Two week and (new) family pictures!

Isn't he just perfect?!

Already has a Walker sense of humor. Gotta love the pose!

**heart melting...**

Most definitely a favorite of my boys! :)

Kiss for Baby Brother.

Please excuse the pacifier. He decided to spit up (he hardly ever spits up!) everything I fed him right as the photographer arrived...and quickly became hungry. At least he makes it look cute, right?

Love our Brycen character.

Perfect moment.

Love this.

Isn't our photographer awesome! We love her.

His two week old stats (even though he was closer to being 3 weeks): 8lbs 6oz, 21 inches long, 37 cm head circumference. The doctors like to shoot for the babies being back up to birth weight so, they were happy! As are we...

Other news: Cian loves baths, all except the getting in and getting out part--HATES being cold; just like his Mommy :) He is being awake more during the day and I love seeing his bright, blue eyes. He is still very content just to lay on his back and look around (what he is doing now while I'm typing and his big brother is sleeping).

He does have quite an issue with gas (must be a male thing :)) though which is fairly common with babies. As a result, I'm trying to cut out my beloved milk consumption in an effort to help him. It's hard but definitely worth a happy baby! Tried the gas drops last night and they saved us, Cian immediately relaxed and slept what's becoming a 5 hour stretch! He has done it a few nights and it makes one happy, well-rested Christi, for sure.

Very Proud Monday

As a business major, and having worked for several companies as well as being a customer for lots, there's nothing I love more than to see a successful business doing things right. Amazing customer service seems rare these days so when I find it, that company usually EARNS my business for possibly my lifetime if they stay true. I am actually a pretty loyal customer to the select few. One of them being Aldi, another--more recently, being ProFlowers.

You see, on Friday, I was delivered a beautiful bouquet of flowers from ProFlowers. For those who aren't familiar with the company, they are based out of California and ship fresh flowers--packaged almost perfectly with a vase and instructions--so that all you have to do is unwrap, put them in water, and watch them bloom over the next few days; sometimes a week or longer. I love watching them bloom. I have used them to deliver flowers to my mom and Bryce uses them for me :).

Well, the flowers arrived nicely except the vase was cracked and missing a huge chunk out of the bottom that literally made it un-useable.

However, since Bryce has sent me several flowers over the last couple years, I have a few vases to choose from that I just used instead, and it really wasn't a huge deal--the flowers, alone, made my day. So, of course after unwrapping them, I called Bryce to thank him and somewhere in the conversation, I mentioned the vase was cracked but told him, it was okay. Apparently Bryce liked the vase though, (it is a cool, unique color) and so he called up the company after getting off the phone with me. He explained what happened and later told me that they replied something to the extent of, "So sorry, please throw the vase away immediately, another one will arrive on Monday".

And now I have these:

The ones on the left are from Friday. The right ones are from today. More flowers!! So excited for another round of blooming!

Oh and they must've talked to FedEx about it too because the man waited until I answered the door and handed the box to me (even though I didn't need to sign) before taking off (on Friday, by the time I arrived at the door, he was already in his truck and pulling out). Either way, one proud customer here!

Another proud moment came moments later. Both boys were down for a nap so I decided that I would run a few things out to the dumpster and then mail a letter to the insurance company for Cian's delivery (the mailbox is right by the dumpster). In a hurry to get away from the nasty dumpster and back to the boys, I threw everything in...including the letter. After realizing it, I peeked into the dumpster and saw my letter staring right back at me, sitting perfectly at the very bottom of the disgusting cubicle. Luckily, trash had been collected that morning so only our trash was in it, but still--the idea of climbing in to retrieve the letter horrified me.But I needed that letter. So, I headed back to the house with the thought of grabbing a chair-I needed a boost to get in there.

However, on the way, I remembered a handy stick either Bryce or I (I think it was me :) (Note from Bryce: It was actually Brycen that found it, but Christi kept it around) found outside a year or two ago that we had kept (it made the move with us and all). It has a fun hook on the end of it and we have used it several times to retrieve items that have fallen behind and between the washer and dryer (usually socks Brycen threw in attempt to get them in the washer). So I thought up a plan to take the stick and put tape on the end of it to use to lift the letter out of the dumpster.

I made sure no cars were coming (Hey,I have a reputation to uphold :) before using my genius plan and I'm happy to report, it worked perfectly. Could not have gone any better..well the tape did fall off as soon as I started jabbing the letter with it, but the handy hook was just perfect to reconnect the stick and tape and then lift the letter out. Bryce would be proud.

Being a wife of an engineer has it's perks.

Just Because..

He Loves Me.

I guess, I'll forgive him for waking me up from my nap to find this delivery outside the door. :) Happy Friday!!

Two and a Half

Brycen was mimicking Daddy. Laying on his side, propped up on his elbow.

Brycen is officially 2 and a half years old today. He speaks fluently and one of my favorite things he says is, "Mommy, where did my daddy go?" --He asks, first thing after getting up every morning and always says, "my" before Mommy, Daddy, and most recently, Grandma.

