Zoo trip!

Silas, Lois and I took our first trip to the zoo last week!  We met up with Michelle and her daughters, Abigail and Kaitlin. Our kids are all really close in age. Silas and Abigail are 2 weeks apart and have become good buds, and Lois and Kaitlin are 3 days apart! Silas wasn't as into the animals or the splash park as I was anticipating, but it was still fun.

Abigail making sure Silas doesn't get famished in the hot sun!

Lois hanging out in the stroller.

Silas wasn't interested in the big splash park behind him, but in the rocks by the fence. Abigail was sweet enough to keep him company.

Milestones, Mission Trips, & Hospital Stays

This past month has been full of adventure for us Jarretts! Jack returned home from a mission trip to New York this past Saturday and we were so glad for him to be back! When he was gone, the week did not go as I had planned at all,  but the Lord took care of us. Jack's mom, Karen, came up on Monday to help with the kids and keep me company while Jack was gone. On Tuesday night, Lois was feeling a little warm so I took her temperature and she had a fever.

I took her to Kosair's Hospital, and once we got there her temperature was 101.5. I knew the nurses were concerned, because I was bumped to the top of the list and Lois was admitted right away. It's never a good sign when you don't have to wait at the ER. Immediately, they started drawing blood, doing a spinal tap, and taking more samples. All of this was to see if her sickness was bacterial or viral. Around 4 that morning, Lois and I were riding in an ambulance to downtown Kosair. They continued to monitor her the next couple of days, and thankfully it was just a virus! By Friday, when she was released, we were both pretty exhausted. I was so thankful that Karen had been up here to watch Silas.

Lois also turned 1 month old this month! I took her to the doctor yesterday and even this sickness couldn't slow her down! She was 11 pounds and 23.5 inches long! She was in the 90th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for her height! She is such a sweet little girl. Her eyes are still gray, but I think they will turn brown like Jack's. Her hair isn't as dark as it was when she was born, but it still looks brown. She is making better eye contact, and starting to smile which is the best! She is holding her head up really well. Silas is still doing really good with her. He gives her lots of kisses, and runs to her room when he hears her cry.

I took both kids to the grocery store by myself today for the first time! Lois started crying right as we were checking out, so I say that the trip was a win!

 I'm 1 month old!

Grammie & Silas painting a "Welcome Home Dad" sign.

Lois looks like such a big girl sitting up!

Two Weeks!!!

It has already been two weeks since Lois was born, and she is doing amazing! I could not have hoped for a better delivery. My mom flew in two days earlier than she was planning, because at my last doctor's appointment I had progressed to 4 cm, but we had no idea that little Lo had no plans of going anywhere. She stayed in there for another 8 days!

On Thursday, May 10th, I started having contractions at 4 in the morning. I was nervous that I wouldn't know what a contraction felt like since my water broke with Silas and I never had any contractions on my own, BUT I definitely knew these were the real deal! They started at about 5 minutes apart. Jack and I got to the hospital around 5:30am and it was super busy. It was another two hours before I got checked in triage, and I was 5-6 cm. By the time I got into the delivery room, I was 7-8 cm. At 8am, I got an epidural, and it was a beautiful thing! The doctor ended up breaking my water, and by 11:30ish I was fully dilated, but I didn't start pushing until close to 1. The nurse told me to push, and then quickly told me to stop, because Lois was almost here! The doctor and his crew came in and I pushed again and little Lo was here! All 9 pounds 2 ounces of her!

My parents left this past Monday, and so this is my third day on my own.  So far it has been a really smooth transition going from 1 to 2 kids. Lo has been super easy. She eats really well and has been sleeping 5 to 6 hour stretches at night. Silas is also doing great! Whenever I ask, "Do you see Lois?" he goes and kisses her on the head. Precious!

Enjoying being a family of 4.

Little Lois.

 Silas showing sissy his cars.

Cloth Diapering

I have no idea why, but I have really wanted to start using cloth diapers. My only experience with cloth diapers was when I used to babysit for a family with 3 kids who used them and they grossed me out the front door. So why would I ever want to start using them? I think part of it is because it definitely is more cost effective, and with little Lois about to join us, diapering two kids is going to get expensive. But I think the main reason is because I am a sucker for cute fabric!

These are two wet bags I ordered off amazon using my swagbucks! So cute! I've started using some Bumgenius and Fuzzibunz pocket diapers that I ordered from Target, and I'm waiting to get some from sunbabydiapers.com. I'll keep you posted on how this new endeavor goes.

FULL TERM!!!

Yes! I am full term at 37 weeks! I went to the doctor on Friday and Lois' heartbeat was 143 bpm and I was 2 cm dilated and 70 percent effaced. The doctor said this is pretty normal especially for your second baby. That's all for the update, but here's some pictures of us enjoying this beautiful Kentucky weather!

36 weeks down, 4 more to go.

Four more? It still sounds so far away. I went to the doctor last Friday and had an ultrasound and I got to see our sweet little girl. She is almost 6 pounds! She was head down in the ultrasound, but I think she has flipped a few times since then. I can't wait for her to be here and get to experience life with a newborn again.

I finished her nursery and it turns out I like pink a whole lot more than I thought I did! I still have to wash some of her clothes, but other than that I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

Silas is almost 17 months old and he is doing great! He is so full of life, and he keeps me on my toes. It's funny how it works out to where the bigger and slower I get, the quicker he gets. I guess I have him to thank for keeping my weight gain down this pregnancy! Here's some pictures of our life lately...

Fried Ravioli

Eh. 2 stars. I think it depends on what kind of raviolis you use. I just used Bertolli cheese raviolis. These would probably be better if the raviolis were homemade. At least they look pretty though, right?

Here's the link to the recipe, but seriously, only try it if you use different raviolis than I used.