa Gary taught her to hand over whatever she finds. Now she'll pick up crumbs/dog hair/etc, hold it in the air, wait for me to come over to her, and she'll gently place it in my hand. This is probably the best lesson she has learned thus far! It's so nice that I don't have to worry about her stuffing things in her mouth, AND she's helping me keep the floors really clean! (ha)

Owen has been an exceptional newborn. I've been spending the majority of the day and night in his room with him, feeding him and rocking him back to sleep. He's a very good eater and consistently eats every 2.5 - 3 hours. At this point, it's pretty easy to rock him back to sleep, with the small exception of a few nights that he wanted to stay awake around 2:00am. But aside from that, he'll sleep through all noise and doesn't wake up to bright light. Although it can be exhausting to function on such little sleep, I forgot how simple it is to take care of a newborn. 

At Owen's checkup with Dr Moriarty the day after we got home from the hospital (4 days after he was born), he was 7 lbs 6 oz and 20.5" long. It can take up to 2 weeks for a newborn to return to their birth weight, but he was already 2 oz heavier than his birth weight! He was also 1 inch longer than his birth length! The nurse said it could be because he wouldn't stretch his legs out all the way when he was born, but it could be because he grew? 

He must've been a thumb sucker in my tummy, because he's been doing this since Day 1:

Owen + Noni

I love this little guy.

Papa loves taking Laney to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings:

Proud papa.

Laney's favorite activity these days? Playing with her high chair buckles:

Curious big sister hears her little brother crying:

This is the hilarious facial expression Laney makes when she's having a #2:

So full!

Delaney is up to the same old antics...

So interested in her baby brother:

Our first outing as a family of 4!

At the Hospital

Brad and I stayed in the hospital for 4 days while I recovered from the c-section and we got to know our little boy. He is so sweet, and he has been a very chill, relaxed baby right from the start. He has moments where he opens his eyes and quietly looks around, taking in everything. He likes to hold his little hands against his cheeks, and he must have been a thumb sucker in my tummy because he has an easy time putting his thumb or fingers in his mouth to soothe himself.

Noni and Grandpa Winchester brought Delaney to the hospital to meet Owen the day he was born. We were all so eager to see her reaction, and I had a brand new baby doll ready to give to her as a gift from Owen. The plan was to present her with her very own baby to hold and take care of whenever I was preoccupied with Owen. She got to the room and was so excited to see Brad & me, I don't think she even noticed I was holding Owen at first. Grandpa Gary put her on my bed and she crawled up to us, looked at Owen, and then saw my IV and immediately became more interested in the IV tubing than anything else. I held Owen closer to her, thinking that maybe she didn't see him, but she looked at him for 2 seconds and then turned to play with the TV remote controller. Apparently we didn't have to worry about her feeling jealous of the new baby, because she couldn't have been less interested. We gave her the baby doll, and she was thrilled with her new toy - success! She was mesmerized with its blinking eyes and little eyelashes, and she loves dragging it around with her as she crawls.

Delaney came back a couple more times during our hospital stay and eventually started to notice that mama was holding onto a real baby. The first time she acknowledged Owen, she looked at his face with a huge smile, said "Hiiiiiii," and meant to pat him on the head but accidentally slapped him in the face instead. We'll work on that… Fortunately, Owen was too sleepy to notice. 

I've thought of Laney as my itty bitty little baby since the day she was born. Then all of the sudden Owen arrived and it reminded me how small newborns really are. He was teeny! Laney came to visit and all I could think about was how huge she looked next to him! When did my little baby girl become a little toddler?? It felt like it happened overnight and I wasn't prepared for it. She's 20 lbs, starting to talk, and about to walk, and it all happened so fast! It's such an important reminder to me that no matter how crazy it gets with two little ones, I need to treasure every single moment with both of them because time flies by way too quickly. 

