Happy Holidays!

Cereal!

We got the all clear from the Dr on Friday to start giving TJ cereal.  Day 1 was pretty much what I figured it would...a photo op. =)








The second day (today) went sooooooooo much better.  I made it a bit thicker and make sure it was warmer.  I couldn't believe how  much he was eating.  I am just so impressed!!  2 weeks of this and then bring on the baby food!

Baby Burrito

12.16.10 TJ (6)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

I love my little baby burrito sooooooooooooooo much!

TJ: Four Months

Well, another month has flown by.  The difference between this month is HUGE.  TJ honestly looks like he could just walk to someone or at the very least crawl to you.  He is not your average 4 month old in size.  In fact, I just had to get rid of all of his 3-6 month clothes and bump him up to the next size.  Some of the 6-12 month clothes already barely fit him.  He's very long and very strong.  I finally gave up on his 6 month sleepers because he kicked so hard the other night, he unsnapped all of the bottom snaps on his legs.  I guess he wanted his legs out? =)  


He is the best sleeper I have ever seen.  He normally goes from 6pm-6am now and it is abnormal to get up at 2-4AM now to feed him.  It's INSANE but we love it of course. =)


Feedings are getting more regular.  He is consistently eating 7-8 ounces every 3-5 hours.  We're going to start him on cereal this month since he is so interested in watching us eat.  I can't wait to see what he does with this!  I think he'll enjoy it.   Now on to the stats!


Weight:  20lbs 9 oz
Length: 27.5 inches


Likes:

• Baths
• Flying
• Tickles/Kisses
• Talking
• Standing
• Talking
• Bouncing
• Talking
• Watching EVERYTHING - he is soooo nosy!
• Did I mention talking?

Dislikes:

• Diaper changes
• Not being fast enough on making his bottles

Milestones:
...should be able to:

• on stomach, lift head up 90 degrees - check!
• laugh out loud - check! So cute!
• follow an object in an arc about 6 inches above the fact for 180 degrees  - check!  

...will probably be able to:

• hold head steady when upright - check!
• on stomach, raise chest, supported by arms - check!
• grasp a rattle held to backs or tips of fingers - check!
• pay attention to an object as small a raisin - check!
• reach for an object - check!
• squeal in delight - check!

...may possibly be able to:

• keep head level with body when pulled to sitting - check!
• roll over (one way) - not yet but I can tell he's trying
• turn in the direction of a voice - check!
• say "ah goo" or similar vowel-consonant combinations - check!  He talks non-stop!
• razz (make a wet razzing sound) - check!

...may even be able to:

• bear some weight on legs when held upright - check!  he looks like he can just take off
• sit without support - not yet.  I am not sure how close we are to this.  some days are better than others
• object if you try to take a toy away - check!
• turn in the direction of a voice - check!

And some of my favorite pictures that I have taken lately:

and my favorite video right now

Hello Toy!

12.12.10 TJ playing
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

I'm not sure why I love this photo so much but it pretty much sums up my growing boy. Maybe it's because he is looking at it trying to figure out what it is and whether he can shove it in his mouth? =)

Sparkly Cookies

Libby loves sprinkles.  A lot.  So when I had her decorate cookies yesterday I knew what to expect.  She's so careful about putting them on.



...and on...



...and on...




And even though they have a TON of sprinkles, they are very very yummy.  And yes, very very sparkly.



 

Libby meets Santa

Some might call us bad parents.  Some might call us smart but we have never taken Libby to the mall to have her sit on Santa's lap.  I've seen too many bad scenarios come out of it.  However, her daycare held a "Lunch with Santa" yesterday and we knew we needed to have Libby officially meet Santa.  I wasn't able to be there but Jim took her and they had a blast.


She was so excited.



They made crafts







And then came the main event - to meet Santa.







She did great!  Jim said she was hesitant at first and required her Daddy to stay with her...but by the end she was showing him her Santa Bow and they were BFFs.  How fun!!  Unfortunately, they gave her a candy cane and now she is obsessed with them and we are obsessed with cleaning up the sticky messes they produce!

No longer clones?

In one short month, I no longer think TJ and Libby look alike.  What do you think?  This is Libby (top) at 4 months and TJ (bottom) at 16 weeks (almost 4 months)

Bumbo!

Bumbo!
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Look who is a big boy now! He doesn't like to lay down anymore...only sit up or stand.

