Pictures

Just some recent pictures of the going-ons at the Tappana household.

Lydia accidently stuck both her feet in the same leg in her pajamas. She tried to walk and fell over. Brigham tried to get her to crawl to him, and she tried (and it was hilarious) but couldn't quite make it. She looked like a heart-covered mermaid.

This is the worst dandruff I've ever seen. Good thing babies have no self-image of their wrinkly-old-people-looking, pimple-covered, peeling-scalp, bald selves. 

Mmm, milk face.

I'm a happy boy!

Lydia helping Mom go through the ads.

Cheese!

Yep, that pretty much sums up my daily activities :) 

Proof

Whenever anyone looks at Ammon, immediately I hear comments such as "He is ALL Brig," or "He looks JUST like his dad." And he does. He is his father's little miniature man.

Well, I became jealous and wanted to find some part of him that looks like me. I mean, I was the one that actually had him growing inside of me, and I'm the one that pushed him out. There has to be some visible evidence linking him to me, something so that I can claim him as mine.

Well by golly I have found it. See the evidence for yourself...

We have the same exact long skinny fingers, nails and all.  It's a funny thing to get from his mom, but I'll take it! He seriously has the longest fingers. We compared them to a five-month-old's fingers at church, and Ammon's were the same length!

So there it is. He's mine! :)  Hopefully he'll be an awesome piano player or something like that. :)

Rugrats

 So have you ever watched the TV show Rugrats? We watched it plenty growing up and I loved it. It's a show about life from a group of baby's perspectives. The babies get into all sorts of trouble. My house has been a little like that show lately with lots of rugrats (ok only two and one time three) running around.

Just like the cousins coming over in the show, I babysat my adorable niece Emery and it went great. I successfully fed and put all three children down for naps. :) Getting good.

I rocked both Emery and Ammon to sleep at the same time and they looked so cute together I had to take a picture. They are going to have such fun as cousins.

 Lydia is the real rugrat in our house. I would say she would take Tommy's role as the ring leader. Tommy is always trying to do things the grown ups do. Well, as you can see by the guilt in Lydia's face, she was caught trying to be just like mommy. I had given Ammon a bath and when I turned around after dressing him, I found Lydia trying to bathe her Elmo. Luckily, even though Elmo was completely submerged in the water, he still talks when you squeeze his hand.

 Just like Tommy stores stuff in his diaper... so does Lydia apparently. Lydia had a hair clip that had fallen out of her hair and we couldn't find it all day. Well, when it was time for her bath, Brigham found it. She was just saving it in her diaper for a hair emergency I guess. ( She was actually completely oblivious to the fact it was there and who knows how it got there considering she was fully clothed all day) You can see it stuck to her at the very bottom of her stomach.

And with Ammon's red hair and his father's eyes. Do you think that he'll be like Chucky? I mean with red hair sticking out everywhere and big glasses? I hope not because Chucky is a wimp! And he talks with a stuffy nose. But then again if Ammon takes after his father.... ;)

I can't really compare to the show Rugrats until I have 4 kids running around...but that hopefully is a long time away.  :) I'm just starting to enjoy my two!

Arm Candy

Of course Brigham is my Valentine. However, this year, I have a new man in my life. And look how good he looks all dressed up. He wanted to impress all the ladies his first week back at church. And shoot, he sure did. He makes me look good :)

I'm going to be chasing all the girlies away when he gets older. What a stud!

Adjustments

Now that we have a new little one in our lives, there have been quite a few adjustments that we've had to make. Some good, some bad, and some that don't really matter much. As I was between bottles and sippy cups, I sat thinking about all the adjustments going on and I decided to make a list. This post may be long, but I want to document this so that some day when life is even more crazy (heaven forbid) I can read this and laugh at how easy I have it.

1. My waistline

First I go from finally getting my waistline back from my first pregnancy, to losing it to a second pregnancy. Now I'm not pregnant anymore and I get to start the adjustment all over again. From normal to fat jeans to maternity jeans back to fat jeans and then hopefully, after I work my butt off, down to my normal jeans. I can just hear my husband saying,  "I thought your fat jeans were your normal jeans." 

