22 March 2010

we are still alive. promise.

after a three week blog hiatus, the vaughans are back to the land of the living and the world of posting pictures and other random tidbits ... I think.
we, meaning all four of us, have all had a nasty stomach virus. henry had the worst of it, his lasted over a week. owen's lasted about 3-4 days, and gary and I had it for about 2-3 days. on one hand we are so thankful it was only a stomach virus. on another hand, I'll be honest and say that these were some of the longest and toughest weeks we've had in quite some time. with henry it was nothing out of the ordinary as far as stomach bugs go ... Henry has literally thrown up over 50 times this past year so we are "used" to that part of it. the tough part was going on little sleep to begin with having a 5 week old, and then trying to be and do everything possible to two very dependent little ones to help them feel better. you never want your child to be sick-so sad! and then to feel awful yourself as parents ... anyway, its over and we are so excited. here's to health and may none of us ever take it for granted! here's to jobs that we both have that provide time off when needed to care for our children or ourselves! here's to my dad who was a TREMENDOUS help with Henry last week when Gary, Owen and I all had it at the same time. cheers! :)

So ... here's a brief update and some photos ... funny brothers (above)
at cole's 4th (yes, 4th!) birthday party (before all sickness ensued)
owen slept through the entire party
owen still has crazy hair and has not lost any of it. here is a profile shot-the hair sticking up towards the back always sticks up, its hilarious!

silly henry and his rain boots that he still adores

before church (before sickness)
sleepy O
touchdown auburn
owen is growing! at his one month check up he was 9lbs 4ozs (50th percentile) and 22 5/8 inches long (90th percentile). one week later he was up to 9lbs 14ozs.


the below photo of O was the day he started feeling better. he was finally able to get some sound sleep in ... the virus had him up a lot. he was the saddest one to see sick because he is so little and helpless.
the below photo is from saturday - everyone healthy and ready for the first bath together.
henry thought it was a lot of fun. owen didn't quite agree.
we all managed to make it to church yesterday.
you gotta hop in a basket and read a little Pooh before church right?!
and lastly, henry thought having the dogs on his bed was tons of fun as well.
"can the dog sleep in henry's bed? certainly so!" (if you've never read the book Henry's Bed then you need to ...)
here's hoping it won't be three weeks again before the next post! happy monday.
oh, owen turns 7 weeks old today. um, 7 weeks, really? can someone tell me where in the heck 7 weeks went because I can't seem to find them. anywhere. I've been looking, but they just aren't turning up ... where oh where could they be?!

02 March 2010

first outing with two!

yesterday I had my first outing with henry and owen by myself. so far the only place I've taken them both by myself is to henry's preschool. we went to the grocery store and to petco for dog food; all the essentials, right? it was a success. the buggy was a little more awkward to push, but both boys were perfect. it was a good day!


and this was just too cute not to post. oh to be swaddled and sleep so soundly ...

owen william - one month

this little fellow turned one month old yesterday. henry, owen and I went on a walk since it was such a nice day. this was owen's first stroller ride ... the weather has been so cold or rainy that I haven't wanted to take him out just yet. he seemed to like it - he was awake through part of it and asleep through the other part.

we are getting our double jogging stroller this month and I can not wait!
I'm itching to put some miles on the old running shoes ... soon!
henry enjoyed pushing the stroller, until he saw a cat and then he thought the cat was far more interesting. he loves cats! I guess it is because we don't have one?
mr. O. what's mr. o like? very sweet, laid back, easygoing, a good eater. a good baby. now, I follow these statements with a loud knock on wood, because I don't want to jinx anything and we know how little ones can change at the drop of a hat! but so far, he has been very good to his parents.
owen is growing, growing. he seems so long! his cheeks are filling out too. he likes to be swaddled. he likes his crib, basket, sitting on a pillow, you name it.
he caught a cold from his big brother that has come and gone and come back again. this has caused some projectile vomiting, but it seems to be getting better. poor baby!
he has not lost much hair at all. he eats about every 3.5-4 hours. he has a longer stretch at night and seems to have his days and nights straightened out (yea!). he still gets the hiccups frequently, as he did in utero. we have seen a few smiles here and there and they are adorable. he usually has fairly long awake periods in the morning and at night from 6ish-9ish. when he's awake he is very alert and curious. I take him in this week for his one month doctor's check up and I'm anxious to see how he's grown. he has definitely captured our hearts and henry's too!