Failed Christmas Picture

11.27.10 Libby and TJ (2)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

I tried so hard to capture how funny this was. I FAILED but it's still pretty funny, right?

C is for Cookie

11.17.10 C is for Cookie
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Libby hates chocolate. No, really, she does. I don't understand it and more importantly I don't know how she can come from me and not love chocolate...but...the point is she hates chocolate until now. My Mom has my hooked on these certain cookies and one of them is a chocolate cookie with chocolate chips and chocolate icing. Libby had one at my parent's house a couple of weeks ago and now she is hooked on them. They are SO messy though that I have learned to keep her quarantined while eating them and here is proof.

My Boy

11.18.10 TJ & Mommy (3)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

I don't have many pictures of me and Libby from when she was a baby. I don't want my kids to look back at old pictures and wonder where I was or why I am not in any of them. So...I had Jim take some random pictures of me and Mr. TJ the other day. This is one of my favorites. TJ is almost saying, "Daddy? What are you doing? You are interrupting my play time with Mommy. Go away."

Tracing

11.12.10 Libby tracing
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

We're working on on having Libby trace things now. Next step is for her to learn to trace/write her letters. It's amazing how fast she's growing up.

TJ Sitting

11.13.10 TJ Sitting Up
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

TJ is our little social bug and now he just wants to sit up to see everything that is going on. He cannot hold his head up or really the trunk of his body...but that doesn't stop him! Well, it didn't stop me to let him do it either. We came up with the bumbo/boppy combo with the help of his daycare to allow him to sit up and see everything around him.

Clones?

Are my kids clones of each other?


Libby @ 2 months




TJ @ 2 months





Only difference is TJ is bigger in length/weight than Libby at 3 months than Libby was at 4 months.

Color Splash

I'll admit it.  I am addicted to Color Splash - an app on the iPhone.  But seriously...how could you not want to spend all day looking at these adorable kiddos?

Halloween Fun

Just a couple more fun pictures from Halloween.  I have such cute, sweet kiddos!

Grasping for Rings

11.07.10 TJ and his rings
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

TJ has been reaching for things lately -- mostly my hair unfortunately. So I decided to come up with better things for him to grab. I set up this crazy ring filled wonderland in his pack n play for him. It took him less than a minute to figure it out and loved every second of it. It really is amazing how fast he is growing up. Now I just have to hide my hair. =)

Hats

11.07.10 Charlotte's Birthday Party (4)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Libby loves hats apparently. I found her winter hats for the colder weather last week and now she insists on wearing them no matter if we are inside or outside. I must admit that she looks absolutely adorable in them so I can't say much. =)

Smiley Little Pumpkin

11.05.10 Smiley Little Pumpkin
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

How can this not brighten your day?

Simple

I want my life to be simple again.  You know - the good days where I don't feel like I am being pulled in a million directions.  I just don't think that is possible with both parents working full time and two kids.  If someone knows how that works - please fill me in.  I've recently tried to improve ways to simplify my life.  Little things that add up to big things for me.  For example, I took a close look at my DVR and removed a bunch of shows I had been watching for years and years but really didn't enjoy anymore.  It was hard but it was necessary.  I watch entirely too much TV and it started feeling like home.  Next I looked at other things in my life that seem to be like homework to me and weigh me down.  Twitter was next on my chopping block.  You'll notice I have removed it from the sidebar.  This one was a hard one to decide what to do with.  On one hand I really enjoy seeing what everyone has to say and I get a lot of good news from there.  On the other hand some of the things being said upset me and started to become a bit overwhelming due to the mass quantities of tweets and the fact I only have so much time to really look at it.  It also started to seem I was so busy documenting my life, I was missing things.  So, sadly, after 3 years I am giving it up and going to live in my life vs just documenting it.  The account will be removed by the end of this weekend.  Luckily, I am still staying with facebook and keep up with the same friends from twitter on there.  I'm just trying not to replace one thing with another...defeats the purpose!


So, what do you all think?  Have you simplified your life?  How?

