Big Bellys and Helping Hands

Hello everyone!  I hope you've all had a good week and are getting a chance to relax this weekend.  This week we took Gunnar in for his 4 month check-up and he is a tank!  Yep....he is apparently the weight of an average 7 1/2 month old and the height of an 8 1/2 month old.  I guess we make big boys!

Gunnar weighs 19 lbs 5 oz and is 27 1/2 inches long!  Here is our centerfold shot.  Hey ladies, look at this belly and these hot rolly thighs!

He can now roll over as well.  It isn't a regular occurance yet but he has done it twice.  Unfortunately I've missed it both times but this is what he looks like once he makes his move.

And he is ticklish little fella too!

Zach has been showing Gunnar just how life works around here lately.  Grandma and Zach spent some quality time building dogs and funny boats out of the blocks last weekend while Gunnar watched from his playmat.

On a final note, some might say that Rich and I have high expectations but we think we should start our children early.  It is never to early to start helping out around the house!  In fact....we have our toddler helping with the lawn.

Month 4

Our little guy just keeps getting bigger!  Gunnar is 4 months old today.   I was hoping to post more photos that I've taken in the past couple of weeks but instead I'm just posting the monthly photos.  Gunnar has been sleeping through the night pretty regularly but last night not so much.  I think I'm heading to bed soon.  His 4 month check-up is next week so I'll update you then on his height and weight.

We hope you are all doing well!

Poor second child.......always compared to the first.  Here is Zach's 4 month photo.
http://www.zmakesthree.blogspot.com/2011/03/4-months.html


And this was my attempt at getting a photo of Zach tonight.  He wasn't too excited about being in front of the camera.  I guess you can at least see just how long his legs are getting.  Ha!

3 Months!

Little Gunnar is 3 months old today.  Look how big and smiley he is!  Gunnar is strong and constantly kicking his chunky little legs.  He also holds up his end of a conversation very well with all of his babbling.

Here is the link to the 3 month post I did for Zach.  Zach was such a blondie!
http://www.zmakesthree.blogspot.com/2011/02/3-months.html

All Good Things Come to an End

Well, it has been 13 weeks and I'm prepping to return to work tomorrow morning.  Eek!  My time off with the boys was great.  The first 7-8 weeks were complete chaos and I was incredibly overwhelmed but once we got into some sort of a rhythm it was a bit better and even enjoyable.  Many people commented on how nice it must be to have the summer off work but honestly I didn't enjoy much of the warm weather until just recently.  Two children are hard!!  Anyway, as I wrap up my maternity leave I thought I would make one final post with several pictures showing the fun we've had over the past couple of weeks.  The bulk of our time was spent in the southeast visiting friends and family!

Our trip began with us waiting for the airport shuttle.  Zach found a seat on Harry Carrey's Holy Cow.

Our luggage passed the weight test.....

And Zach got to play with all of my old Matchbox cars!

Thanks to Rich and Lynn, Zach got some time to swim and play in Lake Norman.

Thanks to Nana and Boppa, Zach got some time to swim and play in a big bubble bath!

We took a quick trip to Greenville to visit the Elliotts however I somehow came home with zero pictures.  What?! 

We were also able to fit in a quick visit to meet the newest member of the family, Baby Eli.  Gunnar made Eli look so small!

 Get ready Grant, Eli will be this size before you know it!

We spent some time playing at a park.....

Gunnar even made an appearance to lounge/nap while Zach played.

 Zach was excited to help Boppa mow the lawn.

We traveled to Richmond for my cousin Molly's wedding but before the festivities we visited our friends, the Grahams.  So much fun to see them and their little boy, Beau!

We all played a little!

 

I found the baby whisperer in our family.......Alec!!  He was awesome with Gunnar!

 Finally, congrats to the happy couple!!  They were beautiful and the wedding was so much fun.....

with plenty of room for Zach to run around.

Andi even bonded a bit with Gunnar!

Our last day in Richmond we spent the afternoon at Maymont Park and fed a few farm animals.

We are now back in Chicago and today we took Zach to see his first movie!  It was so much fun to see him excited and watch him react to the movie screen.  He is getting so big so fast!

This is just a quick shot of Gunnar.  Clearly Zach is much more active and the camera seems to be pointed at him more often than not.  Gunnar is still here though and I'm sure as he grows he will hold his own in the camera lens.

So long summer!  Back to work tomorrow.  This must be what if feels like to be a teacher. 

All Smiles

Just a quick post before we head to NC later this week.  I took Zach to the zoo yesterday while Gunnar and Rich hung back at home.  When we entered the zoo I asked Zach what animal he would like to see.  I thought he would respond with a giraffe, lion, or monkey.  Nope!  To my surprise he said, "how about a hippo?!"  Good thing I actually knew where the hippo lives at the zoo!

As for Gunnar, these days he is all smiles.  It makes it fun to hang out with him when he is so happy.

So Big!

Both of my boys are getting SO BIG!  Gunnar is 2 months old today.......

And Zach is sporting a stylish new haircut (spiked courtesy of Great Clips but not spiked anymore)  and has started wearing big boy underwear.  Yippee!!  We are just beginning the potty training process but so far so good.  Keep your fingers crossed!

Summer Holiday Fun

Happy 4th of July!  Ok....so maybe I should say Happy July!  Either way, over the past week and a half we have had some fun with the boys.  Zach has become much more comfortable with the loud noises, the splash park, swimming pool, and the sandy beach.  Gunnar of course has tagged along and done a great job either eating or napping through the events and festivities.

I'm slowly learning how to juggle both of the boys on my own.  I'm not great at it yet but I try to get them out of the house to play outside or go for an excursion when I can.  A rainy day lead us to the mall where Zach was entertained for quite a bit with this change funnel.  I don't have any pennies left!

Here are a couple of shots from my first time taking the boys to the pool on my own.  With a little handy work of rolling up the burp cloth, Gunnar was able to feed himself while Zach and I played in the water nearby.

Rich had the day off when the Blackhawks had the Stanley Cup parade so we went downtown to join in the madness.  Unfortunately, we missed the parade but we found other ways to have fun in the city.  This is a sculpture in one of the plazas.  Turns out this is a perfect spot to roll trucks back and forth!  And Zach was kind enough to inform all of us that this sculpture was "art".  I have no idea how he knew that.

On the 3rd we went down to the Wilmette beach for a picnic dinner and fireworks.  I didn't get any photos of the fireworks but Zach definitely enjoyed them.  I think he may have enjoyed playing in the sand even more.

On the 4th we headed to the Evanston parade.  It was great!  It wasn't too crowded and the parade was much longer than I had anticipated.  We were smart about our viewing location and ended up across the street from the ice cream shop.

My favorite part of the parade was when Zach decided to dance!

 Rich found his and Ed's old Hot Wheels towns and handed those down to Zach and his cousin Connor this weekend.  They were a big hit!

And here is our most recent venture to the pool.  Gunnar got decked out in his swim gear and sat in the water for a bit. 

And Zach enjoyed playing with his buddy Jack (he lives on our street).   Not sure if you can get an accurate size comparison of the boys in this photo but Jack is 4.  He is a little small for his age and Zach is a bit big for his age.