awe of you

i can't describe the feeling of admiration, joy, delight, breathtaking... in awe of you baby love. looking at my children honestly leaves me speechless at times. lately i have been stopped with moments of such bliss and pride that i can't help but say a million times a day, "i love you lil! i love you rowen!" their reactions too just make me repeat myself... Lillian looks at me head cocked, huge smile, "YEAH!" agreeing with me & affirming me that my love is a fact. Rowen smiles like it is his job & now coos so sweetly that it sounds like a giggle. i am completely smitten with my children and absolutely love this time of their life.

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lillian is talking off the hook... literally she loves the phone! call & she will chat you up!

her sense of humor: "no way crazy" she says if you ask her a funny question

how polite she is "PLEASE!" is her favorite word not always said in what we call a 'regular voice'

new interest in ownership... everything belongs to someone "dada's shoes, row-row's diaper, mama's bed" and of course "mine" or more often "self"... buckling seatbelt, putting shoes on, eating- "self!" and then usually followed by, "help me please!"

a few favorite words:

"up-d-up" = spit up

"beep"= milk

"lovey"= love you

double

bassinet made double stroller... i don't know how lillian enjoyed this, but her dad has the

power of persuasion.

AND

the real double stroller... I LOVE IT!

I highly recommend the Valco Runabout, but the one negative is the cup holder... definitely not ideal. This is all one stroller... bassinet (separate attachment, which is great as a travel bed & Rowen's bed for the first 6 weeks), single and now double, which is why I love it- all I need in one!

love the latimer clan

babies having babies... quite literally eliza and i are our parents babes, were babes together (met at age 2) and now we are having babes together!

also i wanted to put in a plug to anyone that reads this and is pregnant that i HIGHLY recommend hiring Eliza to doula at your birth. She has been at both Lillian & Rowen's births and my husband says, "never have a baby without Eliza!" she really is amazing... so if you are looking for a doula or know someone that is... let me know & i'll get you her info!

photo's taken by: Hahnna Christienson

happy father's day

to celebrate the DADA of the house... Rowen had a massive blow out and Dad wiped his bum clean, Lillian pooped in the tub and Dad cleaned it out, and our littlest man decided to be up all day wanting mama (after his 10.5 hour night sleep) so Dad made dinner with Lil. i think that this father's day was more of a turning point ... Justin is officially a SUPER DADA!!! i mean seriously props to the man of the house who not only provides for us and gives us the life that we so enjoy... now he cleans & cooks. it's just a season babe- thanks for going with the flow!

we also had a lot of fun... chocolate croissants & coffee for breakfast, walked to the Zoo, watched World Cup, family hug in the kitchen & went to Molly Moons for Justin's favorite milk shake Strawberry & Salted Caramel, which Lillian REALLY liked too:

You know your husband is a good Dad when... your daughter's most voiced phrase is, "dada please"- referring to just wanting him, he watches both your kids so you can go try out HOT YOGA (unfortunately Rowen wasn't too happy) but his attitude is- "it will get better every time" and when the most common noise in our house when Dad is home is laughter. Our kids are so blessed to have Justin as their dad- they will some day spend Father's Day telling him, but for now it is beyond words!

quick look back

i just came across this video & photo's that i just don't want to forget. they are from the the 12 days we were waiting for Rowen to arrive... as he was past his due date, but right on time. it is rather awing to remember the days before Rowen arrived. life without him is hard to imagine, i think even lillian would agree- as she is always asking about him & checking on him for me, mama's helper & all-star big sister!

i

over loving

my newest challenge is containing, training, channeling, modeling and monitoring how we LOVE Rowen. the poor little guy so innocent and sweet got pounced on by Lillian today. they both bursted into tears- Rowen out of pain & shock and Lillian followed with remorse uttering "sorry, sorry, sorry". do i discipline? scold? move on? embrace my crying kids? well i did a bit of each i think. i embraced my son checking him over for any serious injury, disciplined my daughter with the look on my face, scolded the situation and after the tears went away we moved on to loving with hugs and kisses. as i reflect on the situation all i can think about is how many more times is this going to happen? the tears and bruises ahead of me... God give me the strength not to yell, the arms to hold them both and the insight to impart understanding.

share the love

there is this fabulous fashion website that i got hooked up with through a mommy email list (Daily Candy) i am on. take a look and even make a purchase, i have =)

http://beta.swirl.com/invite/lllil

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here is a little smiley love from my littlest one

look a like.

can you tell who is who? lillian & rowen. both of these pictures are of them at 6 weeks old & obviously in the same outfit. they are SO different... lil slept swaddled, in the same position all night by 6 weeks. rowen doesn't stay in a swaddle for a minute, moves all night & sleeps about 6 hours (i'm not complaining though- he is just a 4am pooper). Lil nursed for about 20-40 minutes every 3 hours. Rowen nurses about 5-10 minutes every 2 hours (fast eating causes spitting up though). lil never slept in our bed & rowen would probably prefer the co-sleeping method. lil would do crunches when i changed her diaper & rowen is a serious kicker. they both see angels. they both suck their thumbs- lil at 6 months & rowen at 6 weeks. they both make me so delighted to be a mom. they both are adorable, smiley, big cheeked, button nosed, super long, happy babes!

note from the littlest

hi! i'm rowen dean or more commonly known as row-row. my sister gave me the nickname and it just stuck, now three of her baby dolls have the name too. my mom thinks i'm so cute and tells me all the time. of course just look at me... i'm charming.

i just wanted to check in and tell you all that my life these past 6 weeks has been grand. i think i am really getting the hang of life outside the womb. i love to eat and often too fast so i spit up a lot. my sister is loud, loving and always keeping an eye on me- she licked me yesterday. i wonder how i taste? my dad is always taking us on adventures and i really like to sleep on the go. life is good and i am loved. my parents say this is the happiest they have ever been.