Sibling comparison

Tyler left, Megan Right...What do you think??

Megan's 6 week photos

Our beautiful Miss Megan JoLynn age 6 weeks

Tyler's first corn on the cob

and he loved it!!!

caught!!! sleeping on the job!!! :) Tim is not used to this getting up early for work stuff so when he came home from work yesterday and I quickly handed him the fussy baby, they both went to sleep!!!

Happy Birthday, Joanna and Marisa!

Last week was the last week before my little sister Marisa headed back down to Florida and the last week before my Mom started back in to school so I wanted to be able to spend some time with all of them before all that happened. Plus, last Tuesday was my sister Joanna's birthday and Marisa's birthday is the 31st of this month so we had a little birthday party for them. The drive to get to West Virginia was challenging with both kids by myself, but we did it and really, the kids did great. I didn't get many pictures at all of the party because I was exhausted from the drive and had 2 kids to tend to!!

Joanna (and Andrew) blowing out the candles. Marisa helped but was off to the right of the picture and, like I said, I had two kids to tend to and didn't get the chance to change the lens on the camera to the one that would have allowed me to zoom out.

We, of course, had some fun in the pool as well, although, I didn't get any pictures of the boys in the pool. But here they are enjoying their pizza!! :)
Later in the week, Andrew and Joanna came over to play in the pool with Tyler and I was able to get some pictures then. Unfortunately, it was after Daniel and Stephanie had left. :(
My parents have this beautiful bay window that lets in beautiful natural light so I had to try to snap some pictures! I didn't get much time and didn't have any fancy clothes to put Tyler in, but hey, he's cute anyway. :)
I love how he is hugging the horse in the far left picture.

Its been almost a year since my grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer. Since then she has undergone chemo, radiation, surgery, and months of physical therapy. Her last scan revealed that the colon cancer seemed to be in remission, but she still has the melanoma spot that had metastasized to some lymph nodes in her chest. Thankfully, it hasn't grown in size and seems to be somewhat encapsulated where it is. I was glad that she got to meet her first great-granddaughter and that I could snap a few pictures of it. Megan may never get the chance to really know her so hopefully we will be able to cherish these few pictures for years down the road.

My aunt Jennifer and 4 of my 5 cousins were also able to meet Megan. Jennifer has only had a LITTLE bit of experience with babies. Just 5 of her own and all 4 of me and my sisters because she lived with us while we were growing up. Its hard to believe she is a GREAT aunt. Well, she is a great aunt... :)
Isaiah
Jesse
Jacob
and Ellie

The trip to WV was great and I was glad the kids cooperated...well, all but the last 20 minutes home. Megan decided that she was done with the car seat at that point, which, I can't blame her. It was a 4 hour trip back!

Megan's many faces

I take so many pictures of this poor girl it is ridiculous. So putting them in a collage is just the best way to go for trying to get as many of them as possible onto the blog. So, you know the routine. Just click on the collage to make it larger. :)

This one (in my opinion) was just too cute not to post by itself. Her biggest smile caught on camera yet! :)

sorry about the nasty burp rag underneath her...of course she couldn't smile like that when I hate a cute bow on her head with a nice backdrop and professional lighting up. :)

And, her face that only her mother could love...

that picture cracks me up

Oh Tyler...

A friend of Tim's family out in California got this onesie for Tyler and I have tried to get a cute picture of him in it and he just hasn't wanted to cooperate. But I thought this one was funny because it looked like he was trying to model or something with his "When God created me He was just showing off" shirt.

This is the most worthless hat I have ever seen but it was so cute on him when he was a few months old and I still think its pretty cute now. :)

hehe :)

Tyler and his bear...he would carry it around with him all day long and everywhere we went if it was up to him. But bear, along with binkie, stay in his crib until nap time and bed time. I know, I'm such a mean Mommy. :)

And, aren't those jammies the cutest little things?! I got them at a mom sale and they are just so cute on him!