Before I left the hospital, I asked my OB, Dr Fok, when it would be okay to lift Delaney on my own. I knew I'd have my hands full with little Owen but I was eager to take care of Laney again as well. His first response was, very seriously, "You can lift her in 3 months. Until then, no lifting anything heavier than the baby." I was shocked and almost burst into tears. He must have noticed the look on my face because he then said, "At the very least, 8 weeks. But we'll have to see how you're doing at that point." I wasn't prepared for this news, and it was difficult to absorb. I realized that having a second c-section one year after the first c-section would be tough on my body and recovery wouldn't be easy, but I hadn't even considered that I wouldn't be able to pick up my little girl. Not only would this be difficult for me emotionally because I'm very attached to her, but it would also be challenging logistically. Brad would be gone during the week, and I can't take care of her if I can't lift her. I can't put her in her crib or take her out…I can't lift her on or off the changing table…I can't carry her up or down the stairs. If I can't do any of those things for at least 8 weeks, I can't watch her on my own while I'm at home. What a disappointment. Fortunately, I have the most incredible in-laws in the entire world. Noni and Grandpa Winchester stepped forward and offered to take care of her whenever we needed until I'm able to take over again. How on earth did I get so lucky?? Laney absolutely loves her Noni and Grandpa and feels very comfortable with them, so it was such a relief to know that she'd spend weekdays in their loving and capable hands! Not only was it a relief to know that she would be happy and well taken care of, but it was also nice to know that I would have some time alone with Owen to bond with him.

Our first family photo

Our hospital had the BEST chocolate milkshakes. We had at least one everyday. They were so good, they deserved their own photo.

 Laney was so excited to see us!

Giving Laney her baby doll

Owen's first bath

Noni in her element

Proud papa

Showing Laney videos from when she was born

Ready to go home!

Home sweet home

Welcome, Owen Christopher Winchester!

On Sunday, July 20, 2014, we delivered our son! Owen Christopher Winchester was born at 8:57am and weighed in at 7 lbs 4 oz, 19.5 inches long.

12 1/2 Months Old & 38 Weeks Pregnant

Since Delaney's 1st birthday, she has really picked up on her cruising skills. She can pull herself up on just about anything and swiftly walk alongside it to move across a room. She hasn't tried letting go and taking steps on her own yet. She's also tall enough to climb onto the couch by herself, although she doesn't mind using Cash as a stepping stool if he's in her way.

She loves saying "Hi!" and will put words together to say "Hi dada!" or "Hi Cat!" (Cash). She doesn't say mama much, but I don't take it personally. It's so cute when I walk into her room to take her out of her crib and she says "Hi!" with a big grin, or when I open the car door to get her out of her car seat and she says "Hi!" and waves at me.

Laney had her first dentist appointment right after she turned 1. It might seem silly, considering she only has 8 teeth, but there were a few good reasons to bring her in. 1) It's a very informal appointment to get her comfortable with the dentist's office. We took a ride up and down in the big chair, and she was able to pick out a toy as a prize for being such a good patient (all the toy options were choking hazards for a 1-year-old, so I didn't actually give it to her…but still…). 2) The dentist was able to look at the teeth that have already come in to make sure they were developing properly, and we talked about helping Laney develop proper tooth brushing habits. 3) She's now established as a dental patient, so if she has an accident involving her mouth, we'll be able to reach a dentist at that office or bring her in at any time, day or night. Now that she's cruising everywhere and about to walk, accidents are bound to happen and it's reassuring to have a dentist on call, just in case.

She loves books. Looooooooooves them. Brad is especially good at reading them to her because he uses the best silly voices, and he's very engaging. Laney will lie down next to him, snuggle in, and help turn the pages. She points at the pictures and makes monkey sounds ("ooh ooh ooh ah ah") whenever she sees a monkey. Brad absolutely loves story time because it's the only time he can get Laney to lie down and snuggle with him - she's usually too eager to crawl, play, and explore and has very little patience for lying down and snuggling.

Last week, we celebrated Laney's first official 4th of July in Minocqua with her cousin James, Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Danny, and Noni and Grandpa. The two kids had so much fun playing together, but their playtime was limited each day. They're 4 1/2 months apart, and they're on completely different nap schedules right now. Laney takes two naps, usually around 9am-11am and 3pm-5pm. James takes one nap, around 12pm-3pm. When they were both awake, it was loud, crazy, party time at the cabin! Both babies were able to make it to the 4th of July parade in Tomahawk. James took it all in from the sidewalk, and Laney was a little less excited about it. She was tired, crying, and ready for nap #2, but she calmed down once I sat her on my lap and let her sip on ice water from a straw sippy cup. Since that was all that kept her calm, we didn't move for the entire parade. Brad would have stepped in to help, but he was too busy entertaining the crowd. He debuted his Ernie the Eagle costume this year, and I don't think the 4th of July parade will ever be the same. People were getting such a kick out of him, and everyone was getting their picture taken with him. He actually walked in the parade a few times and pulled some pretty hilarious antics. In a way, he made himself the mascot for the Tomahawk Parade. I'm eager to see what Ernie the Eagle does next year...

