Getting back on track!

Well shame on me. It has been too long since I have updated my blog! I have been so involved with that darn Facebook and haven't even thought to update everyone on here! So here it goes!

We are living in Metairie, LA, in Danny's uncle's house. Our neighborhood is wonderful, and we have put up a pool in the backyard so the boys are having a great summer! Christian will be starting school on September 9 (I can't believe it!) and he will be going three days a week in the mornings. I think he will get so much out of it, and I will love having some time with just my baby Gabey. Speaking of the monster, he is not such a baby anymore!! He is in 24 month clothes, is solid and muscular like Christian was, and he babbles all over the place! His vocabulary is small, but he makes up for it with his actions.

I am doing well, enjoying being a stay at home mom (most days). I've taken up a few hobbies lately, the main ones being photography and all things Twilight lol. Yes I know, shut up, I love it. My dear friend/cousin's wife, Melissa, has also taken up photography, so we are learning alot together and having alot of fun!

A few shots of the family:

Turning 1!!

Well I can't believe it. Gabriel is turning ONE in less than a month! Where did the time go? It seems like yesterday that I was in labor at 36 weeks, then holding that tiny little baby in my arms. I watched him grow before my eyes, turning into a little person. Now he is walking, babbling, eating on his own, and turning into a wonderful little boy. He and his brother are starting to become friends, though a bit of hair pulling is usually involved in their activities.

I took Gabriel's pictures over the weekend, and I'm pretty pleased with how they came out.

Christmas Pictures

I decided to use my new camera to take my boys Christmas pictures this year. Gabriel's came out great, and Christian's....not so much lol. It's not easy at all taking pictures of a 2.5 year old toddler tornado! But I got one good one of him by the tree, with his Saints jersey on of course because that's the only way he would pose for me. Enjoy!

Shameless Plug

I am starting my own mini-business! I have taken up knitting again, after many years, and am now starting to sell some of my creations! Mainly the Baby Cocoon and Hat set, which have gotten lots of interest after giving a set at a baby shower. So I wanted to share with you all! I'm working on a page at Etsy to sell them on, and I have Paypal all set up for transactions with my customers. It is very exciting, and I'm so happy to be bringing in some extra money for my family! Now to come up with a catchy name...

Here's one of the sets I'm about to ship off to someone. The cocoon is like a really long sock (kinda) that keeps baby warm and cozy, but not quite as tight as a swaddle would be.

Pre-Halloween

This past weekend we went to a Halloween festival at Danny's shipyard for the kids. Christian was a fireman and Gabriel a spider. Gabe's costume didn't stay on long, but he was cute anyway. Christian looked a bit weary when we entered the tent. There was scary music playing, and people dressed in haunted house garb. About 3 minutes later the tears started. Poor thing was so scared! We ran through it to get outside by the bounce houses. He chippered up then, and had a good time. On Halloween we are going to my brother's party, and hopefully there will be no monsters there!

New Milestones

Gabriel is growing up so fast, it seems he is doing something new everyday! He will be 7 months old this week, though his adjusted age is 6 months, but we aren't really going by that anymore. He rolls over front to back and back to front, sits up on his own for long periods, can put his binkie as well as puffs in his mouth easily, eats all Stage 2 baby foods, and is starting on mashed "adult" food such as banana, biter biscuits, stuff like that. He's an awesome baby! His eyes are still bright blue, and we are thinking they will stay that way. Christian was a dark brown eyed boy at about 8 weeks old. And that boy is getting so big too! He has used the potty quite a few times now, only peepee, but hey it's a start! His conversations skills are really getting good too! And a few pics of the boys...

A Day at the Park

With all the bad weather we've been having lately, plus the hurricane threats, we haven't gotten out much in the past month. Poor Christian has been going stir crazy, so we took the boys to the park! There was alot of debris from Gustav, but the park was in good shape and the slides were intact. Christian is getting so good at climbing by himself, and he will even go down the slides without me standing at the end to catch him! Such a brave little boy.


I got some great shots of the park, and Christian loved all the cool bridges. Gabe just sat in the stroller (or the Double-Wide as I call it lol) drinking a bottle of breastmilk.




And for a final note, I have mastitis AGAIN for the THIRD time! How is this possible?

New Camera!