Goodbye Saturn

10.29.10 goodbye Saturn
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Wednesday was not a good day for Jim. Well, it turned out to be ok. Unfortunately Jim's car began to bleed. I mean it literally started to leak red fluid AND steam. I've been itching to get rid of that death trap car for YEARS and YEARS so I had high hopes it would cost more to fix the car than it was worth. We found out on Thursday that I "lucked" out because we found out that it did indeed cost more to fix it than it was worth. So began my favorite process - to search for new cars. Jim hates the process so I took over. We really lucked out. I found out at 10:30 on Thursday that his car was basically worthless (to us) and by 11:30 I sold it to the guy at the body show. By 2:00/2:30 I had bid on a "new" (used) car for Jim and by 3:00 we had it. We went to go pick up Jim's "new" car on Saturday - a 2008 Toyota Prius. He's always wanted a hybrid and we were actually able to make his dream come true. So, I guess looking back at it now, it was a good thing the car died. =)

Happy Halloween

10.31.10 happy Halloween
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Libby went trick or treating for the first time this year. She had a blast. I had the pleasure of taking her and she kept saying, "I am having SO much fun Mom." I taught her to say, "Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat." But she just would say, "Trick or treat, smell my feet." and stop or say, "trick or treat, smell my hands." and stop. Crazy nut!

Now we have to figure out what to do with the candy...she doesn't like candy (only crackers/cookies) so we have a ton to get rid of. Anyone want it?

Family Photo

10.24.10 TJ's Baptism (5)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

This is the first family photo of the four of us. Sad it took this long but it means the world to me.

Happiness

10.22.10 DCC Fall Festival (24)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

My girl loves animals....but what could be better than to actually RIDE one? Absolutely nothing. =)

Boo at the Zoo

10.23.10 Boo at the Zoo (10)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Don't they look happy?

TJ: 10 weeks

I am a bit behind on the two month posting for TJ...but regardless, time moves on!  He is now 10 weeks old but I'll still focus on his two month milestones.  It is still amazing to me how fast time flies by and how much TJ changes each day.  He is a little ray of light for me.  My big boy was 16.6 lbs last time I weighed him over the weekend.  Yes, I said 16.6 lbs.  How insane is that?! 

He's also incredibly smiley.  That little smile just lights up a room.  I am a little disturbed by what he thinks is funny (his sister screaming, me running around like a crazy person in the morning trying to get everything done, etc) but I am sure that it will be fine. =)  I have to admit that after running around if I look down and see him smiling at me that helps calm me down a bit!

I also have started playing peekaboo with him.  He LOVES it.  He also loves accents just like his big sister did. 


As usual, here is a brief summary of everything that is all about TJ:

• Eating - He is still around 40oz per day. Usually has about 5-6 bottles per day and eats between 6 -8oz each feeding.
• Sleep - Boy have we had improvements in this area!  He now usually sleeps 6-8 hours (usually 7 or 8) from 8pm until about 2-2:30am.  It has been heavenly! 
• Diapers - We still are going through about 8-10 per day with at least 1-2 dirty ones.
• Attitude - TJ is still pretty laid back and only gets upset when he is hungry or gassy. He loves to look around and snuggle with anything warm. He is also a morning person!
• Likes - looking around, cuddling, cars but only if they are moving, peekaboo, mommy, daddy, libby, accents, bathes - yes that's right!  He actually likes baths now!
• Dislikes - mommy/daddy not making his bottle fast enough 

Potty Training

We've been attempting to potty train Libby for awhile now.  We honestly would have started earlier but pregnancy/new baby delayed it a bit.  Sometimes waiting turns out to be a blessing though because Libby is doing a great job with it now.  We have a system that sometimes backfires but works 90% of the time.  She still cannot judge when she needs to go but we have her out of diapers (except at night) and in training underwear which I LOVE and, more importantly, she loves.  Sometimes we go all day without accidents and sometimes there may be one or two...but still.  The progress she has made in the last 2 months is amazing.  So for all of those parents that are struggling...hang in there.  We're definitely not finished with this process but we're making a ton of progress.  I am so very, very proud of my girlie!

Sibling Love

10.16.10 Sibling Love (2)
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

These two, for now, do love each other. TJ can't stop staring at his sister, and Libby just wants to love on her little brother. I hope this never ends!

Libby is THREE!

My little girl turned three on 9.26.  Last weekend we had a small party for her and ended up having 23 balloons after quite a few kids didn't end up making it to the party.  That just meant more balloons for the kids that were there so it worked out.  The theme was a beach party and while we had grass skirts for the kids to wear, they were really in love with the balloons.  Libby had a blast with her friends as are documented in the pictures. 


