Baby Lanie!!! (Alayna)

Hello fam. As you know, Emily gave birth naturally to Alayna Mae Milam on Sunday, August 28th at 7:17am at 8 lbs 2 oz 20 inches. We just went to the doc today to have her checked. She's doing really well. Her jaundice level was 1.3, which is much lower than Hannah's or Parkers was at this point--which is awesome (good job Em). Her weight has dropped down to 7 lbs 6 oz, so Emily is doing som 'marathon-feeding' today... then we're going to get her weighed again tomorrow. Oh, and she was measured again today: 21 inches tall, 14 inches around her head.
Hannah was a little scared to touch Lanie at first, but she warmed up to her quickly and gave her some kisses (yes, I said 'Lanie', that's what I call her)... although, I think she's more interested in watching movies in grandma's car than spending time with her newest competition for mommy's and daddy's attention. Parker is usually pretty rough, but he's been nothing but sweet and gentle with Lanie--it's so cute to watch him kiss her, he's SO careful. Mom and Dad have been taking care of Hannah and Parker (and us) up until yesterday afternoon when Em's parents picked them up to take care of them for a few days. It's been very helpful to have a [somewhat] quiet house recently, and to have prepared meals delivered. Thank you all very much.

Of course, we're not sleeping much, especially Emily, but the cries and shrieks coming out of Lanie's mouth are music to my ears (even with my earplugs out). Emily cannot stop taking pictures of her while she sleeps, she's so darn cute. She is "my precious." I don't know who has what pictures so I've put up a few here for your enjoyment. Thank you all again for all your support, I hope everyone is doing well. We love you all.

We blew past the holiday and birthday season without even a whisper on here. Sorry about that. So much happens in a span of five months that it would take forever to write (let alone the time it would take for me to remember--prego brain!) Let me see if I can sum it up here: Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas. Found out we're pregnant. Hannah's birthday. Parker's birthday. Now I'll post pictures. :)

Where does the time go?... ...Seriously, where is it going?!

Well, it feels like we have been keeping ourselves very busy the last few months. Brian's been working super-overtime and keeps busy on his days off (even if it's only one day between trips). He's been remodeling our bathroom--slowly but surely--and it's looking really awesome! We've been looking at that nasty carpet in there for years and saying to ourselves, "We'll get to it someday...". Well, the day came when Hannah decided to be sneaky and gather all of her giant legos and q-tips and play with them in the bathroom sink. Long story short, our bathroom was flooded and the carpet just had to go! You'd think the way the tile looks in there now a professional did it, but, alas, Brian is da man. Just can't wait 'til the finishing touches and we can finally use it (and stop competing for the one bathroom we're all using)!

While Brian has been working his tail off (ha! no pun intended) I've been busy looking for work. I got a little burned out because I was looking every day and sending in apps and resumes like crazy. After turning up only one serious interview opportunity, I really lost the job hunt mojo or whatever it is. I've been looking casually now, but it really wouldn't pay for me to work unless it is part-time, and even then it's not worth the gas. I really needed to refocus on being a mom because I could tell the kids were pining for more attention while I was on the computer. It literally felt like life was just going by while I was at the computer. It sucked! With Brian being away a bit, I was also neglecting other little things like dishes and laundry that would just pile up. So, back to livin'!!

We've been visiting family and friends a lot. Celebrating birthdays and whatnot. I've also joined MOPS and go to mommy-time meetings while the kiddos get to play with other kids their ages. Last meeting I went to Parker apparently kept trying to leave the room! I thought that was funny. Not leaving in the sense of 'I miss my mommy,' but more like, 'I'm gonna give these nice ladies a run for their money!' He is pretty fearless and so curious about everything. He's at that fun age discovering everything for the first time. Hannah was curious at that age too, but she was more dainty compared to Parker. He just goes full-force into things. Never had to baby-proof, but having second thoughts with him. And man, is he fast! If I drop something he shouldn't have on the floor, he just beelines for it!

I can tell Hannah is a little jealous of her brother, but she's also a sweetheart. She's starting to get the big sister thing and she likes to take control of things. I keep thinking she's turning into a tomboy because she's precocious and likes to get dirty in the backyard. (I never fathomed how much Spray n Wash I'd be using!) Then she sees a bug, screams, and is like, "eeeeeewwww, a spider! ... Mommy, a buuuuuuug!" I feel relieved and then put her in a dress just to put her in check. :)

A couple of weeks ago, the grandparents took us all to Leavenworth, the Bavarian-themed town for my birthday and to see Oktoberfest. It was fun to grab a bratwurst and kraut and much on gingerbread cookies. It was crazy busy there, but we enjoyed people watching and visiting and generally being outside was refreshing. Hannah got so excited about this toy shop where she found a unique wood doggie puzzle, which she plays with all of the time. Oh, and at dinner at this ski-lodge style place, Parker would not stop staring at the cute girls sitting at the table next to us. He even followed this cute brunette when she left down the hallway. It was sooo funny! When he got their attention, he just flashed this smile that only cute little baby boys do and did this thing with his eyes where they were almost twinkling! Lol! What a ladies man. Seriously, if anyone is looking for a date, you can borrow him as bait, 'cuz he attracts the "10's!"