I have finally gotten sick of my stupid little camera that takes horrible pictures, and am now using a much better, high quality camera. I am so excited! The difference in my pictures is amazing, and I'm having so much fun taking pictures of my boys. I am also using my graphic software again, from when I was studying graphic design in school before Katrina. So I guess you could say I have a new hobby! A few examples of my new camera's work:

Amazing Mommy Website

I came across this website www.mom4life.com last week and it has become one of my favorite sites around. Mom4Life carries products made for moms by moms, so purchasing anything here can help SAHM's! As a SAHM myself, I will do anything to help out a fellow SAHM. I purchased the Razberry Teether for Gabriel, and also a teething necklace that is so beautiful for me to wear, but is made of silicone so Gabriel can chew on it! Check it out girls, they also have FREE SHIPPING on any and every product shipped in the USA!

5 months old, hanging with London

Gabriel Neal turned 5 months old yesterday. To celebrate, we took him out to lunch (well, took myself out to lunch lol) and my cousin's wife Melissa and her daughter London joined us. London is FIVE DAYS older than Gabriel, so seeing them grow up together is turning out to be so much fun. We can already tell that she will be the boss of Gabriel lol, and he certainly lets her!


Gabriel had some brother time with Christian too, and when Christian tried to leave Gabe wouldn't let him!

These two are turning out to be very good friends, thankfully! I'm so glad that I have two boys, to love each other and be best friends, and beat up on each other one day. It's so much fun!

First trip to the Aquarium

Last weekend we ventured out into New Orleans, and decided to go to the Aquarium of the Americas. We walked through the Riverwalk, and had lunch there, looking out onto the river where the barge was leaking all the fuel. What a mess. We then walked down to the Aquarium, and Christian was beyond excited. The first thing he was was a tunnel through the biggest fish tank we had ever seen. He couldn't get enough of it!


We walked through the entire thing, well Danny and Christian walked through, I had to stop every so often to nurse Gabriel. Little piggy. Christian then went into the hands on area, and he pet a shark! He was so brave!

The boys passed out on the way home, and Christian wanted to watch Nemo when he woke up. It was a good day, and we'll surely go back!

The Bluest of Eyes, where did they come from?

I look at Gabriel everyday and think "whose baby is this?" He has the bluest eyes, and with me, Danny, and Christian all sharing brown eyes, we wonder how on earth it happened! Well I kinda know, my mom's side is all blue eyed. Gabriel actually looks just my older brother did as a baby, the same eyes and hair color. As he gets older his hair gets a little more reddish brown too. I love it.

Growing up so fast

I was in Christian's room today, playing on the floor with him and the 200 Hotwheels he owns, and it dawned on me how fast he is growing up. Then I looked over at my almost FOUR MONTH old baby, and I thought "where did the time go?" It seems like yesterday that I was pregnant with Christian, scared I wouldn't know how to be a mommy. Then his first year flew by, and now my second pregnancy and birth are over too! My boys are so wonderful, I am so blessed. And they love each other, which is so exciting to watch. Christian will hug or kiss Gabriel every chance he gets. He will even bring him a burp cloth, binkie, or blanket if he thinks it's needed. It's so cute. Gabriel is holding his head up, interacting, smiling, laughing, holding toys...just growing up all over the place!!



Now as both of my children nap, I take a minute to relax, then I realize I am bored. When are they gonna wake up so I have someone to talk to?!

Gabriel's Baptism

On Sunday, June 1, we had Gabriel baptised at St. Dominic Church here in New Orleans. It was a very hot day, but we were excited for the event and party that followed. Both boys were very well behaved in church, and Gabe only cried when the cold water was poured on his head (why don't they heat that stuff up?)

Danny's sister in law Gina and my brother Garrett are the Godparents. Lots of family and friends joined us and made it a very special day.

Christian and Gabriel's cousin London is 5 days older than Gabriel, and they are best friends! She came to the party and they hung out.



It was a wonderful day, and I'm so proud of both of my boys.

First Trip to the Zoo!

On Sunday we took the boys to the zoo for the first time. It was a typical hot New Orleans day, but we went early, put on sunscreen and hats, and prayed for a breeze. Christian had a wonderful time, at first he was actually speechless when he saw the elephants. I don't think he realized what he was going to see! But seeing actual, real animals was the highlight of his life I think! He even went into the petting zoo to pet and feed the goats!