I am 38 weeks along with Baby Boy Winchester, and it's quite difficult to move around. I'm waddling nonstop. I'm eager to find out how big he is, because he feels huge! I think my tummy is stretched out as far as it can go. If he moves around while I'm walking, sometimes he hits a nerve or something because it feels like my thighs cramp up like a charley horse. It always catches me off guard and it feels like my legs are going to give out. He's very strong when he moves around, and I can see his little arms and legs protruding all over the place. I can't wait to meet him! My c-section is scheduled for next Sunday, July 20th, so our countdown is finally in the single digits. This pregnancy has felt like it has taken so long and it has gone so slowly, but now that we're a week away, these last few days seem to be going too quickly. We're soaking up as much time as we can with Laney while she's an only child, but we're so, so excited to make her a big sister.

Her first trip to the dentist! She doesn't look thrilled, but she actually had a great time.

Spending time with cousins Cora and Liesl. She also met her newborn cousin, Jane, who was busy eating during this picture. :)

With Noni, watching her papa play at a charity hockey game. She loved it! She smiled, screamed, and bounced when she saw her papa take his helmet off and wave at her during warmups!

Playing with James at Great-Nona's 90th Birthday Party

The kiddie pool at the cabin was much warmer than the lake!

Ernie the Eagle

Ernie with Uncle Danny

Sitting with mama in an air conditioned sandwich shop during the Tomahawk 4th of July Parade. Laney was happy with her ice water sippy cup, and I certainly wasn't complaining about sitting down in air conditioning.

Fresh curls after bath time. We can't believe how adorably curly her hair is getting!

Relaxing in the hammock with papa

Rainy day

Noni set up a photo session for the two little ones. They were so good (and so cute)!

Happy 1st Birthday, Delaney Evelyn Winchester!

On Sunday morning, June 22, 2014, the birthday girl woke up around 6:45am, ready to eat. After a big bottle and diaper change, she played for an hour and we decided to take her to our favorite coffee shop, Oasis Cafe. We weren't there long before Delaney was yawning and rubbing her eyes, so I brought her home for her first nap of the day at about 9:00am. While she was napping, Brad and I hung up pink streamers and pink and white balloons.

Laney woke up at 10:45, and Noni and Grandpa Winchester came over for lunch and a little birthday celebration. Laney's great gramma Ev called from Calgary to wish her a very happy birthday, and Noni made delicious paninis while Laney opened a couple presents. She got a stroller walker from papa and me, and a few cute outfits from Noni and Grandpa. After lunch, we served Laney her first taste of sugar - a slice of strawberry shortcake. She was a little bit tired and wasn't sure about this slice of cake we put in front of her, so she stuck her hands in it and squished it around a little bit. After a few bites, she was hooked! She perked up and kicked her feet as she stuffed her mouth with chunks of cake and frosting. Happy girl! We had so much fun watching her dig in, and she devoured the entire slice. All together, I think we took about 500 pictures of her eating birthday cake.

After cleaning her up, which was a team effort, she opened her big present from Noni and Grandpa. She got a very cool Smart Trike that I'm sure she'll enjoy for the next couple of years. After she took a quick spin on it around the living room, she completely crashed from all of the sugar and excitement. She took a nap at around 2:30, we cleaned up, and Noni and Grandpa headed home.

She woke up from nap #2 around 3:30, and Brad and I took her to the pool for a birthday swim. Playing in water is one of her absolute favorite activities, and she screamed, squealed, and smiled the entire time. Brad was in the water with her, and I sat on the sidelines because I'm almost 9 months pregnant and move around very slowly these days. He put Laney up on the edge of the pool, and she would lean forward and "jump" into his arms in the water. He also threw her high up into the air and caught her without letting her go completely under water. She had SO much fun! After swimming, we came home, gave her a bath, played, and she was completely wiped out by 7:30pm.

Laney's first birthday was very low key! We didn't have a big party, but we were completely focused on making sure she had a fun day. We definitely achieved that. :) It couldn't have been more perfect for her and for us. We're so lucky to have this happy, silly little girl in our lives and can't wait to see what the next year brings!

At the coffee shop. Proud to be 1!

Papa is showing her videos of when she was a teeny little newborn

So excited!

Using her new stroller walker

Unsure about the cake...

She loves it!

The birthday girl is too busy to smile

Being 1 is the best!

Trying out her new tricycle.

Pre-swimming selfie!

In the pool with papa