I feel so behind in keeping up my blog! I'm sorry for those who faithfully check and wonder when I'm actually going to get something new on here. We're still alive and well. I think we're adjusting to being the parents of two children pretty well. At the moment though, I'm a single parent while Christopher is off at his preceptorship in Kennett, MO. He seems to be having a great time and gets to do a ton of stuff he wasn't expecting. This experience is reminding him of why he wants to be a doctor and gives him the extra endurance to get through the mind-numbing classwork part of medical school. He can't wait to actually be "doing" and his time in Kennett has given him a little glimpse of what rotations will be like. We're very glad he's having a good time, we just can't wait to have him home with us again.

I haven't posted much about our newest addition. Alexis is such a good baby. She's just so easy-going and has already started a good sleep pattern, allowing me at least 4-6 consecutive hours of sleep at night, after which she'll go right back to bed. I can actually have her sleep in the same room with us! She was a little tough in the beginning. We must be the most boring people in the world because Alexis would only spend about an hour a day awake! This made feedings a little tough but it helped me get some rest and not stress quite as much as I did with the bottomless pit we'd experienced the first time around. Another plus is that Alexis will take a pacifier. She doesn't keep it in her mouth for very long unassisted but she seems to like it. That was our saving grace during the 8-hour trip we made to Ponca City. We decided to bless Alexis there where the most family could be at one time. Christopher's mom made her blessing gown and it turned out beautiful.

It was so nice to see family again especially since we're not 100% sure of when our next visit will be. Though Kira struggled being away from home and a set sleep schedule, I know she loved being around an adoring and entertaining crowd. Having both sets of grandparents just a few miles apart leaves little time without loads of love and attention. I wish we took more pictures of the trip.

Anyway, since coming home we enjoyed the Fourth BBQing with friends and then inviting them over to our backyard to watch the fireworks show, which was practically in our backyard! Kira wasn't sure what to make of the fireworks at first and it didn't help that since they were being set off so close, it seemed like cannons were going off right by our house, complete with deafening noise and ringing ears. Needless to say, it was a late night. Since Christopher's been gone, the girls and I have occupied our time with trips to the library, park, Wal-Mart, and playing with chalk and the sprinkler outside. It's been tough juggling two kids alone, but at least when Christopher comes home and if the kids and I are still alive, I can be say that it can be done. I'm sure there will be more days like this ahead on our road toward "doctorhood". I'm grateful to have supportive and loving friends and family who check up on me and are willing to help when needed. Hopefully, we'll always be blessed to have such a wonderful safety net. Well, I hope that it isn't another month before you hear something new from me again!!

More Pics...

The updated Wood family picture

Sisters

Sleepy girl (One week)

Couldn't decide which turned out better-- first day at church

She likes chillin' with Daddy

Finally, one with her eyes open!

Our Sleeping Beauty

While my mom was down, she and Kira discovered the wading pools here in town. Needless to say, Kira was hooked. Since it's a little difficult for us to get out in sun with a newborn, we went ahead and got Kira her own little wading pool. She loves it! She's recently discovered the Little Mermaid, so she spends most of her pool time perfecting the art of "mermaid swimming". It's fun for her and we actually get outside a little ourselves and work on the garden (or our tans, when we get the chance!).

(Pardon the booger part)

Welcome...

Alexis Mylene Wood

Silly Kira...

Just a post of some random, cute things of Kira...just for kicks.

Kira "pretending" with her leftover dinner and dishes. (At least she ate most of it!)

A sleeping Kira. (If you look closely, her mouth is green due to a popsicle whose coloring could double for permanent marker!)

After pulling out baby stuff, this is how I found Kira.

Such a cutie! That red sundress she's wearing is her "pitty dwess"...she loves wearing it whenever she dances which almost all the time!

Tagged...

My friend, Jenny, tagged me so here it goes. I'm supposed to use the letters of my middle name to describe me...this should be interesting:

Y- Young. I know it, not very creative, but how many adjectives start with the letter "y"?Anyway, most days I feel really young. Like when people look at me and think (and sometimes say) "You're look so young to be married and have 1-1/2 kids!" Sometimes I still feel like I should be a junior in high school...it doesn't seem that much about me has changed, well, except for graduation, college, marriage, moving, kids...you get the picture.

V- Vintage. Not to say that I'm vintage, but that I like old things, like movies (classics, musicals), TV ("I Love Lucy"), historical sites (I love history especially Civil War and Church restoration time periods), music (big Frank Sinatra fan, but I pretty much like music from every decade), and I love going to museums (I haven't been to one in years, though unless you count the ATSU museum, which I really did enjoy).