Then we ate some lunch, walked around the rest of the zoo and played on monkey hill. It was a good day, and I enjoyed spending time with my toddler.

Gabe was a perfect baby, he layed in the back half of the double stroller and just looked around. Didn't make a sound, unless he was hungry. My kids are so great! I can't wait until they are just a bit older so they can enjoy each other as much as I enjoy them.

On the way home, the boys were worn out so it wasn't long before they passed out!

Mastitis

Yep, I have mastitis. It's painful, probably one of the most painful things I've ever encountered next to childbirth. It started yesterday with red bumps on my breast, then went into aches and chills, fever, pain, and joint stiffness. By this morning the red dots had merged into one big red blotch on the top of my breast. Called my doctor this morning and she sent me to the ER to get checked out. Luckily, they said I caught it early and 10 days of antibiotics should do the trick. I'm nursing Gabe on that side as much as possible, but the pain is unbelievable!! Hopefully it starts to get better soon, I have way to much to do and can't afford to be sick like this!

Getting settled in...

Well the move is complete, we are home in New Orleans! I am so thrilled to be a whole family again, and Christian is really responding well to everything that's been going on. We are living in Lakeview, about 3 blocks from where the levee broke during Katrina. It's kinda creepy seeing that, and there's still so many homes untouched, but it's slowly coming back. We are one of 2 homes on our block, the other lots were destroyed. I'll get pics of the house one of these days...

Gabriel had his 2 month appointment last Friday, and he is weighing a whopping 13 pounds 12 ounces, and is 23 1/2 inches long. He looks great, is getting fatter by the minute, and his eyes are still BLUE! We can't believe it, but they are beautiful big blue eyes!

Getting chunky!

Gabriel's growth is just amazing me. I don't remember it being this way with Christian, but then again he was born at nearly 40 weeks weighing over 9 pounds. With Gabriel being over 3 weeks early and just a peanut, his growth is so rapid and now he is in size 2 diapers (a big change from the preemie's he was in 2 months ago) and growing out of 0-3 month clothes! He has his 2 month appointment this coming week, and I can't wait to see how much he weighs. His little face is SO fat and he even has rolls on his arms and wrists, not to mention his thighs. This makes me proud, since I breastfeed him and now I really know he is getting enough!

2 Year Doctor Visit

Today we went to see Dr. Goodman for Christian's 2 year appointment. First let me say it is NOT easy holding his hand, holding Gabriel's carseat, and the diaper bag all while walking into a building, getting in the elevator, and going to the doctor's office. I must have lost 10 pounds doing all that!

Back to the appointment....

He is doing great, growing perfectly, and hitting all his milestones! He is a whopping 31 pounds, is exactly 36 inches tall, and his head is almost 21 inches (thanks to daddy). I filled out a profile for signs of autism (standard form) and his doctor said there is nothing from that to be concerned about, so yay! He did have to get 2 shots and his finger pricked to test for lead. He hated his shots, and looked so brokenhearted! I got teary eyed, as I always do.

Next week is Gabriel's 2 month appointment, then the week after that we move back home to New Orleans!!

First blog post!

Well, blogging is a new world to me. But my dear friend Katie has a family blog which allows everyone to keep up with them since they've moved far far away. Since many of my friends and family are away from us, I thought it would be great to do the same! So I stole it, thanks Katie! hahaha

As it stands right now, we are currently living in Gulfport, MS, but our house in under contract and we are in the process of moving back to Louisiana! Yay! We will either be in Lakeview or Metairie, and Danny is back working in Avondale at Northrup Grumman. Christian is THRILLED to be living with his daddy again, he can't wait! It's really hard being here with the two boys by myself, but it's manageable.

Christian is getting so big so fast. He turned 2 on April 13, and he amazes me everyday. He is starting to speak more and more, and is curious about everything! Gabriel is growing like a weed, eating constantly and sleeping alot, except for at night. Yes, I am sleep deprived! But I know it will get better soon. He is just making up for being over 3 weeks early, that's alot of growing he missed out on! He actually smiled on purpose for the first time yesterday, and it melted my heart. I tried to get a picture, but I was too slow. Oh well, better luck next time!