The Barnes Family

I just need to start by saying....I'm tired! My day started at 5:00! I also had to wake up at 1:30 because of a screaming little Wyatt. McKinley slept from 8:30 until 5, THANK YOU! I could have crawled back into at 5:20 but figured it might make my morning easier if I get showered and ready before Wyatt wakes up at 6. That is for another post! So this afternoon Todd and I were both TIRED and ready to crawl in to bed and get some much needed rest! I'm so glad that on nights like these, we can work as a team: We pick up daddy at work and drive to Rooster's Beak- YUMMY! 6:00: Daddy grabs Wyatt and I get McKinley. While in the restaurant I order our drinks while Todd gets W set up. W mutters something, Todd glances at me, "Gummies." I translate. Todd hands him the pack and it buys us another 5 minutes to discuss our day. W mutters again, Todd glances, "Cereal bar." He opens it up and buys us another 10 or so minutes. We take turns keeping W filled with chips...

The sweetest part of nursing for me is when I look down, We look into each others eyes and she will stop nursing and smile! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I have 16 weeks until I leave for a girls trip to NYC and that means that I have 16 weeks to get to my ideal weight! 16 weeks to shed 35 pounds! I joined weight watchers 3 weeks ago and then went off a week later. WIth a holiday and family in town it was hard! I can't put it off any longer! I really don't like diets, because I love good food. I'll admit it, I'm a chocolate lover and a snacker. Needless to say, I'm not happy to see Weight Watchers again but I gotta do it! Wish me luck.

Today wasn't wonderful nor was it extremely bad, it was just one of those days. One that makes you thankful to have help! There were precious moments to remember about today, for example Wyatt crawling into bed with me and pressing his forehead against mine and saying in the sweetest little voice, "momma?" It was only 6:15 and I had just crawled back into bed at 5:40 but I wanted to open my eyes and just kiss that sweet little face. Then there were moments today that made me want to scream, like when Wyatt screamed bloody murder all the way from our house to Regal cinemas. I mean SCREAMED and kicked the back of my seat and was not a happy camper or when we went into the furniture store and he was climbing all over stuff and would not listen, then walked right up to the baby and tried to hit her, good thing I have cat like reflexes. I was so thankful to have Todd around during one of these days. We were both looking forward to bedtime for the little ones and a chance to ha...

I don't have a lot of time to myself these days, but when I'm nursing McKinley, I love to read blogs and catch up on facebook and emails. Today I decided to read some of my old blog posts and some of them brought tears to my eyes. Reading about my first days with Wyatt, his first Christmas, the challenges that we faced in the early part of 2010 and the exciting news of finding out McKinley was a girl. I am SO very thankful that I took the time to write down these memories. I want to make a great effort to blog more. I am not sure that anyone reads them, but I will look back and want these memories. Life just moves to fast.

*10 lbs and 10 oz *22 inches long *wearing 0-3 month clothes *just got out of newborn size diapers- size one is still a little big

This is sweet girl at about a month- on our way to church for baby dedication Anyone who knows our family, knows that we are an on 'on the go family'! We don't like to sit still for long. Wyatt was a pretty go with the flow baby, and slept through the night by 3 months. I never really stressed about sleep training or anything like that. Some how he just did it! So far McKinley has also been a very good go with the flow baby. between 7 and 8: wakes up for the day/nurses 9/9:30: we load up in the car and she will fuss for a couple of minutes but normally falls asleep. **she will sleep on and off- nursing in between until we get home for the afternoon. 1:45- nurse her and put her down in crib for a nap. **Sometimes this is a long nap- 3-4 hours. Sometimes this is a 1.5 hour nap. 5 or so: nurses again and we load up to go out to dinner. 6/6:30: cat naps 7:30 getting ready for bed/nurses/ and put in crib sometime between 3 and 5 she wakes to eat and goes right back down. So for ...

I am happy to report that we are moving in the right direction! Thursday Todd came home with a GREAT idea... giving Wyatt a snack before bed. Someone told him that Wyatt might be waking up because he was hungry. So.... Friday night we left Wyatt in the hands of a wonderful wonderful babysitter and told her to please give him two cereal bars at around 7 before bed. Then that night I put a bag of cereal at the end of his bed along with a couple of small toys and a book. When Todd woke up at 7:50 the next morning, he was so WORRIED about Wyatt! We were both shocked that BOTH of our kids were still sleeping. I couldn't believe it. Saturday night we did the same thing, a cereal bar around 7 and then bed, we didn't get to sleep in until 7:50 but we did make it to 6:45 which is much better than 5:50! I'll take it! Its a step closer to 7 and that's all I am asking for. So if your child wakes up to early, maybe they are hungry! Why didn't I think of that one? Tonight he is a...