First Bath Together

I know they will kill me for pictures like this later in their life but for now, I can't resist. :)

Bedtime tickles and giggles

I can not begin to explain how much I LOVE Tyler's little giggle. Sometimes on the worst days, Tyler's laugh and goofy smiles are the best pick me up. He also gets slap happy before bed usually and last night was no exception. :)

15 month appointment

Tyler had his 15 month appointment today. It is official now. He is a healthy, happy, growing boy! He was 34 inches long which puts him off the chart. The pediatrician just said >97% because that was as high as her chart went. :) And of course, on the opposite end of the spectrum he was 23lb 2oz which puts him somewhere around 25-30% for weight. I don't remember his head measurement but he was in the 75th there. He had to get 3 shots. :( But he did great and made us proud! We did have to get a referral for a geneticist because of his upcoming surgery. Tim has a genetic disorder called Ehlers-Danlos and the pediatrician wanted to make sure he either had it or didn't have it before going under the knife. This poor kid has seen a surgeon, a urologist, and now a geneticist in his short little life.

Tyler has 8 teeth and the longest eyelashes ever. He has yet to have his first haircut and I still think it may be awhile. The hair that he does have is almost white and very fine. He is still the cutest little boy I've ever seen. Tyler's favorite toy is still any color or size ball although he also seems to like everything he isn't allowed to play with as well (bottles of hairspray, the plunger, anything out of the trash, and his sister to name a few). He loves being tickled and loves being chased, especially by his Daddy. He has the cutest little laugh. He is incredibly clumsy which he got from both of his parents and loves to climb. He is frequently caught standing on the seat of his tricycle with no hands. He loves being upside down and just recently started doing somersaults on his own. He loves playing in the tub and splashing in his little pool... or the toilet if we forget to put the lid down. He loves riding on our neighbors gator and sitting on the lawn mower. He is in heaven when we let him "drive" down our road. He is attached to his bear and binkie still but that's okay with me. It will keep him a baby a little longer! He "talks" all the time although most of it isn't able to be understood. He does say quite a few words though. MaMee (Mommy), DaDee (Daddy), daw (dog), ki ka (kitty cat), wa (walk), owsi (outside), jew (juice), baw (ball), baby, Meme (Megan), doh doh (hotdog), hi, no (my personal favorite word...), Shoo (shoes) are the ones I can remember right now. He is starting to try to repeat after us a lot though. He knows what sounds a cat, monkey, and dog make, although, for a dog, he pants. :) He is eating us out of house and home although you would never know that based on the whole 25th percentile thing. He loves green beans and really all vegetables. He is also like his Momma and loves bread. He still does his sign language and signs please, thank you, all done, more, amen, and milk (drink). He has just started to blow kisses and likes to give them to complete strangers. He waves bye-bye but usually after we leave. He is such a silly boy which is what we call him frequently. He is so sweet and still loves to cuddle before bed. He is starting to develop more of a love for books and reading. He gives lots of spontaneous hugs and kisses (that look more like he is biting) and we pray that he stays this sweet as he gets older. He fills our home with so much joy, excitement, and laughter and we thank the Lord for him.
(click to see it larger)