Libby is such a fun little girl.  You meet her and you cannot help but love her.  Her voice is tiny at first and so adorable but once you get her talking you cannot stop her.  Over the last week she's really started to blossom with her vocabulary and personality.  She's more outgoing and not as shy.  I'm not sure if it is because she started in the preschool room at school this week or just she is getting older.  Whatever the reason it has been so much fun watching this little one develop over the past three years.  I couldn't imagine my life without her!  I can't wait to see how she changes in the next year compared to how she has in the past 3.  You know i'll have my camera out to document everything. =)

TJ: Seven Weeks

Because I decided to live more in the moment versus documenting everything, I have fall behind in writing here.  TJ is now seven weeks old.  I return to work next Wednesday.  Wednesday.  I remember when I could say x amount of weeks but time can sure move quickly around here with 2 kids.  Now back to TJ.  Oh what a joy he is.  My only complaint is he doesn't nap during the day.  Still.  To make up for it the past few weeks he started sleeping 6 hours each night and now for the past 2 nights he has slept 8 hours in between feedings.  He'll fall asleep around 7-8pm and get up anywhere between 3-4am.  Boy that makes up for trying to figure out what the heck to do with him all day long. 


He's still pretty laid back and he smiles now.  Smiles.  At me.  When he sees me.  Oh! and he talks!  All of the time.  This is when things really start falling into place.  His personality really shines through.  I gotta say.  I like it a lot. =)


I'll write more official likes/dislikes at his 2 month posting but we did take him in for his 6 weeks checkup this week at 7 weeks.  Here is where we are...


Latest Stats:
     Weight:  13lbs 11oz (97%)
     Length: 23 inches (75%)
     Head: 40 cm (75%)


So he grew 2.25 inches and gained 4 lbs in 4 weeks.  That's my boy!

TJ: One Month

I can't believe TJ is already a month old.  Man, the time flies!  TJ's personality is starting to develop.  He's even smiling when we kiss his chubby cheeks.  Did I mention he's chubbing up a bit?  It's adorable.  He is also starting to "talk" too.  Mostly when he's completely bored, which happens a lot.  I mean, what do you do with a 4-5 week old that cannot hold his head up, see super duper far, and cannot hold toys?  Apparently shop.  The boy loves being in his stroller looking at everything, which means he is momma's instant shopping partner.  He is also not really sleeping a lot during the day either.  I thought all newborns slept a lot?  I guess it is a myth.  And since he's always awake during the day, he is also really bored.  A lot.  I have been pretty creative with keeping him busy and not bored.  So far it has been working ok.  Well, except for the idea of giving him baths to cure boredom.  That is a VERY bad idea.  I really do think he thinks I am trying to kill/drown him and then eat him.  I kind of smell him after we're done cause he smells so nice.  His hair too is so fuzzy.  So fuzzy.  He's starting to get that 80 year old balding man look.  (see pictures below)

All in all we are doing pretty well.  He's sleeping a good 4-6 hours at night.  That doesn't mean we are still sleeping a lot.  He must have a lot of tummy issues cause he grunts all of the time.  I've read a lot about it online and it's common...we just have to ride it out.  How much is a night nurse? =)

TJ is very different than Libby was as a baby.  One way they are the same is with having marathon feedings.  This baby can eat more food than I thought was humanly possible.  I realize he is growing and growing fast but good grief.  Sometimes he will eat every hour on the hour and scream bloody murder if you try to stretch him to even two hours between feedings.  Usually he goes 2.5-3 hours and has 4.5 oz to eat but lately he is wanting at least 6.5 in the morning every 3-4 hours and then has 4.5-5 every 2-3.  It's insane!

Well, here is a brief summary of everything that is all about TJ:

• Eating - around 40oz per day.  Usually has 8-10 bottles per day and eats between 3.5-6.75oz each feeding.
• Sleep - some days he'll sleep all day and night and sometimes he won't sleep at all during the day and will sleep at night.  The best we have had is 6 hours at night but usually he sleeps from 7:30pm-12am and then 4am-8am.
• Diapers - I thought changing boy diapers would be harder than girls but it isn't.  It is just different.  We are going through about 8-10 per day with at least 1-2 dirty ones.
• Attitude - TJ is pretty laid back.  He really only gets upset when he is hungry or gassy.  He loves to look around now and I think he is going to be pretty sociable. 
• Likes - looking around...specifically fans, speakers, blinds, windows, cuddling, positioning himself right underneath your head on your chest so he can feel your heartbeat and skin.
• Dislikes - baths (thinks we are trying to kill him), getting his diaper changed

So now for the regular installment of the milestones from What To Expect The First Year:

By one month, your baby...should be able to:

• lift head briefly when on stomach on a flat surface - check!
• focus on a face - check! so fun!

