We love to swing!

This past week has been a little easier than last week. My mom took James home with her for the week and while I cried when he left last Sunday and Jeremy and I have missed him like crazy it's been nice to be able to just focus on John-Mark for a little bit and get to know him better. I've told so many people that with your first you get to lay around all day and hold them and not have a care in the world and then the second comes along (or any after the first) and they don't get quite as much of that time because there is another little one that needs attention too. So this week John-Mark got the "only" child treatment. Tomorrow James returns and we'll start figuring out our new daily routine with the three of us!
John-Mark is getting better on his sleeping. He does pretty good at night giving us at least one 4 hour stint but he sometimes fights his daytime naps but he's doing better. We were trying to have him sleep in the pack-n-play until we move into the new house but that hasn't worked very well so we set up his crib and he sleeps much better in it.
We also were able to borrow a swing from our good friends, the Goodsons, and that has been a God send. John-Mark loves to swing in it and listen to the music. I'm so glad he enjoys it because I was worried what I was going to do when James came home because for the most part when John-Mark is awake he either wants to eat or be held and I won't be able to hold him all the time when I have them both so the swing is working just perfectly!
I think I got a little bit of a smile today when I was singing to him and stealing kisses - or it could have been gas! He's still in that serious baby face stage where he doesn't give us very much in the way of facial expressions outside of crying but I know his little personality will start budding through soon!
Can you see his little fuzzy hair sticking up?! His brown hair is already starting to lighten up. I think it's getting a red tint but James' looked the same way and then turned blond so we'll see how it goes!


Loving time in his swing!

John-Mark is 1 week old!

Well, we made it through week 1! This week has definitely been an adjustment for all of us. I think James now realizes that John-Mark is going to be here for a while and sometimes he has a hard time with it. He doesn't mind him so much as he gets upset when I can't pick him up when he wants or play with him all the time. Sometimes he likes to go over and take his blanket or pacifier just for fun. I realized this morning that he is also cutting a new tooth so that probably has a lot to do with his moodiness as well.
John-Mark is getting adjusted as well to the "outside" world. Right now all he really does is eat and sleep - and boy does he like to eat! I am nursing and supplementing right now and it seems like we feed him all the time. It's only been a year but I already forget how often James ate at this age but a friend reminded me that they go through a growth spurt between 7 and 10 days and like to eat more. He went several days without pooping which I think resulted in some tummy aches and we had some pretty rough times but he finally went yesterday and he has seemed much more peaceful and relaxed since then!
Everyday I feel a little more confident in my abilities to do all of this. I must admit that the first couple of days were very overwhelming! I look back and think how easy it was to take care of just James but when you add another one into the mix it can get complicated - especially when they both need you at the same time!! It's a constant balancing act! But God has been so good to us and blessed us with two beautiful and healthy boys and I know that He will continue to provide all that I need to be the mommy they need!
Here's a few pics from the week -



This pic was taken after John-Mark finally pooped - we got so tickled because he finally just let himself stretch out and relax! We could tell he felt better immediately.
My big boy! Everyday he looks more and more like a little boy and no longer a baby!
Sweet Blue Eyes!!!

We're home!

We got to come home around lunch time yesterday from the hospital. While it is so nice to get out of the hospital and get your own routine started it's hard to say goodbye to the night nurses! Praise God my mom and Papa Steve are here to help us! They are helping out tons with James right now. He is doing great - he hasn't even acted like anything is different but of course he has his Papa playing with him 24/7 so we'll see what happens when it's just the three of us in a week or two. John-Mark is getting settled in as well. Even though it was only a year ago we did this with James you forget a lot but it's all coming back to us! So, even though we are exhausted we are enjoying just being at home with our boys!
Here are some pics from the last couple of days:

sweet sleepy babyoh baby! some friend came to visit us in the hospital and it was like a baby party. We all met about 4 years ago when we were newly married and without kids. Now all of us have one if not two on the way! Are these babies going to have fun growing up together or what!!When we got home yesterday I pulled out James' baby swing and bouncy seat for John-Mark. James never really took a liking to his swing when he was a baby but apparently he loves it as a one year old - when I walked in the room this is what I found:
"hey mom - this is the perfect seat for me"
"I'll just hang out here and eat my oh's" - he even has his little feet crossed and he was making it swing a little - too funny!
this is James in the swing at about a week old! I posted earlier that people told me when I had John-Mark, James would seem so old and I couldn't believe it but it's true and looking at this picture of how he was so little like John-Mark blows me away. When we got home yesterday and I picked up James I felt like I was holding a little boy! He is so much bigger to me now!
My two boys lounging in their "chairs"

John-Mark sleeping -

Now we're a family of 4!

It's amazing to think that in a little over a year we have gone from just the two of us to a wonderful family of 4! We are so blessed to have both of our beautiful boys! You can't imagine how much you can love them until you hold them in your arms and you can't remember life without them!
Our first born, James was born August 11, 2007 at 6:44 p.m. His little brother, John-Mark arrived today, August 14, 2008 (on his actual due date!) at 3:22 a.m. James was born the spitting image of his daddy while the jury is still out on John-Mark. He definitely has his mommy's skin coloring more so than daddy and so far has mommy's brown hair. James came up to the hospital today to meet his little brother for the first time. He was really more interested in the cords and gadgets in the hospital room than the new baby but these two are going to have years of fun ahead of them!!!
Here are a couple pics from the day!
John-Mark Allen, born August 14, 2008, 7 lb 9 oz, 20 1/2 inches long



We had friends that had their sweet baby girl, Evelyn Ruth two days before John-Mark and were just down the hall from us in the hospital - Mommy's and the babies-
The daddy's!

Soon and very soon!

I went to the doctor today and I am 3 cm dilated and I have been having contractions on and off all day so I am thinking/hoping John-Mark will be here within the next day or so! We will post as soon as he arrives!