My second night in the hospital with Cian, was my first night ever away from Brycen. He had slept there with me the night before, but a twin bed for three individuals (Brycen, Cian, and myself) was just not ideal and Brycen quickly took over more than his fair share.

And since Grandma had arrived by the second night, he went home with Grandma and Daddy. He, at the time, was very excited and hugged, kissed, and waved to me at time of departure. However, around 10pm I got a phone call with Brycen bawling in the background, "Daddy, where did my Mommy go?" Over and over. He cried himself to sleep in Daddy's arms that night. And I had a tear or more myself.

Brycen continues to be a wonderful brother to Baby Cian.

He is always asking to hold him or if he can't hold him, he holds his hand or rubs his head gently while Mommy feeds him or is changing his diaper. Today, Brycen helped me give Cian his first official bath (all the others have been sponge baths). Brycen cleaned Cian's tummy while Mommy washed his hair. Brycen is also very understanding if Mommy needs to do something for Baby Brother. Ever since the hospital separation, Brycen has woken up screaming usually once at night for Mommy but I'm typically unavailable with Cian so Daddy goes in and once he says, "Mommy is feeding Cian", Brycen has no problem cuddling up with Daddy and quickly goes back to sleep.

At church on Sunday, Brycen was also fine staying with Daddy while Mommy left to feed Cian (he usually finds any excuse to leave) and he went to Nursery without Mommy for the first time (my calling is in Nursery and has been since he was 13 months old), actually telling me, "Bye Mommy, I love you" (this is HUGE!). He also never minded (no tears involved, usually an enthusiastic"bye-bye!") being left behind with Grandma while Mommy and Daddy went on dates last week or when I dropped him off at a friend's house so Mommy and Grandma could run some errands. When I came to pick him up, he ran into my arms saying, "Brycen's Mommy!"

These kind of things... I have prayed for, for a long time. Brycen has handled becoming a family of four beautifully, so far. And my little Mommy's boy is growing up. Overall, bittersweet but I think, good in the long run.

Brycen also loves his friends. He has reached an age that he plays well with others, real and fake. He adores his friends at church but he also has a doggy, giraffe, and rubber ducky that follow him around the house and hide with him and come on road trips to the library and grocery store.

He even asked Mommy to put shoes on his doggy so that he could accompany us to the mailbox today. I put on a pair of Cian's little little shoes and completely made Brycen's day. He now thinks I'm the coolest Mommy around. :)

On our way home from the mailbox though, Brycen was running with his doggy and completely face planted on the cement after tripping. His nose immediately started bleeding and Brycen was hysterical for the next hour straight (it sure didn't help that he didn't have his normal nap). I held him as he cried in my arms and I tried to do everything to make him feel better. We watched "Charlotte's Web" together before he fell asleep in my arms. I held him for 3 hours, he didn't want to do anything else. Dinner didn't get made but Cian slept through it all, allowing just the two of us to cuddle--rare but precious, precious moments these days.

I sure love my boys.

Notice: He is holding Cian's hand. LOVE it! And his poor red lip, nose, and head are from his fall on the cement.

We survived...

Our first day, all on our own.

AND they still like each other. A good day, indeed.

Halloween with Grandma.

Brycen was a shark again this year. Nothing like getting another year out of a costume he didn't remember wearing last year :)

He LOVED the activity of collecting the candy. Especially when surrounded by older female friends from church that he chased from house to house, screaming "Trick-or-treat" and "Thank you!" He literally ran full speed the entire night.

Applebee's had a "kids eat free" on Halloween so we took a trip out with Grandma.

Dorm trick-or-treating with Daddy.

And of course, the pumpkin carving.

Hide-and-seek is an ongoing activity in our house that Brycen always, always wants to do.

Mommy found Brycen and Daddy hiding on top of the washer in the laundry closet one day.

Adorable picture Daddy captured while hiding.

Culturing Grandma with DQ's Cherry Dilly Bars. So yummy!

Our little helper. If you're cooking, he wants to be on his stool helping.

Outings to the park. Brycen climbed and slid all by himself!

Cian slept right through it. 4 days old.

The weather has been gorgeous!

While Mommy and the boys nap every day, Grandma bikes around West Lafayette.

Taking beautiful pictures. Love Fall! If no other reason, visitors should come to see these! :)

Among the several dates we have had with Grandma here, Broadway's Beauty and the Beast was one of them--so fun.

Grandma is going to be missed, for sure!

Love, love this picture!! (besides the fact that I have never seen (at least that I remember) my Mom ever on the playground, let alone the slide!!) Amazing what grandparents will do for their grandkids :)

Well, reality starts tomorrow :(......until then, I will continue to thoroughly enjoy having my meals appear before me, the floor magically swept and vacuumed, warm cookies right out of the oven, and a last date to Couple's Volleyball with the hubby tonight!