Happy Anniversary

6 months 1 year
2 years

3 years

4 years
four years and an eternity more...

I love you!

One Month

It's so true when they say that with each child time goes by faster and faster. Abigail is one month old, but it truly feels like I just had her a couple of days ago. She is such a sweet baby and so easy going. I always thought Gracie was an easy baby, but now after having Abby I might change my mind. She goes along with everything and lets her sister treat her like a little baby doll. She is on such a good sleep schedule. I feed her before I go to bed at 10 and she wakes around 3 to eat and then again around 8...thanks Abby. She spits up quit a bit, but that's something I can handle. I'm really trying to enjoy every minute of Abigail in this newborn stage and get as much cuddles with her that I can. We love her so much! Of course someone else HAD to have her picture taken too.

Blessing and Easter

We had a fun filled weekend. Saturday morning we blessed Abigail at Nana and Pops house. We figured it was the perfect time to do it since family would be around and we were already together. Abigail was beautiful in her pretty white dress (the same one Gracie wore for her blessing) and looked like an angel. It was special having all of Ben's family there.

After the blessing we changed clothes and headed to the field for the big Easter Egg hunt. Gracie loved it! She knew exactly what to do after all of the practice we had been having at home. She was very good and didn't open her eggs until the end. We had a weenie and s'more roast after the hunt, then enjoyed being outside in the perfect 75 degree weather for the rest of the afternoon. Easter morning was a little cold, but I managed to get a picture after church. We sure enjoyed the weekend and being with family. Gracie had a blast on the Ranch with all her cousins and Abby was such a sweet easy going baby.

First Week Alone

I have officially spent one whole week by myself with no help. We were so sad for Grandma to leave last Wednesday, and I was nervous to begin a new routine with two kids. This week I managed to go to Target, Wal-Mart, Micheal's, doctors appointment, make dinners, keep up with laundry, and go to bed every night before 11, all with two little girls by my side. I must say that to my surprise, it was actually pretty easy. I think it helps having a very good baby. Gracie has been such a sweet big sister and I have loved seeing her help take care of Abigail. I know every week won't be this easy, but I'm counting my blessings for now.

Getting ready for Easter

I tried doing a little photo shoot...didn't turn out how I pictured.

Someone else wanted to try...

My sweet girl who's really into princesses these days

My other sweet girl!

1 Week Old

It's crazy how fast this week has gone. Abigail has been such a sweet baby and very patient with me and her sister. She sleeps wonderful, and I actually have to set my alarm at night every 4 hours to wake her up to eat. I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful daughter. We are doing great and have greatly enjoyed and appreciated Nana and Grandmas help this past week.

A Like

Like Gracie, Like Abby:

Gracie
Abigail

Abigail ended up having jaundice shortly after birth just like her big sister did. Ben and I stayed in the NICU with her over night under the lights to get her count down. Luckily it was only for one night unlike Gracie who had to be under them for 5 days. Her biliruben count is down now and we don't have to worry about it anymore. I guess for future kids we'll just have to assume that we'll end up doing the same thing.

Like Mother, Like Daughter:

Thanks to the sewing skills of my good friend, Gracie has her own sling for her own baby. We could have had a melt down otherwise.

Abigail Kathryn Martino

We are so excited to have another sweet little girl join our family. Abigail arrived Monday at 2:39 pm weighing 6 lbs 14 oz. and was 19 in. long. After my doctors apt. that morning I began having contractions. We arrived at the hospital at noon and I delivered a couple hours later. It was such a nice delivery and almost went to fast, but was a wonderful experience. She is so sweet and we feel so blessed to have such a beautiful healthy girl. Gracie played at her friend Logan's house that afternoon and came to the hospital later to meet her new sister. She was very cute with Abby and gave her lots of kisses.
Life is wonderful with two little girls. More pictures to come...

Hurray!

Let Spring Break begin. We are so excited that Ben will be around this entire week for his spring break. We hope he enjoys his sleep with no alarm , his time with us, and doing things he doesn't usually have time for. We are so proud of him and how well he has done so far. Now take a little break on becoming a doctor, and enjoy your spring break!

Sleep Standing

The other night when I went to check on Grace before I went to bed, this is what a came across... She didn't move an inch even after we took pictures and were laughing. Sleep tight sweet girl!

