Babysteps Photography, Lesson 1: The On/off button

Here is what I have learned so far: I won't learn anything unless I turn the camera on! I started out reading all these "learn how" websites (which I will continue to do knowing me), only turning the camera on to see how the heck everything actually applied to my camera. And, I'm pretty sure the manual is written in a foreign language. :) I have learned a good lesson so far, the manual and the websites won't do me any good unless I just turn the camera on and start snapping away! So I did! And my husband has participated as well (I will admit a bit of jealousy cause he seems to know a lot more than I do and his pictures look better than mine!) Bear with me, as I just uploaded over 400 pictures to my computer!!! We have had a great couple of weeks to capture--The Great LaPorte County Fair and even a little mini family getaway for a friend's wedding. Here is a sweet pic of my little man (courtesy of Images.by.Chris) to keep you entertained while I make my way through editing the other 400 some pictures! :) MMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm, ice cream!

My new toy, updates, and more promises!!

Ok, so I know the world has not stopped in its tracks because of my inability to keep up with this blog. The short of it...having two takes up a lot more time than I imagined it would! Not to mention, Logan has this amazing radar to know when the computer is open and will fly in from across the room (or the other room) to come pound on the keys, pull on the screen, etc etc. As you can imagine that has limited my blogging time to bedtime or naptime, formaly known also as my bedtime or naptime. However, Ive got a new toy and Im picking up a new hobby! Photography is something I have ALWAYS wanted to get into, and that desire has grown more and more since having children (the PERFECT subjects). I am planning to devote more of that former sleep time to my new hobby. My loving husband has made this all possible by gifting me, probably the best gift EVER---a brand new DSLR camera. (don't worry, I just learned what that means too) Basically, it means I have this really awesome camera, that I know nothing about! Its time to put my money where my mouth is and invest some of my sleep time into learning my new hobby! Im going to hold myself accountable by providing weekly updates (photo updates) of my learning progress.

My lesson learned this week...even on Auto, I hardly have to do anything to these pictures! Im very excited to learn the manual side of the camera, but for now Im just enjoying taking pictures without having to go in and edit every single one of them! Plus, I think I have finally got a picture that really shows their true eye color. A detail that is priceless to a mother! Whatcha think?

Ava is 3 and Logan is walking!!!

Where is the time going? Ava's 3rd bday was 3 weeks ago, this is how awesome I am at updating everyone! :) But, she had a wonderful birthday! We spent the sunday before at Grammy's house for a bday party, followed by Monday (her actual bday) with her best friends at the bounce house place, and then later that evening with Grandma and Grandpa Dilley! And Logan is walking more and more each day. He really started taking off this past weekend, after months of taking a few steps at a time. I thought Id do some spring cleaning on my blog, add some pictures, and a nice little update. We are all EXTREMELY ready for spring! Not a day goes by that Ava doesnt ask to go out and play. We were lucky with a week or two of park days and even one beach day! Hoping this 40 degree weather passes soon! Anyways, here are some pictures and video of the last few weeks...birthday, beach, walking, etc. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Logan's surgery

Logan had his hypospadias repair on Monday at Children's Memorial in Chicago. It could not have gone any better! It is such an awful feeling knowing your baby has to go under general anesthesia, but he did (and continues to do) amazing! We got there first thing in the morning, 730 am. I had woken him up at 330 am so he could nurse one last time. Knowing how much my little man eats, I thought being NPO was going to be so hard on him. But, he did great right up until it was time for him to head back to surgery. He crawled around in his gown, played peek-a-boo with the doctors and nurses outside his sliding glass door. He found his EMPTY sippy in my purse, which was enough to break my heart! He kept trying to shake it, then take a drink, then shake, then drink. Of course there was nothing in it. :( It was so hard to let them take him back! I thought I would be able to go back with him until he was asleep, but the anesthesiologist said he would be asleep within 2 min of leaving me, so its best if he just carries him back. UGH that was hard. But, Logan didnt cry, which made it easier. He just stared at the doc, holding his frog and sucked away on his paci. They put him under general, and also did a caudal block, which is like an epidural for pain control after the surgery. I couldnt believe how well he did!

They finished the surgery sometime around 11. The doctor came to talk to us for maybe 10 minutes, then we got to go see him in recovery right away. He was already WIDE awake and he had chugged down 4 oz of juice! He nursed right away and did so well they only kept us back there for a few minutes. We waited maybe another hour for his discharge instructions and prescriptions and just like that, we were on our way home! He didnt even snooze on the ride home. He took his normal nap and went to bed just like normal. He hasn't even been overly fussy, which is something we were definately trying to prepare ourselves for! Kids are amazing and so resilient! He was a little bummed today, after I took his dressing off. He seemed a little pissed off at me, but honestly thats the most change Ive seen in him ALL week! What a relief this has been! I keep waiting for the ball to drop and things to change. But, overall we are very thankful this is over with and that he has been holding up so well! What a trooper!

Mommy and Logan before Surgery

Playing peek-a-boo with the doctors and nurses

He found the empty sippy! :(

Trying to escape!!

AFTER surgery, still clinging to frog

Daddy and Logan after surgery
Grammy and Logan

Here he is later that day, 6 hours after surgery!!

Doctor appts!

Last week (or was it the week before?? lol) I took both kiddos to the doctor for their well-child exams! Ava's THREE yr appt (gasp) and Logan's 9 month appt, as well as his pre-surgery physical. Ava certainly impressed the doctor with her verbal skills, as she talked NON-STOP during the visit. Logan impressed the doctor with his eating skills and his motor skills, as he walked around (with my help of course) eating cheerios the whole visit. Both kids got a clean bill of health! Both are growing (at their own pace) right on track!

