Dress-up

Abbie isn't really into playing dress-up much, but every once in awhile we pull out the dress-up box and have at it! We decided to make it a family affair this time. Abbie even helped Sadie participate. We love nights like these where we all get to be silly and have fun together!

My two little island girls

Help! I'm being attacked by an ugly black wig!

Hmmm...don't know what to call this one

Nerdy Jamaican meets Hollywood icon?

The movie star!

Easter 2011

I know Easter was forever ago, but since this blog is supposed to be a famliy journal of sorts, I've got to blog about it so we can remember it years down the road! As per tradition, we went down to Beaver since Lance's grandma goes all out for Easter. It was nice to see some family that we only get to see once or twice a year. This was our first overnight adventure with both kids and we were a little nervous about the car ride, sleeping in a different place, and messed-up nap schedules. We rode down with Lance's brother's family; Derek, Sarah, and Bryson. Taht's four adults and three kiddos in carseats, so we were pretty squished, but the kids did well watching movies and eating lots of snacks. Then it was time for bed. I was dreading it because Abbie hadn't been sleeping very well at home anyway and Sadie woulen't sleep in her crib at home so I didn't know what we were going to do with her. We put Abbie on the floor in a sleeping bag, and Sadie slept in the bed with us. Abbie lasted a few hours before she woke up and stayed awake from midnight to 3 in the morning! During this time, the power went out, so we didn't have any light to read stories, and no TV to try and lull her back to sleep. We finally got Abbie back to sleep for a few more hours, but Sadie would not sleep anywhere but in our arms. Needless to say, it was not a fun night. And because of the events of the night, Abbie was exceptionally whiny the next day and we were exceptionally exhausted. Abbie was excited for the Easter egg hunt though and decided to be happy for at least a few minutes so we could snap some pictures and she could snag some goodies. We were planning on staying one more night, but since neither Bryson or Abbie slept well, we decided to head back home a little early.

I found one!!

Kyler, Abbie, and Bryson

We wanted to have a little Easter celebration with G & G Johnson and Uncle Taylor too, so we invited them over on Monday for a little Easter family night. We dyed eggs and hid some more for Abbie to find. All in all, it was a good Easter!

Abbie and Uncle Taylor dying eggs

Abbie with her Easter basket full of eggs

Had to get one pic of Sadie enjoying her Easter

Sadie's Blessing & 2 month stats

We got to bless Sadie on Sunday and it was a very special experience for us. We didn't get to bless Abbie in church because we chose to bless her when she was about 10 days old, the day before her big open-heart surgery. That was a very special experience too, but I think I was a little too overwhelmed with everything to fully appreciate it. Anyway, I am so thankful for the Priesthood and for my wonderful husband. There's just something about a precious little baby all dressed in white, so fresh from heaven, that touches your heart!

Abbie's blessing day

Two sisters all dressed up and ready to go

Sadie, Mom, and Dad

We had a little get-together afterward with friends and family. Thanks to all who came and who helped with the food! Sadie was a little tuckered out because of all the attention and I had to snap some pics. I thought she looked like a little angel! She was so happy when she woke up and I was able to get one of the first good smiling pictures that we have of her! (PS - I didn't fluff her hair like that on purpose. It has a mind of it's own!)

Sleeping angel

Happy baby!

Abbie and Bryson - mischievous little smiles!

Enjoying one of Grandma M's chocolate chip cookies

Showing off her awesome coloring skills

Sadie had her 2 month appointment the other day (a little late). She was 10 weeks old and weighed in at 10 lbs 10 ounces (34th percentile) and 23 inches long (64th percentile). So apparently she is tall and skinny, though her thigh rolls tell a different story! Anyway, I had to take both girls with me, and if you read my last post, you know that the doctor's office isn't exactly Abbie's favorite place in the world. After explaining and repeating over and over that this appointment was NOT for her, I thought she would do ok. She started crying in the parking lot before we even got out of the car! So I proceeded to stumble into the doctor's office carrying a crying toddler, a diaper bag, and a car seat. Then I had to try and undress Sadie while Abbie was crawling all over my lap begging to go home. Fun stuff! Abbie finally calmed down when the nurse left and turned on Happy Feet for us. Dr. Eberhard came in a little while later and gave Abbie a sucker and some stickers. He also let her shine the little light in Sadie's mouth and listen to her heart with his stethoscope. She did fine the rest of the appointment until Sadie started screaming after her shots. Sadie was a trooper. she screamed for a minute or two and then calmed down and fell asleep. We'll see how the next appointment goes!

Catch Up

Believe it or not, I'm having a hard time finding a spare moment to update the blog these days!I am finally getting around to posting about Abbie's 2nd birthday (over a month late), plus a bunch of other random things that I think are blog-worthy. Here we go...

Abbie's 2nd Birthday

I already posted a little blurb about Abbie's birthday but I didn't have any pictures so here they are.

Opening presents

Abbie's first Barbie

Blowing out the candles

Playing with the cousins!

Mom and Dad with the birthday girl!

Abbie's 2-year check-up


We took Abbie in for her well-child check up and boy was that fun! She started crying as soon as we walked into the waiting room, and every time a nurse would open the door to call for someone, she would scream bloody murder! Basically she cried the ENTIRE time we were there. Her poor little body was shaking by the end. I hate taking her to the doctor! It almost makes me want to cry too. Anyway, she weighed in at about 24 lbs and was 34 inches tall. That puts her at around the 10th percentile for weight and the 65 percentile for height! Even though she doesn't weigh very much, she's maintaining her percentile, and we're grateful that we don't have to mess with the feeding tubes anymore.

