growing rhamy family: August 2013

BDay/ISF

The first Saturday of the ISF we had a busy day! I took both kids to a baseball themed birthday party for one of our friend's. Marshall turned one and he is the cutest with the cutest hair!! Bo has so much fun playing with all the balls and the other kids that we at the party. And thanks so much to our friends for helping me with both kiddos!

After the party my parents came to town to go to the Iowa State Fair to the horse pull. We only went for a few hours, but still had a good time! Bo had his first ISF corndog and we also went down the Giant Slide (3 times). He loved it! V also met a lot of family that hadn't seen her yet.

cousin Lydia didn't leave Vallery's side

V's 1 month!

I cannot believe that our baby is a month old already! She has definitely had an exciting time already. She has had many car rides, trips to the park, and pools already! She loves bath time, getting her hair rubbed, snuggles with mommy and daddy, kisses from brother, and of course the ceiling fan!

Her eating habits have been pretty consistent since she was 6 days old. She eats at about 530am and every three hours after that. She is still nursing, but we have had her drink from a bottle (BM) a handful of times and she catches on like a champ! She is definitely growing like crazy. Her cheeks have been filling out and she is getting much longer. She has also had some tummy time and from day 1 she has had really good head control! She is strong like her mama:).

She is sleeping in our room still in the bassinet (I think it is called a rock and sleep...the same one we had with Bo) and she loves being swaddled. Once I swaddle her up at night she is out, even though she has squirmed her way out a couple times:). She sleeps from 930p to 530a (AWESOME!!). And then we usually go back to sleep until Bo gets up at 830a (which he now turns his light on when he is ready to get up, so cute:)).

Josh's favorite nicknames for her are babe, honey, sweetie and mine are sweetie pie, little lady, and V. She has balanced out our family and we are so grateful for the gift that God has blessed us with! We love you so much, Vallery Ann!

Cousin Time

We had the pleasure of getting a couple days with Aunt Sydney, Uncle Justin, and Owen. Bo is getting the age where he remembers people that he doesn't get to see as often much better. Since they came to hospital to visit Baby V, Bo has been asking when Owen is coming. So finally he was able to see his favorite cousin! :) We had dinner on Monday night at our house, spent some time at the fair on Tuesday, August 13th, and more playtime on Wednesday before they headed back home. It is so fun to watch them play together!

life as 4...

I cannot begin to say how blessed I have felt to have a beautiful family of 4. It is absolutely perfect! Bo has been adjusting well to his big brother role. There were a couple days at the beginning he got a little jealous, but he is used to having all of our attention, so it has been an adjustment for him.

We have done a lot of things as a family already, there have been a few trips to the park, parades and bouncy houses, and the pool. We have thoroughly enjoyed each moment we have with our mini me's. Having Bo and Vallery has been the biggest blessing for us.

PARADE

PARK FUN!

POOL TIME

Josh started working his 1st watch shift at the PD, which means he leaves for work at 745pm and doesn't get home until about 745am. It has been quite the adjustment, but having 2 kids that sleep has been a lifesaver! Bo goes down about 745-800 and doesn't get up until 8 or 830am. He has been a good sleeper from day 1 and it has only gotten better. But I can't say enough how much it has helped that V sleeps so well. I feed her at 830 or 9pm and then I get up at about 530am to feed her. It is crazy to me that newborn can sleep so well! We have been so blessed in this department. Our children are truly the best!! :)

Bo has still been going to daycare a couple days a week. His normal schedule has been Monday and Friday mornings and Wednesday a full day. There have been some weeks where the schedule has changed due to visitors, etc. He loves going to school! Mondays are always a little rough, but he really enjoys himself there with his friends. But I have tried to have a couple playdates with his friend, Jack to keep him busy on his days at home. He absolutely adores Jack. They have always gotten along so well! They really are BFF's!!

It is so sweet to see how much Bo loves his little sister. He is always giving her kisses and hugs and saying "love you, sister". And I haven't said yet how much Bo is talking. He repeats everything you saying and is getting so good at fragmented sentences. We also got him a flap book with 100 animals in it and he can name 75% of the animals in the book....proud mom right here... He is still a ball of energy and laughs and we love how unexpected he is sometimes!

BIG BROTHER/LITTLE SISSY