2. Formula

Well this little Ammon guy has certainly given his mother a few heart attacks. I have learned that his choking-until-he's-blue-and-we-have-to-suck-mucus-out-of-his-throat-so-he-can-breath events, barfing episodes, constant wheezing and coughing, gassy stomach problems, acid reflux, and not-pooping-for-over-two-days-and-when-he-does-what's-in-his-diaper-is-seriously-wrong issues are all symptoms of an allergy. His doctor has determined that he is allergic to ... well we are still trying to figure that one out. Currently we are about to embark on a trial period of his fourth formula, not including the first six days he was breastfed. That's right, fourth. Not to mention that he is only four weeks old today. It's hard for a newborn to adjust to different formulas, and when it's hard for the newborn, let me tell you it's hard for the mommy. Tummy aches and sleepless nights are what you get with formula adjustments. We'll see if he's really allergic to corn, otherwise fifth formula here we come!

3. Doctor Visits

Growing up, we only went to the doctor if something was seriously wrong, which means I never went. I mean never. My first doctor's appointment I actually remember was the one I had right before I got married. Well if you don't like the doctor, don't ever get pregnant. From monthly to weekly doctor visits, to a two-night hospital stay, and now a bajillion follow-up visits, I've gotten used to doctors. However, with both Lydia and I, everything has been normal and after the routine follow-ups we've gone on our merry way. With Ammon, not so much. In the last few weeks, I feel as though I never leave the pediatrician's office. I should just pitch a tent and live there because I'm either going in or on the phone with them. This is a huge adjustment because usually I feel that doctors are generally full of a little help and a lot of crap, so constantly checking in with the doctor is weird and, yes, a little bruising to my independence. 

4. Hormones

I could go on and on with this one but I'll just make it clear with this one line. Goodbye clear face, hello hair falling out.

5. My new job

I'm used to putting my hard-earned education to use as a lowly part-time teller. Lame, I know. Still, despite not liking my job, I'm good at what I do. I get to talk with other mature adults and participate in a little stimulating conversation. Now the most conversation I get is my toddler telling me no, repeating back to me what I just said, or some good old crying. From dealing with complex numbers and annoying customers, I now get to expand my brain with ABC's, 123's, and newborn staring contests. If I am tired of work, I used to feel relieved that I got to leave after my five hours were up. Now I never get to leave. My job is never over. Ever. Now that is an adjustment.

6. Definition of Accomplishment

I used to feel like I accomplished something when I did well at work, came home took care of Lydia, got a few things cleaned, took care of a couple bills, maybe did some grocery shopping, cooked dinner, exercised, and got some TV time in in the evening. Well now... at the end of the day if both kids are in clean diapers, fed, and happy, and the bottles are clean, SUCCESS! Sure only half my house is a clean and the meals might be haphazardly thrown together around bottle schedules and I didn't put on makeup or brush my hair all day, but I did good.

At least that's what I tell myself.

It can be depressing to feel like you've run a marathon and yet at the same time feel as though you got nothing done. I've had to start reminding myself that teaching Lydia a new shape is an accomplishment, doing the dishes is an accomplishment, spending time talking to Ammon is an accomplishment. Shaping my children to be happy and successful themselves today is the greatest accomplishment of all. It's just an adjustment keeping that frame of mind and remembering that day in and out.

7. Quality Time

Whether it's quality time for myself or with my husband, it went from some to none. However, the quality time I get to spend with my children has expanded exponentially. 

8. Sharing

I'm not very good at sharing. Neither is Lydia. I now have to share my sleep time with my son and Lydia has to share her play time with her baby brother. I'm learning how to divide my time so each child gets the attention he/she needs.

9. The Scenery

It's an adjustment to never leave my house except for church, dr's appointments, or grocery shopping. I watch the weather every day and I have no idea why. I seriously go four days without stepping foot outside. Yikes. I LOVE being outside. Luckily it's winter so I haven't gotten TOO stir crazy. Just a little. However, the thought of venturing out by myself with two children terrifies me. My sister-in-law Ashley had me thinking about what it would be like grocery shopping with two instead of one. Where will we all fit with the groceries and the grocery cart?! That adjustment I'm sure will require a post of its own. For now I'll wait until Daddy gets home :)

10. More

Now I have double the kids, double the diapers, double the crying, double the crap to carry around. And best of all, double the love. I think the best adjustment of all is having a sweet little boy to love. I was so worried about loving one child more than the other or not loving my son enough. However, when he was born the love came so naturally. I now have double the fingers and toes to count, double the sweet heads to kiss, and double the opportunities for memories and growth. I am now adjusting to having so much more love for both my children. It's wonderful.