Abbie's First Haircut


Abbie's hair was getting pretty long and pretty stringy on the ends. so I decided it was time for a trim. After our experience at the doctor's office, I figured that going to a salon was out of the question. (She also has a lot of stranger anxiety) We were over at G & G Johnson's house for Uncle Taylor's birthday dinner and I asked my mom if she would have a go at it. So, we put Abbie up on the bathroom counter with some toys and started cutting. She really did pretty good unless she saw the scissors, but it was pretty easy to distract her again and we got through it with only one big tantrum. Thanks Grandma J!

Before

During (playing in the sink)

After

What a cutie! (sorry, no pants! hehe)

Sadie is almost 2 months old now! We can't help but think that it was about this time that we were finally able to bring Abbie home from the hospital! I can't believe how different this 7 1/2 weeks were compared to Abbie's first 7 1/2 weeks of life. We're so grateful for our two, healthy little girls and the joy they bring to our little family

!Abbie at 7 1/2 weeks

Sadie at 7 weeks

One and Two

Sadie will be one month old tomorrow! I can't believe it's already been that long! We love having her as part of our family and we're slowly getting used to being a family of four. Abbie still has a hard time since it seems like Mommy is constantly feeding, burping, changing, or rocking the baby. Mommy still has a hard time since it seems like Abbie is constantly whining, throwing, crying, or hitting. And Daddy still has a hard time because often he comes home from work to a messy house, a screaming toddler, and a scary wife. I just have to keep telling myself that this time won't last forever and we need to enjoy the good times and not focus on the hard things. Sadie has such a sweet spirit and really is a pretty easy baby so far. She only cries when she's hungry or messy and she usually loves her binky. She loves to be cuddled but will also chill in her bouncer or swing.

Abbie just turned two years old! We had a fun party with lots of family, but I couldn't find my camera so I don't have any pics to post right now. I'll have to post some when I get the pictures my mom took. Anyway, Abbie is our little chatter-box. She pretty much talks non-stop. We understand about 85% of what she says, and she gets really frustrated when we can't. She also loves to sing and dance. She's definitley a toddler and likes to do everything on her own. She loves all princesses, but mostly Cinderella. We feel pretty blessed because if you didn't already know, you wouldn't be able to tell that Abbie had such a rough start in life. She's a very healthy, active, normal toddler and we couldn't ask for more.

A few weeks ago, I had pictures taken of the girls and I just got them back. They are soooo cute! So since I didn't have any pics of Abbie's b-day to post, I'll post a few of their portraits for your viewing pleasure. And don't worry grandma's and grandpa's, we'll be getting some printed for you soon!

The Fourth Mossketeer

The Fourth Mossketeer

Well, it's been quite a busy two weeks for our family! There have been some challenges like lack of sleep, a toddler who throws about a million tantrums a day, and that same toddler learning how to climb out of her bed at 1:30 in the morning on our third night home from the hospital! But mostly, the last two weeks have been amazing! We never got to have the "newborn" experience with Abbie since she was in the hospital for her first 7 weeks. We feel like first time parents and are constantly amazed at how wonderful it is just to be able to carry Sadie around the house without being tied down by a bunch of wires and tubes. She is a champion eater and a champion pooper! haha. Abbie LOVES her little sister and is a big helper for mommy and daddy. She does have some issues now that she isn't always the center of the universe. Luckily, she takes her frustrations out on us and not Sadie.

First family picture

Abbie's first time meeting Sadie

Sisterly love

Labor and delivery went much better than expected. Sadie waited just long enough to let Mom and Dad know that she did not want to be a January baby! I started having contractions just after midnight on February 1st. I paced the closet for about an hour and when I decided that this was definitely it, I woke Lance up, called my parents to come stay with Abbie, called my doctor, and packed my bag (yes, that's right, I still didn't have a bag packed, even though is was a few days past my due date). We made the three minute drive to the hospital and were all checked in by 2am. I was already at 5cm and got the epidural at 3am. My water broke a few minutes after that and I was 6cm at 3:30. My doctor told me to try to rest and she would check back with me in a few hours. With my epidural, I couldn't feel anything, but I couldn't rest either. Lance dozed a little, and when my doctor came back in at 6am, I was 10cm and ready to go! I seriously couldn't feel a thing. No pressure, no pain, and nothing from the abdomen on down. Needless to say, this made pushing a little difficult! I tried on my own for about 35 minutes and then with a little help from my doctor, Sadie Mae Moss came out screaming at 6:47am. It was actually an amazing experience. I had a c-section with Abbie and didn't even get to see her for 4 hours. With Sadie, they laid her on my tummy right away and I got to feed her as soon as she was cleaned up. It was wonderful. And the recovery has been much easier than a c-section recovery.

Right after Sadie was cleaned up

So far, I've had lots of help, and have only been alone with the two kids for one day. That was about a week after Sadie was born, and let's just say it wasn't one of my best days! Tomorrow, I start my real journey as a mother of two, and although I know it will be hard, I also feel so blessed to be entrusted with the care of our two beautiful girls! Abbie's birthday is on Sunday, so stay tuned for another post soon!

Introducing Sadie Mae Moss

Sadie Mae Moss made her debut on Tuesday, February 1st at 6:47am. She weighed 7 lbs. 3 ozs. and was 21 inches long with a head full of beautiful dark hair! We left the hospital on Thursday and are so glad to be home. Mom and baby are both doing great! More to come soon!