Today we attended The Great Pumpkin Race at Ricky and Cate's school. David had a fantastic time being around so many kids and all the excitement in the air. 

He found his cousin Cate right before Ricky's race was about to start. 

 We watched Ricky run in his race. He did awesome!! David loved cheering for his big cousin. He would yell as loud as he could whenever we would see Ricky running by.

David and Big Daddy, so proud of Ricky

Then we had a picnic lunch

My pretty little girl is 3 weeks old today!

David turned 18 months old today! Unbelievable. 

And so was his morning...

This morning David attended his first Mother's Morning Out program at a local church. It's a drop-off, three hour long, fun playtime for him. He was excited to see so many toys in one room and went right in to start playing. There was another little girl about his age there and they played with one of the teachers while I was filling out registration forms. He seemed to be pretty comfortable. So instead of making a scene, I just slipped out of the door unnoticed by David. I came home and figured he probably realized I was gone and may have cried for a moment or so, but got back to playing soon after. Well, that's not how it went. An hour after I dropped him off, my phone rang. The teacher began to tell me that David was doing great until another little boy came into the room. When his mom left, he started crying which made David cry. The teachers had been trying to console him for the last hour, but he wasn't calming down. So, he came home. 

It broke my heart to think of him crying for so long, wondering where his Mama was. So, I think when we go back (yes, we are going back) we will go about things a little different. I really want David to know that he can trust these ladies and that I will be back soon, so he should just have fun until then. 

On a happier note, here's David saying his name. While Ma was here helping me after Rachael was born, she started working with him on saying it. If you listen closely and can speak 18 month old, he says, " Daaaaay did" when I ask him what his name is.

Pumpkin Carvin'

Yesterday evening we carved our pumpkins. David loved helping his Daddy.

proof that I was there

Rachael was there too

Playing in the pumpkin guts

Giving Daddy his approval 

He was so excited about the whole process

Sitting with the finished products. Please note the sunglasses. Because of the flash on the camera, it may be hard to tell but, it was dark outside. 

Pumpkin Pickin'

Yesterday we went to a local farm to pick out our Halloween pumpkin. David had SO much fun running around the pumpkin patch and picking out the perfect ones. 

Here are some little ones!

taking a ride in the wheelbarrow 

trying his best to push it like Daddy 

A green pumpkin!

walking with Daddy like a big boy

He didn't totally understand how this worked, but he knew he wanted to be the cow

Handsome little boy

Our two little pumpkins

Our family

Rachael turned 2 weeks old yesterday.

Just when I think he can't get any cuter...

And, yes, that is the same hat he wore this time last year. 

We always say a blessing at dinner time and now David likes to add his own words of thanks.

Today I took both kids to the doctor (all by myself!). The doctor's office was nice enough to combine these two visits even though David's original appointment wasn't until next week. Rachael just needed to be weighed to be sure she is growing. She is indeed! She gained an entire pound in one week!! The doctor actually remarked that my milk must have some very good stuff in it. So, she is now 7lbs. 9 oz.
David was in for his 18 month check-up and two shots. He passed his overall check-up with flying colors and then didn't even cry when he got the shots! I was amazed. He is such a strong boy. He weighed in at 24 lbs. 15 oz. (40th percentile) and was 32 1/2 inches tall (60th percentile). I wasn't able to take pictures of the kids on the scale this time- things were a little chaotic. But, here they are waiting in the room for the doctor.

 A BIG Day

Rachael's umbilical cord fell off on Friday, which meant she was free to get a real bath! Her cousins, Ricky and Cate, along with Uncle Rich and Aunt Laureen came to visit today. Cate was super excited to help with Rachael's first bath. Rachael did GREAT. She was extremely happy in the nice, warm water. Eventually, we got a little bit more help from David and Ricky. 

Ricky and Cate brought a potty for David to use as we ease our way into potty training. David was super excited to have his very own potty!! After we waved goodbye to them all this evening, we came in to start making dinner. David was "helping" me when all of a sudden he needed to go sit on the potty. We ran to the bathroom and, just like that...he used the potty!!! I was SOOO proud of him and he was pretty proud of himself too. So much for easing into potty training!

Rachael turned one week old yesterday!

Precious Babies

David adores his little sister

He also loves having his picture taken

Sweet little girl

Funny little boy

My best shot at taking a picture of Rachael during outside playtime. This is her favorite place to be whether we're inside or out.

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

It has been raining A LOT over the last few days which has kept David inside. He was going stir-crazy when all of a sudden he found a new place inside to play...the dryer! What a goofball.

Finally the sun came out today and he was able to play outside again. He was SO excited! He pulled his chair out in the yard and held his little sister for the first time (with a bit of help, of course). Today was also the first day I took care of both kids without Ma's help. She had been here since Rachael was born and was a HUGE help to me. I was a bit nervous as she drove away, but I know, with a little practice, I can do this!

Then David was off like a shot to explore the entire yard!

Rachael spent outside play time sleeping in the Moby wrap, but I can't take a picture of myself wearing it, so here's one of her hanging out with me while David took a nap. 

Every night she is getting better and better at sleeping between feedings. I am happy about that! She is a precious little girl. I am blessed beyond words to have two healthy, beautiful babies and I thank God for them several times a day. I will always wonder what I did to deserve them. 

Rachael went for her first check-up today. The doctor used the word "fantastic" to describe her. She has lost a little bit of weight, which is completely normal and expected. Her coloring is great and everything else checked out perfectly as well. The doctor was impressed by her lung capacity- she can be very loud when she wants. He joked that "she needs a little WD40 for that cry" because sometimes it sounds like the pitiful screech of a baby bird.
Rachael is still learning how to sleep at night. She spends a lot of time awake between 1:30am - 5:00am, which means her Mama does too! But, we do have to cut her some slack- she's only 3 days old.

David is a GREAT big brother. He is so gentle and caring with her. He hates to hear her cry and has to check on her to make sure she is okay. He loves to touch her ears and watch her eat. Whenever he comes into the room where she is he points to her and lets out a big "Ooooohhh" then he's off to play again.

IT'S A GIRL!!!

On Friday, October 7 at 8:52am, our family of three added one more. Rachael Evelyn was welcomed into our family with loving arms. She weighed in at 7lbs. 3 oz. and was 20 inches long. She is perfect. David adores her already and is surprisingly very gentle with her. To take her home, she was dressed in my (30 year old) "going home" outfit and bonnet Ma made from a handkerchief Ryan's Aunt Angie made for me to have on our wedding day. 

Our family of four leaving the hospital

Our beautiful little girl

Rachael's first time in a car seat

Both kids in their seats

The BIG brother

Our family at home