1 month

Sweet little girl
Wide eyes!!Our little Megan JoLynn turned 1 month today and I don't think I can begin to wrap my mind around all my thoughts on the subject. Sometimes it seems like an eternity ago that we barely made it to the hospital in time for her to be born and other times it feels like just yesterday. I am so very thankful for God giving Megan to us and that she is a seemingly healthy and happy baby girl. What kills me though is that I still feel like she is an outsider in our family...I know many of you are probably thinking that I am like the worst person in the world for saying that but I have to write these thoughts down so that I can try to make some sense of them. I feel like Tyler has been a part of our family forever. I know him so well. I know his laugh, his cry, his fears, his favorite toys and favorite foods, I know what makes him giggle everytime...I know I have only had 1 month with Megan, but I feel like I don't know her at all. Let me first say that I am absolutely head over heals for my little girl and love her more than words can describe. She is everything that I dreamed of while I was pregnant and so much more. God has blessed me so much for allowing me to be her mother. I think about all the things that have happened over this past month and all I can say is that it feels like it has been an eternity. Most people say things like "she is getting big so fast" or "boy, time has just flown by" and when they say them I can't help but think the exact opposite. This past month has been so long for me. I have struggled with postpartum emotions, multiple doctors visits and still no answers, breastfeeding difficulties, sleepless nights, more tears that can be counted, and just plain old exhaustion from taking care of my kids. I have wept for time to go faster, almost wishing Megan to get past this newborn phase. Selfishness, I'm sure, is the main cause of this, I long for normalcy. I long for more sleep. I long to get a better grip on my new life. I long for the time when I have answers for Megan's periods of fussiness. I long most of all for the feeling of not being able to imagine our lives without Megan, a feeling that I remember feeling so soon after Tyler was born. Again, let me clarify that I love Megan to pieces. There is just something different. Its like there is a fog over my eyes and my heart not allowing me to completely love her and accept her into the family the way that I did Tyler. Maybe this is a normal feeling toward the second born. Maybe its because its not all new. I feel like I have spent so little time getting to know Megan. I remember lying on the floor just staring at Tyler for hours and of course, time doesn't allow for that now. I remember talking to him more. Giving him little massages after his baths. Rocking him. Singing to him. Enjoying him...I feel like so much of the time I just tolerate Megan. Maybe its because I have tried so much harder this time than with Tyler to "get" breastfeeding. Maybe because of all the frustration and almost complete anger toward that I have somehow pushed her away. I sit here weeping with her lying on my chest feeling so guilty and angry with myself for these feelings. Is this really the person I have become? I feel like my enjoyable times with her have been so few and far between. Don't get me wrong, I love holding her and cuddling with her. I do rock her. I do sing to her. I do talk with her...although when I do it just feels weird. Maybe in reality this was the same way I felt toward Tyler at the beginning I just don't remember. I know that many people say that the first few weeks and months of a babies life is considered survival mode. I have even heard some call it the "4th trimester." Which is why a big part of me just wishes to be done with the "survival" time. I have caught myself MANY times saying things like "ok, 3 weeks down, 5 to go." I am wishing my precious baby girl's life away!!! What kind of mother am I?? My selfishness astounds me. It angers me to the point of screaming. Yet, day after day I stay the same. When will I change? When will I have the selflessness and patience that my kids need and deserve from me? Writing this out isn't helping me make sense of my feelings...its making me more confused. I make NO sense! I just pray that this funk that I am in goes away soon and that I learn to take control of these feelings that I have. I pray that I will bond with my daughter and that I learn to love her the way that a mother should and as Christ loves her. I pray that I learn how to be selfless. And yes, I do pray for patience. I am sure most of you probably think I am the worst person and mother in the world right now for saying some of the things I have said and quite honestly I would rather not have said them to anyone else at all because I worry about what people will think. But I also know that I needed to write this out and since I don't journal, this is the closet thing I have. Maybe if I feel these things with our next baby I won't feel as guilty if I am able to go back in time and read my thoughts. I know that I will feel completely foolish and stupid for thinking some of these things. I know that a year from now I will not be able to believe how fast time went and I will wish I would have held onto each moment more. I am trying to live with no regrets, no "I wish I would haves" but when you are in the difficult moments, it is so hard. Lord, grant me the selflessness, the love, the gentleness, and the patience needed to be Megan's mother, Tyler's mother, and Tim's wife. I can NOT do this on my own.

A little brotherly love...

Tyler is just so sweet with Megan and I have yet to get a video of it that truly captures it...this will just have to suffice for now. I can't wait to watch them grow up together!! I have a feeling they will be inseparable!

Cousins Come for a visit

This past week, my sisters Joanna and Stephanie and their boys, Andrew and Daniel were able to come along with my Mom to visit and meet Megan for the first time. It was a lot of fun seeing all the boys interact again. They are getting to be more and more fun to watch the older they all get...and they definitely starting to get into more trouble! :) I can't wait to see Megan in on the action.

Daniel is going to be a big brother in December. He did great with Megan!

Andrew tolerated it well... :)
There are no words...
:)
One of our neighbors, Jay came up with his gator that Tyler loves so much and he and Daniel got to play on it awhile. Such boys... :)
Fun in the pool!
Daniel was giving Tyler a hug and Tyler really wasn't enjoying it
Megan just hung out with my Mom while the boys played
Superman! err woman... :)
Megan is so fat...not used to that!!

This would have been perfect if my mom would have had Megan too...at least this shows her with all of her grandsons!
Silly boys!
I had a great visit with both of my sisters, my nephews and my Mom and was sad to see them all leave. At the same time though, we have now had company at our house for just 2 days shy of 4 weeks and it has been kind of nice to be on our own these past few days. I am getting my own routine of daily life and managing my two kids, my husband and my home. Now if only I could get some more sleep...

I take too many pictures...

...so sometimes I have blog posts that I can't come up with a good title. :)
Here are the Schramm kids! Big brother Tyler and baby "Meme" as he calls her.

He likes holding her hand and giving lots of kisses!
No, he isn't biting...that's just how he kisses
Thanks Mom for the adorable dress!