The Girls Room

Not too much has been going on lately except for preparing for our new little girl to arrive. Gracie's crib was recalled so we had to get another one (for free). It's pretty similar, but I actually think I like it better than the one we had before. We've had lots of fun going through all of Gracie's baby clothes and other baby things. I've especially enjoyed organizing and putting together the girls room. Hopefully it will all work out with them sharing a room.

Happy Valentines

We had a wonderful Valentines weekend. Gracie had a little valentines party Friday and loved all the candy, cookies, and hearts. Last night we waited for Graice to go to bed so we could have a nice relaxing dinner together. Ben grilled steaks and we enjoyed our peaceful time together.

Updates

I've been out of commission for a while with blogging because I accidentally dropped my laptop on the tile floor. I think my big belly got in the way. So, now I only have Ben's computer to use every now and then when he's playing basketball. Here is an update of the past couple of weeks in the Martino home:

Big Girl Bed: It only took Gracie a week to figure out she could get out of bed herself. She is very good though when she gets up and usually just plays in her room until we come and get her. When she tries to sneak out and we see her she runs back to her room and quickly climbs in bed...its pretty cute. As far as potty training, I'm not quiet sure I'm going to tackle that until after the baby comes...we'll see.

Doctors: Gracie had her 2 year check up and weighed 25 lbs and was 33 1/2 inches (both in the 25th percentile). She was very good and loved having the doctor check everything out. She was especially excited for her shot (I think it's because we play doctor a lot at home and the shot is her favorite instrument). Poor girl, she was in for a big surprise. Afterwards she kept saying, "I sad, I shot, I sad".

32 Weeks: I'm 32 weeks along and everything is going really well. I feel great and look forward to meeting this sweet little girl who moves around in my belly way more than Gracie ever did. If you have any suggestions on names we'd love to hear them. Gracie came with my to my apt. today and insisted on undressing because she remembers that from her apt. She was pulling at her dress when the doctor came in saying, "I nakie doctor". It was pretty funny.

Big Girl Bed

Gracie is sleeping in her toddler bed (at night and for naps) and has been for over a week now. It was a much easier transition than I thought it would be. Ben sang songs and laid with her the first night for about 20 minutes. After that, she went down fine (a little fussing) and has been doing great ever since. It is so cute to see her in there and it really makes her seem so much bigger. It's pretty funny because there are a few things to remember when putting her in her "big girl bed"... she is very particular:

-She does not like to lay under the quilt (no covers, which is why she still sleeps in socks and footy pajamas). She must be on top.

-Of course, she has to have baby and blankie

-In the morning she lets you know shes up by turning off her monitor and playing with her clock that plays music by her bed.

I am impressed that she hasn't yet tried to get out of bed. She waits for us to come get her. We'll see how long that lasts for. Next task to accomplish...potty training!

Party

On Friday we had a birthday party with Gracie and two of her friends who also have January birthdays. The theme was teddy bears and I made the cake. It was my first time making a cake like this and I really enjoyed it (even though it took a few hours). I think I might have to take a cake decorating class some time. Gracie especially liked the cake and sat at the table for 20 minutes enjoying every last bite.

All Day Celebration

We had such a wonderful day celebrating Gracie's birthday. We began the morning with pancakes and bacon on the "You are special today" plate. Of course we had to decorate with streamers and balloons to set the mood. That afternoon I had a meeting for church. Luckily the other women at the meeting have kids who Gracie loves to play with. We brought cookies and Gracie thought it was a play date just for her. After the meeting we met up with Daddy at McDonald's for Gracie's very first Happy Meal and let her play in the play area for the first time. She liked the chicken nuggets and especially the toy. It was hilarious watching Ben go through the tunnels and down the slides with her. After her nap, she opened her wagon from Nana and Pop and we went on a nice walk around the neighborhood. The weather was perfect. For dinner we had chicken and broccoli (one of Gracie's favorites) and then opened more presents. Her two favorite things were a flute/recorder (thanks Nora for the good idea) and Mickey Mouse blanket Grandma sent her. We ended the night with a Pazookie from BJ's. I don't think I've ever seen Grace eat that much dessert. She practically ate the whole thing by herself. She was definitely wild when she got home from sugar overload and was fun to play with. I think she somewhat understood it was her birthday, she definitely knew presents and treats were involved, understands that she's now 2, and was such a happy little girl all day!