E- Easy...easy-going, that is. I remember Christopher always teasing me when we were dating because whenever he would ask what I wanted to do on a date or when we hung-out, I'd always say, "I'm easy." I like going with the flow. I'm almost a push-over that way. But seriously, I'd rather help carry-out something than be the one planning and delegating. I'd almost rather do it myself.

T- Thrifty. I've never really been a big spender. Even as a teenager, I would love to go "shopping" but I could never bring myself to spend the wad of money I had saved for so long, so I'd usually come home empty-handed. Now that we're living on a very strict student budget, I have found that quality to to be very helpful!

T- Target-lover. I miss having a Target close by. I haven't lived near one since I was a teenager!

E- Eager...to learn new things. I've always felt that I'm not very good at any one thing. I'm no expert at cooking, sewing, crafts, art, etc. But I like to try new things and try to improve the few skills I have.

The Going's On...

Well, Mother's Day weekend turned out really nice. Though Christopher had a big test on Monday, he took time to pamper me. He cleaned and made me lunch Saturday while I was at a meeting and spent time hanging out in the evening. Sunday, he got up with Kira, did dishes all day long, made dinner, gave me a super cute card (and the message he wrote up himself...I love those!), cleaned up after Kira threw up after church and did some more laundry. Most of all, he made me feel so appreciated for the little things I do everyday and gave me a break from having to do them! Can't beat that.

Kira has not been herself this week. Her appetite is gone, completely, and she's had some kind of stomach bug. She threw up again today but I think she's on the mend. Hopefully, this was just the closing act and she'll be back to her old self soon. I'm just so grateful that she's sleeping really well! It's nice to have the luxury of a full night's sleep while I can!

Christopher hasn't quite had the same luxury. Though by choice, he's been studying so hard and really trying to get through this week of exams and prepare for next week's finals by getting up in the middle of the night to go to school. He's done SO well this week and I'm so proud of him. I guess those 3 o'clock in the morning bike rides to school have paid off.

On Thursday, I had a doctor's appointment and it looks like I'm starting to get ready for baby #2 to come! I'm dilated to a 1 (nothing impressive, I know) and softening, which could mean a few more weeks, but it's nice to know that I'm progressing already. Now if only I could feel more prepared in other ways for Alexis's debut...

Random...

It's been a while since I've been on. Just thought that I'd update with a few pictures and such. I've been keeping busy with some projects...yes, I'm actually getting them done! Yea!! Still need to go through baby clothes and stuff and get all of that ready. I can't believe that we only have a little over a month before we'll be holding another little girl in our arms...very exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. I remember having everything ready months before Kira was here (well, what I thought was "ready", being a novice). Here we are today at 34 weeks.

Like I said, I've been working on some projects, mostly in the girls' room. I had the wild idea that I could actually sew some curtains for their room without patterns and using some random material that I thought was cute. Well, it's finally done. At least it looks good in the picture!

I had a doctor's appointment today that went pretty well. Still measuring a little small, but after a quick ultrasound, everything looks fine. I just have small babies that like to settle head-down, low in my pelvis early and then stretch themselves out under my ribs. Makes sense why I look so small yet feel black and blue inside! And I've officially passed weight I was when I delivered Kira! Another yea!! Hopefully I can gain a few more pounds before Alexis is ready to get going!

And here's Kira's glamour shot. She did the makeover herself...can barely tell, can you? She loves getting into drawers and shelves in the bathroom. Of course, my make-up is her favorite naughty activity. She looks a little out of it here, partly because it's in the morning after she woke and because she knows she's been caught...it's more like a mugshot, if you ask me.

I like this one better! She's making an "uh-oh" face but is just trying to pose...not in trouble, yet!

I noticed that I don't post a whole lot about Christopher, which doesn't seem very fair to me sometimes. I just don't know what else to tell except that he's at school almost everyday except Sunday and when he's home, we just hang out. He did get elected as Secretary for the Radiology club at school and is waiting to hear about becoming a Student Ambassador next year. He had a pretty nerve-wracking test yesterday (thank you for prayers, family) which he did really well on and I'm so happy for him. He works so hard. I'm so glad he'll be home when the new baby comes...at the same time, it would be nice to have a time to travel or have some fun while he's home. He's a big homebody anyway, so I'm sure just being at home with no school to worry about for a little while is vacation enough! He's the best!!