Norrin Totally Rocks!

Last night, I made dinner to the soothing performance of my little rockstar, Norrin Radd Milligan. He knows where the volume control is on this particular toy and he knows that rock music sounds best when its really, really loud. His sister, Miss Ani Rose, has been accustomed to his ways since day one and slept through everything- the pre-dinner performance, the cooking and serving of dinner and all the conversation that happened in between (also at full volume because Norrin prefers to yell most comments at me like I'm in need of a hearing aid).

Father's Day Weekend

This was a whirlwind weekend for our little family. Pop Pop Fish (my dad) was visiting on Wednesday and Thursday. It was a short visit, but I was happy he had a chance to meet his new granddaughter and at this point, we don't do a whole lot except nurse and nap :). He left Friday morning. That night Norrin had his end of the year performance. They sang This Land is My Land and Under One Sky. He did a really good job and was just so stinking cute. I'm having a hard time downloading the video on the blog, so we'll have to settle for pictures for now. He was given a certificate because as of today he officially moved up to preschool. I gave him some playdough, took him to Friendly's then to a playground. It was a great day for him and an exhausting one for me. Ani slept through most of the adventures, then gave me a hard time when we got home :). On Saturday, we went to our nephew, Jack's, birthday party. Norrin loves playing with his cousins and gave us a hard time when it was time to go. To quote him directly, "I'll leave now, but I don't love you anymore and I'm going to live like a mean boy". As I've said before you can totally gauge how much fun he's had by how much he hates us when its time to go :). On Father's Day, we went out to breakfast, visited Pop pop Joseph in the hospital and went to the playground. Once again, Ani slept straight through everything. When we got home, I entertained both kids while Todd took a nap. Then, when Ani and I went up for a nap by some miracle, Norrin fell asleep on the couch at 6:30. Todd carried him to bed, I made a late dinner, we watched a movie and it was a very peaceful ending to his special day. Ani stayed up for most of that time, but she was so pleasant and then she was asleep by 9:30. It was a good weekend. And as of today, Norrin started preschool and Ani is exactly 2 months old. Time is just flying by with these two wild and crazy kids.


Ani right before we went to see Norrin's school performance.


Norrin sitting with his classmates. He was looking all over for me and was so happy when Miss Erin showed him where I was standing.

His graduation certificate. He's so proud to be a big boy going to preschool.

The calm, sweet little boy I came home with after a full day of adventures :).

Norrin passed out in the car about 15 minutes before we got to Uncle Steve's house.

A picture of Ani by Norrin Radd taken on Father's Day.

Ani at 2 months old!

How I've Spent My Maternity Leave

My maternity leave is more than half over. I can't believe how fast the time has gone and how big my little girl has grown in that time. As a slightly more seasoned parent, I've learned to take it a bit more easy this time around. I still feel a little bit guilty every time I resort to pancakes or crackers and cheese for dinner, but that guilt only lasts about 5 minutes. I snuggle my baby girl and I nurse her as frequently as she lets me, but this time around, I put her down to use the bathroom :). It helps that she is a very easygoing child. She's more willing to accept snuggles from other people, she doesn't always have to sleep right next to her food source and she is okay with quiet observation until its her turn for some attention. The house is still messy, but the dishes don't spend as much time in the sink as they did when Norrin was an infant and I have plenty of time for some knitting :) . I'm currently working on a cardigan. I started this project about a year ago. Then, I put it down when I was about halfway through because all that time I had been following the pattern incorrectly. Now, as part of a summer knit along, I've started over. The yarn was a gift from Todd for our wedding anniversary and I need to make something beautiful that I know I'll wear. A cardigan is a safe bet and the color will be lovely for fall. Other than that, I've been eating...a lot. I forgot just how hungry a nursing mom can get. The hunger is far worst than any hunger I experienced while pregnant. I have no problem packing away three, yes, three breakfasts. Yesterday, we didn't have any eggs, so I just reheated leftover Chinese food and that was my meal at 10 am. Its disturbing to me until I realize that not only do I feel better when I eat every 2-3 hours, but I have a freezer full of milk for my baby girl and very little fear of having to spend money on formula and the needle on the scale hasn't creeped up at all for me. As for Ani, today was her almost 2 month appointment and she is now 12 pounds, 8 ounces and 24 inches long. So proud to be the mama of a thriving infant.

Snuggling a sleepy Ani Rose.


The Hampton Cardigan in a cheerful yellow-orange.

The Franklin Institute of Science

On Sunday, we took the kids to the Franklin Institute of Science. We were looking for something different to do and we love places where Norrin can use up some of that 3 year old energy. The science part was well over his head (most of it's over my head, too), but every exhibit felt like a video game and he really just wanted to know how to play it :). You know he had a good time when he has a meltdown about leaving. He's so tired that he's starting to stumble around like he's had a few too many, but its just too much fun to leave behind. He was asleep about 5 minutes into our car ride home :).

First stop- everything you could ever want to know about airplanes and then some.



Then, on to the magic of electricity.


Norrin went through the Giant Heart, but not without Da holding him close.

He had no trouble climbing through the giant blood vessels without a parent.

Then, Norrin and I peddled some bikes to make our opera singers appear on a screen and tell us all about the importance of exercise. With every turn of the hand peddles, Norrin threatened to fall off the stool he was standing on. Thank goodness Da was close by.

And as for Miss Ani Rose, she was content to nurse in the not so private areas where seating was available, ride in her stroller and fall asleep in Mama's arms.

Our Newest Addition

Tomorrow will be seven weeks since this beautiful little angel blessed our family. She is a very thoughtful little girl. She is quite content to sleep...a lot. When she's awake, she's happy and observant. She has great head control already and has recently started "talking" up a storm. Norrin is a very loving big brother. He gives her hugs and kisses, wants to hold her, helps change her diaper (unless its really, really poopy) and talks to her. He calls her "Anigirl", which he's heard me say more than a few times. She also has earned the nickname "Lil Bit" from her mama because in all honesty, she's a very petite baby. Even at almost 12 pounds, she has such a delicate way about her that makes her seem smaller...to me. Everyone else comments on my giant baby, so I guess its just me :). As for juggling two children, I'm working on it. I've been taking each day as it comes. Some days the kids seem like they are ganging up on me. Some days Ani is just going to have to cry...because her older brother is a bit louder about his needs. Some days Norrin is the neglected one. And some days everyone ebbs and flows in a way that makes me wonder why we don't have six more children. Each passing week we have more good days as we learn to live with each other, as we accept that things are different and as we realize that while its a big change, its a beautiful one.


Ani sleeping (in a hat knitted by her Mama).
Norrin in his "Big Brother" shirt...Todd had to give Orwell a shout out- "Big Brother is watching".

Both my babies sleeping. This was when Norrin was in the middle of a terrible virus that lasted a good 5 weeks. He was miserable and he sounded like he was drowning in his own mucus every night. This was one of the few peaceful moments we had during that time. Nothing makes a parent feel more useless than a sick child that can only be treated with Tylenol and popsicles. Poor lil man.

My sleepy little girl.

Smiling in her sleep after a quiet nursing session with Mama :).

Ani Rose this morning...smiles for all of us.

Ani Rose Milligan

Born April 20, 2011 at 6 pm. 8 pounds, 13 ounces. 21 inches long.