...will probably be able to:

• respond to a bell in some way, such as startling, crying or quieting - check!

...may possibly be able to:

• lift head 45 degrees when on stomach - check!
• vocalize in ways other than crying (e.g., cooing) - check!
• smile in response to your smile - getting closer...he did this once but hasn't repeated it yet so I won't count it.

...may be able to:

• lift head 90 degrees when on stomach - I am not ready to call this yet.  He's pretty wobbly.
• hold head steady when upright - nope!
• bring both hands together - nope!
• smile spontaneously - check!  So, so, SO adorable!

Some favorite pictures I took recently.  He's just too darn cute!

(look at those adorable feet!!)

Birth Announcement

We tried to send this out to as many people as we could, but here is the official birth announcement for Mr. TJ.

Giraffe Love

08.29.10 STL Zoo
Originally uploaded by Holly Mroczkowski.

Libby and I went to the zoo on Sunday and had a great time. Libby has developed a deep love for the giraffes and I was lucky to get her to pose with one. This is by far one of my favorite pictures of her now.

TJ: 2 Weeks!

So apparently having two kiddos is going to make it twice as hard to find time to post anything on here.  TJ is two weeks old today.  I can't believe it...I keep trying to just soak all of this in so it doesn't go as quickly but that doesn't seem to be helping.  I remember how fast Libby changed at this stage so I am spending lots of time just staring at TJ and burning all of his actions to memory.  

The last two weeks have been really awesome.  Really, really awesome.  Libby is adapting better than Jim or I had expected.  She LOVES her little brother and LOVES telling everyone she is a big sister.  There haven't really been any issues with her (yet) and we're trying really hard to make sure her life doesn't change too drastically.  I think it, sadly, helped that I couldn't do much with her at the end of the pregnancy.  Now when I do anything with her it is like a big Christmas present to her.  

TJ is really changing too.  He's already trying to hold his head up and is the most alert, noisy baby I have ever seen.  I mean, seriously, don't newborns sleep all of the time?  Not ours!  Yesterday, for example, he stayed up from around 10:30/11:00AM until almost 4PM when he downed his bottle and then fell fast asleep.  I would be tired too after being up that long if I was his age!  He's a very, VERY good eater and an even better burper (as my Mom found out =)).  Lets just say you don't ever have to doubt when the little man has gas and burps!  We are even getting some sleep.  We've had the occasional night where he sleeps 5-6 hours at a time so everyone in the house doesn't look like a zombie.  

At birth TJ weighed 8lbs 15oz and by the time we took him home he had lost a few ounces and was at 8lbs 10oz.  When we took him in for his one week checkup last week he was already up to 9lbs 1oz.  Today we had his 2 week checkup and he is at 9lbs 11oz.  I can't believe he's almost 10lbs already! 

We haven't really taken him out of the house yet...being home bound is starting to drive me a little crazy.  I do have the pleasure of dropping and picking Libby up from daycare now so that helps me from going a little stir crazy.  We'll start taking him out of the house when he is about a month old and I just cannot wait.  As alert as he is he's going to love looking around at the fuzzy objects around him.  Well, come on, I know he can't see that well yet. =)  I do think he needs more stimulation though...yesterday he fixated on a speaker in the house for like 15 minutes.  It must have looked at him funny because he wouldn't stop staring at it.  I cannot wait to take him out in the sun if the weather will cooperate and go for a few walks!

Well, that's about it for now...or at least all I can think of.  If someone could figure out how to slow the weeks down, let me know because I really want this experience to go slower this time around!

Introducing Thomas James "TJ" Mroczkowski

I would like to introduce the newest addition to the Ski clan: Thomas James "TJ" Mroczkowski.  He was born Wednesday morning (08.11.10) at 8:33AM CST weighing in at almost 9lbs - 8lbs, 15oz exactly - and is 21 inches long.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from over the past few days.  I'll write more next week when I am not learning how to handle 2 kiddos at once. =)  Until then, you can see all of the pictures here.  Here are some of my favorite!

And of course, I would like to report that his big sister is simply great at being a big sister too!