28 February 2010

a new cousin!

we have a new niece and cousin! welcome to the world elizabeth hopkins bernstein, born at 8am on Feb. 28th, 2010. 8 pounds, 20 inches long. all are doing well! we are very close to deirdre and joe and are THRILLED about this newest niece and cousin. they will be truly wonderful parents.
deirdre and I were two weeks apart during our pregnancies ... owen was born 3 weeks early on the first day of february, and elizabeth was born 3 days early on the last day of february.
isn't she adorable?!?

a few owen photos ...

um, sometimes you just gotta have a few toys in your basket ... be it farm animals or fuzzy lambs. (big brother brought these to little brother ... along with some other necessities, like matchbox cars, books, spatulas, etc.)


a few henry photos ...


is henry adorable or what?!?




henry and his other siblings. shelby is his favorite ... she is the best retriever and therefore the most fun to play with. he likes to aggravate savannah, but that's okay because she deserves it some or most of the time. bricks (the giant) is still a little leery of henry; he's just a big goofy teddy bear of a golden. all of the dogs have been really good with owen (phew!) - what a relief. I guess they figure, what's one more?

24 February 2010

a wonderful birthday and wild weather

here's how it goes in the Vaughan house ... Henry's birthday is January 13, Owen's birthday is February 1, my birthday is February 16 and Gary's birthday is February 25. How's that for a birthday month?!?!
Last week I turned the big three oh. I love birthdays and am always glad that I am able to hang around for another year, so bring on 30+ more I say! Some friends and family sent some absolutely perfect and most generous gifts and to top it off (or so I thought) our house looked like a florist. I love flowers and most of them are still hanging in there! But to REALLY top it off, Gary planned a wonderful surprise. Most times I like to keep these little surprises and kind gestures between us out of the world of blogging and just between Gary and I, but I decided I'd share this one. Gary and I both love to cook and our favorite menu to prepare is a multiple course meal paired with wine or other beverages. Gary did this for me a couple of birthdays ago when Suzanne flew down and surprised me; it was incredible. This year, he planned a five course meal with beer pairings for each course for the two of us and a few close friends that were able to come, as well as my sister and brother in law. It was at Tricia's house and it was so, so nice. He arranged for a babysitter (Papa) for the boys and we had such a great time visiting, talking, and eating and drinking some very yummy food and beverages. I am one lucky lady to have the most thoughtful, kind and true husband a woman could have.
Gary is one of a kind and he made my birthday a most memorable one!
Now tomorrow we celebrate his birthday ... and I guess then the Vaughan birthday month will come to a close. Below is the one picture I took from my 30th ... I meant to take more, but was too busy being surprised and enjoying the great food and company.

wild weather we have here in Auburn ... snow one weekend, 60 degrees and gorgeous the next, then today we had snow flurries! we took the boys out to the tech park this weekend to get some fresh air and exercise. owen slept through all the excitement, but henry had a blast!




22 February 2010

crazy hair O ... three weeks today

little brother is three weeks old today! can you believe it? we can not. time, where does it go?
gary's sister is due March 3rd with cousin Elizabeth Hopkins ... we are all anxiously awaiting her arrival. it seems like just yesterday deirdre and I were talking about how fun it would be to be pregnant at the same time ... things sure change in a hurry. anyway, little owen is doing well. eating well and has been sweet to his parents. I don't know what he weighs right now, but it seems like he is growing fast to me. he is out of his newborn diapers and into size 1. his first doctor's appt is next week. he caught a cold from his big brother, and for the past week has had a lot of congestion. some days this made him have projectile vomiting (it was like he just couldn't clear his throat and would then get all choked up). that has since gotten better and hopefully he is on the mend. it has been so sad to hear him labor to breathe and wheeze! henry is faring well. doing great as a big brother; doing fairly well as a two year old ... typical tantrums here and there and the ever popular word "no" surfaces each day.
tricia got henry and owen matching shirts ... owen is wearing his below, and henry's says "H" with "big brother" underneath. too cute! gotta love etsy and appliques in general.

after a bath, owen's hair is especially wild. it grows in every direction and has so many cow-licks ... I can not wait to see how it turns out as he gets older!
more updates to come, off for owen's feeding ... the day passes even more quickly with two little ones! they are such blessings.

21 February 2010

snow in auburn

last weekend we had snow here in Auburn! it was so much fun! It never snowed here when I was in college, nor did it snow for the first several years after we were married and living here. But starting in 2008, the weekend after Henry was born, we have had snow each winter since. My little boys are truly snow babies as I affectionately call them ... and I love snow!




11 February 2010

one funny and one sleepy valentine

henry loves to wear rain boots. here he is donning mine-funny guy!

henry made the sweetest craft at school that I had to share ...
what a happy guy!
sleepy valentine ...





owen has the wildest "cow-lick" right on his forehead, see below. it looks like its own little solar system! I wonder what his "real" hair will end up doing?!?