Ava's 3 yr stats: 29 lbs (25th%) and 36.5 in (45%)

Logan's 9 mo stats: 20.5 lbs (50th %) and 29 1/2 in (80th%)

Logan actually lost some weight since his 6 mo appt, probably because he has been moving non-stop since then! Doc thinks he is gonna be a lean, tall, eating machine. Maybe following in his Mumma uncles footsteps! He really is losing that baby look! :( Im sad about it, Chris is happy about it! He is more of a toddler person and Im MUCH more of a baby person! Its so amazing to watch your kids grow, definately bittersweet for me though! Here is a picture I took of him last week! Red nose and all, he had a little cold at the time! Also, note the fingers in the mouth! His top two teeth came through, making a total of 4 now! He has his surgery next Monday, so thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated! I know God will watch over him, but the mama in me can't help but be nervous! After I took this picture of Logan sitting in the chair like a big boy...Ava wanted to sit in the chair to show how big she is too! I need to post a new Ava-isms post. Ive got some doozy's from the last few weeks!

Logan: Our human garbage disposal

Ava has had the attention the last few posts, so today's nap time I'd like to dedicate to Logan, the human garbage disposal! My mom text me one morning as she is feeding him breakfast, "does he have a stop button"? I admit, Ive looked for one. The downside to this eating machine...at the ripe age of 9 months, he is already trying to eat us out of house and home. The teenage years are not looking pretty for my grocery bill!!

The plus side...he has a sister who eats like a bird! But don't worry...that food no longer goes to waste! I no longer get mad because I made her a grilled cheese that she took one bite off. Logan will eat it. I no longer get upset that I opened an entire can of peaches for her that went untouched. Logan will eat it. I CAN order her meals again when we go out to eat, because now I know what she doesn't touch, Logan will. Money not wasted. :) Left over pepperonis or half eaten containers of green beans that no longer have a place in the refrigerator? Don't worry, Logan will eat them. Cheese or yogurt that will expire in 2 days? No rush...Logan will eat it. Aside from the bottle filled with Pepsi, and the fried chicken he eats every night before drifting off to sleep...I don't foresee a trip to Maury Povich anytime soon. His rolls are trimming down, his face is getting leaner. I hate to say it but he is looking more and more like that active T word (toddler) than he is my sweet, chubby little baby! We go next week for his 9 mo and Ava's 3 yr (gasp) check-up. I'll be able to give a more accurate weight for my "little" guy. Speaking of toddling, he is getting closer and closer to walking. He loves his walker toy, and he loves to walk around the room holding your hands. He even gets brave at times and even tries it one-handed! We'll see...but, I have a feeling it won't be long!

I thought since the topic was about food, Id share some of the little man eating. The first two are of him eating blueberries. The pictures don't even do justice to the mess he made! He LOVES him some blueberries though!

The next two pictures I thought were pretty funny. Logan's favorite pastime lately...playing in the cupboards! I think he is looking for a snack, or planning his next meal! (check out all that snow through the window---blech). Then lastly, we are thinking about entering him in a chugging contest! haha. He puts his whole self into his drinking...then throws his cup when he is done. Typical male! :)




I know that every baby does "so big"...but its still sooo stinkin cute!

Ava-isms: Part One

We do this weekly "kids say the darndest things" post on a mommy forum I belong too. Its hysterical the things they come up with at this age. Ava has me laughing on a daily basis with some of the things she says. I wanted to start keeping track of them, and maybe some of you will find some entertainment in them as well! So, Id like to start a weekly post here too!

1. Everyone that walked into the room was a doctor. Didnt matter if it was housekeeping, the nurse, an actual doctor...they were ALL doctors. Anytime Id leave and come back she'd have another gift (she was 1 of maybe 3 pts on the floor and she was the only little one). Id say, who brought you that? She'd say the same thing everytime..."the doctor got me this" hahaha "the doctor brought me more apple juice", "the doctor made my bed", etc etc

2. In the ambulance...I had to sit up front, so she was sitting in the back by herself with the paramedic. I could hear the guy talking to her, but couldnt really hear their conversation. All of a sudden he comes up front by us and the driver asks him what he is doing. He said he was trying to entertain her by asking her questions and she turned to him seriously and said..."Im just going to close my eyes right now. No more talking." so, he turned the lights off and came up front. lol

3. So, then we get to the hospital and she came alive again and started talking nonstop. "Is this the hostital?" (hospital) "Are we going on the alligator? (elevator) Is that guy sick like me?? She yelled REAL loud, "Pooh, pooh, pooh, poohs on the floor". (we were all thinking she is talking about poo on the floor) Ava said "no, you silly, dare's pooh right dare on da fwoor." Sure enough, there was a huge winnie the pooh sitting right there! No, you silly!

4. My cynical little girl. Whenever we are watching tv, if she sees something not "real" she will let us know. "barney isnt real, dinosaurs cant talk, monsters dont talk"...etc. We were at dinner last week and my brother points to a dog that she is coloring and asks her what a doggie says. She turns to him all seriously and says..."Dogs cant talk!"...DUH! hahaha

5. She got so sick of me asking how she was feeling, one time she was laying in bed and it looked like she was gonna get sick. I asked her if she was gonna throw up and she said "Dont say that to me ANYMORE mom." I maybe was being a tad overbearing!


More to come...nap time is officially over! :(