6 weeks

Whitney is now 6 weeks old and growing tons. She is still wearing preemie clothes, the newborn are still way to big, the preemies still fit but are getting to short. The neck of the newborn outfits fall off her shoulders. The size difference between newborn and preemie is huge. If anyone has any suggestions I'd appreciate it.

She is more aware and more active. The pediatrician said she needs to be about 8 lbs before sleeping through the night, so the last couple nights I woke her up to eat otherwise she would probably sleep through most of the night. Feeding once a night isn't to bad. She is getting chubbier especially in her cheeks. She is about 6 lbs now.

Brayden still doesn't really care to much that Whitney is living here. He hates when she is in her car seat so he is always trying to get her out. He brings a truck to her every now and then. If you were to drive by our house and hear the noise level you would know the 2 year mark is fast approaching. Brayden has become a LOUD talker. We are working on 'using our inside voice'. Helping Mommy give baby Whitney a bath We keep Brayden on a pretty strict schedule and he knows it. So when we are a little late getting him to bed or a nap... he will go get his blanket, push Patrick and me into his room and start to climb into bed.. you know you've worn out your child when they are trying to get into bed, not out.

He loves playing with his 'Dadda'

I put Whitney is a pair of pants that Brayden had. He wore them when he was 3 weeks old so I figured Whitney, at 6 weeks, could maybe fit into them. Well instead we found that Whitney is going to be a pair on pants for Halloween. Brayden is going trick-or-treating as a baseball player. The smile is because he can sense the candy (or any food) that will be in his reach.

Consumer Report

To all who read this, this is a warning. This has been a very long and frustrating battle for me. (and I was pregnant aka had no patience) I am shortening the story and making it nicer than it really was for your sake.

Consumer Report for United Studios

For my birthday, I really wanted to have family pictures. There was a place at the mall that was having a special so we signed up to take family pictures and Brayden's 1 year pictures. (my birthday is in March). We had the pictures taken and I was really impressed with the photographer and excited to get the pictures back. We were scheduled to get them the first part of April. Well, we didn't get them so I started calling the company and each person just kept saying 'give it another week'. A month later I (kindly) insisted the tell me where my pictures are and get them too me. One lady looked into the matter and called me back to tell me they were never printed but they were on a rush order and should be there in a couple weeks. A couple weeks later, I called again and was told the same thing. To make matters worse, each time I called and asked to speak with the last lady, I was told the 'company let her go'. The end of August (yes 4 months later) I demand they get me the pictures so they did some more looking into it and our pictures were never really printed. The end of August I finally received pictures in the mail..... Do you even see any family resemblance?

(This is just a sample, the really pictures were scary)

I called and told them they had sent the wrong pictures. They apologized and kept saying that this never happens. I mailed them back and they reprinted 'our' pictures and have the sent out to us right away. A couple weeks later we got a folder of pictures... Any resemblance yet?

Needless to say... I never expect to see our pictures. Three weeks ago I requested a refund and still have not heard a word from them.... I doubt I'll ever see that as well. I promised the company I would never do business again with them and I would tell everyone I knew...... so this is me keeping my promise.

NEVER NEVER NEVER use United Studios to take your pictures. They will charge you and lose your pictures.

Win a free handbag! they are super cute!
http://www.handbagplanet.com/

Happy Birthday Grandma, We love you!!!!

**All Beautifully decorated by Brayden

Brayden is 19 months and is always on the move. He fills his day with animals, trucks, and food. He is keeping us on the move and always bringing us smiles. Terrible twos has hit and we are all hoping it doesn't last to long. He is loving his new room and his new sister. He will bring her toys so she will play with him. When she cries he runs to her and gets her pacifier, blanket, and me.

My 'big' boyBest Buds

Patrick and Brayden are learning about all the different kinds of trucks (I told Patrick we live in a country town now, he better brush up on his farming) Brayden loves to help me cook. He decided that he need to add a little of each spice from the spice rack (too bad we were making cookies)
We finally got Brayden to hold Whitney and even give her a kiss! Too bad she didn't like it.
Whitney will be one month old on Thursday.... it still amazes me how fast time goes. She went to the doctor on Oct 9th and she is growing! She is finally 5 lbs 6 oz, 18 1/2 inch!!! I wasn't quite sure if she would ever hit 5 lbs. The newborn clothes still are too big... she is so tiny around her waist, neck, and legs that they just don't stay on. A traditional 'Joan' look. Grandma always slept with her mouth open like this. Grandma would wake herself up snoring, Whitney hasn't done that yet. Whitney's hair is turning more red everyday too... Thanks Grandma Whitesides!!!I have be meaning to add this picture for awhile. This is from her first bath... when I was washing her hair I noticed how curly it is.