Yes, today on father's day, we celebrated Todd, our super star!!! I really can't say enough about how wonderful he is as a father. He loves our children more than anything in this world. I don't know how he does it but he does. He gets up early, gets Wyatt out of bed, plays with him for a couple of minutes, hits the road early, has a long day at work, comes home and takes over helping with Wyatt, gets his family fed, gives Wyatt a bath, puts him to bed, helps give McKinley a bath, does his laundry, trash and other household duties. On the weekends he really takes charge of Wyatt and often takes him to breakfast, always puts him down for naps and just loves to play with him. I don't know where he finds the energy to do all the things he does, but somehow he makes it look effortless. When I am about to loose my mind, he is there to step in and give me a hand, when I need a quiet moment, he lets me drive his car home, in peace and quiet and he takes the two screaming child...

Two months!! I can't believe it! It feels like time is flying by. I feel like just the other day we were bringing her home. Our sweet girl at 2 months..... -SLEEP: most days like a champ! Up around 7:30/8. Then asleep around 9:15 and she will normally sleep the entire time we are out and about. Cat naps if we are at home. Then will take about a 3 hour nap at home in the nap nanny and then cat nap while we are at dinner. To bed and asleep around 8:30, on some nights, its as late as 10:30! Depends on how she is feeling. She wakes at 1 sometimes and around 4 sometimes. If she wakes at 1 we are up again at 5:30 or so but then she goes right back to sleep. If we are lucky and make it to 4, she goes back to sleep until 8 or so. She will fuss for a couple of minutes in the car seat when I first put her in but if she is just feed she normally falls to sleep, in the afternoon its sometimes a different story. If we are at home, I will normally have to nurse her or give her a paci and rock he...

Lately..... -SLEEP: 7:30pm until 6am (we would love for this to change- maybe until 7!) Nap from 1 until 3- Goes down easy for bed but these days he hates having to take a nap, but he really needs it and almost always sleeps for 2 hours, sometime longer. -EATING: he is currently loving cereal bars! He could eat an entire box of them for breakfast if I let him. He has become a little bit of a picky eater... he will still try almost anything but lets just say he knows what he wants and what he doesn't want! "Would you like grapes?" he answers so sweetly... "No." with a big head shake as he continues to look for what he wants in the fridge. Very cute but also hard to please sometimes. -VOCABULARY: oh the things that will come out of his mouth! I wish that I could get them on camera but every time I try, he stops! He has started to put together two or more words and I just love it! Here are just a few..... "More big truck" (sounds like duck though!) "...

I copied this idea, and though it'd be fun... What I do while mommy gets ready (6am!) After I've taken all the makeup out We enjoy a yummy breakfast (Wyatt requested a bar!) We get baby up and dressed (8:45) We load baby up to run to target Papa came over to watch Wyatt for an hour and Wyatt picked Wizard of Oz to watch We have lunch! (12) Help mommy do laundry 12:30 1:30 BOTH nap!! We play... Playroom before And after We play with stickers at dinner, yummy village deli! Baby hangs out! we had to leave out some of our day like Wyatt pulling on his highchair and knocking it over on himself Daddy coming home early! Wyatt helping daddy outside Wyatt throwing a huge tantrum because he spilled juice on his shirt! And BEDTIME!

Yes, I discovered two wonderful things the other day, similac and counting. I’m not even sure where one of them came from! Let me start with the counting. I always count the stairs as we walk down them, well the other morning he was counting before I even said anything! He got to 4! I was amazed! Then later that day I would say, “one” and he would say, “two” and so on! I know that this is not something I taught him so I wondered where in the world he got this from. It could not have just been from me counting the stairs. Then it came to me, Vivienne! The lady he stays with one, sometimes two days a week, works on letters and numbers with him even songs! I was very impressed! Now that brings me to my next wonderful find, similac. I am reading this book, The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight by Kim West and in the chapter on newborn to five months it talks about different things to do to calm them and to get them to sleep better and through the night. Let me just go ahead and say that...

I need advice! Wyatt has always been a great sleeper, taking good naps, going to bed without a fight and he used to sleep in until 7/7:30. Notice, I said, he used to! This morning at 5:30 I woke up to a baby stirring around getting ready to eat and Wyatt crying. I thought I would go in and try to put him back to sleep, that backfired! I ended up with a screaming child! I finally just had to lay him back down to go feed McKinley. He screamed for 20 minutes until I finally went back in to change his diaper and try again to get him to understand that it was not time to wake up. He screamed some more, I took a shower! When I got out, Todd had put him in our bed and he was still crying. I have no idea what to do! We have moved bedtime up, tried late bedtime, and nothing has worked. 5:30 is way to early! Any advice! Please, please!!!!

McKinley Wyatt I think they look a lot alike!

Wyatt McKinley McKinley Wyatt

Wyatt checking out his sister Wyatt and Papa waiting for the news Love at first sight

I love to read blogs! When I am nursing, I like to catch up on all my favorite ones! One of my favorite blogs http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/ really has me thinking about how blessed I am! There are lots of prayer requests on her page and updates. When I read them, I realize how blessed I am to have had two healthy pregnancies, delivered two healthy babies, a healthy husband and my own health. Some of the things I read are so sad and it really makes you think. So even when Wyatt is throwing an all out tantrum or McKinley has a little bit of a fussy day, when I'm covered in poop and spit up or lacking sleep, I will remember how blessed I am to be able to take care of my children!