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Saturday, December 26, 2015

Merry Christmas!

Hope you all had a very merry Christmas! 

I managed to snap a few photos of the girls Christmas morning. Lucy woke us up at dawn, but M made coffee before the present-opening chaos. I love that man.


Checking out the stocking loot...




Lucy was kind enough to assist Alice with her stocking.


Alice appreciated it so much.

Our fake tree, which has been a source of much contention. M made me promise that we will have a real tree next year, and every year for the rest of forever.

After stockings, we unwrapped presents. Lucy's still not quite old enough to unwrap presents by herself, and she wanted to play with each present as we unwrapped it. So, as you can imagine, it took us quite awhile to get through them all. About an hour into the unwrapping, Alice decided she needed a nap.

When we finished with presents, we had our breakfast of gooey cinnamon rolls. By this time, snow had begun falling softly outside, which was a welcome surprise. I love snow on Christmas morning. 

 The rest of the day was spent playing with / setting up toys, with phone calls to family and me cooking dinner in between. For Christmas dinner, we had a lot of yummy, artery-clogging foods. I made beef tenderloin with mustard cream sauce. It was a major crowd-pleaser.


Sadie and Alice were devastated to discover they were not allowed to eat any. 


For dessert, I made my Grandmere's traditional Buche de Noel. Not the prettiest cake ever, and I did not have time for the ever-popular meringue mushrooms. But, hey, it tasted great, which is all that matters, right?


Merry Christmas!



















Thursday, December 24, 2015

5 Months

Merry Christmas Eve to you all!

Miss Alice is 5 months old already. I can't believe how big she is getting...



She is still very into her play mat. She reaches for her toys and smiles up at them - so cute!



Also, she can roll over now. We have had to start swaddling her with one arm out because she can flip over. Almost time for the sleep sack!


At five months, Alice's little personality is already starting to come out. She is such a sweet, happy baby. She smiles at strangers and charms everyone she meets. Her favorite thing in the world is to watch her big sister. They adore one another. It melts my heart to see them interact. 

Alice has been doing pretty well with daytime naps. She still wakes up a couple of times at night to eat, which is typical for her age. She likes to be swaddled, so it might be a difficult transition to the sleep sack.

We have not started solids yet, but I have a feeling she will love food. She seems very curious about everything we're eating. 


Hope you all have a merry Christmas!
xo, The Angerts

Saturday, December 19, 2015

Six Years

Today, M and I celebrate six years of marriage...


There are not words to express how much I love this man. He is the most incredible husband, and father, and I am so grateful to have him as my partner in this life.

Happy Anniversary!!! Thank you for putting up with me for all these years. Thank you for making coffee every morning before you leave the house, even if you aren't going to be drinking any, just because you know that I want / need it. Thank you for taking care of me when I'm sick and for making me laugh until my face hurts. Thank you for loving our daughters so well, for teaching them that they have value. Thank you for being patient with my clumsiness, and for loving me even though I constantly turn up the thermostat when you're not looking. Thank you for playing with my hair, even though you hate doing it. Thank you for loving us girls with such sacrificial, Christ-like love. I'm so incredibly thankful you picked me.
Love,
Your undeserving wife


{photo cred Dan Steiner}

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Four Months

Alice Pearl is four months old!

Alice... Classic second-child

We finally broke down and bought one of those plastic saucers. It was cheap, and it provides precious minutes - even hours - of entertainment. Do I feel a little guilty about it? Yes. Would I do it again? Probably.

Alice is growing so much, both physically and socially. She is becoming so much more aware. She reaches for toys, smiles at everyone, giggles and coos and screeches. Her little personality is so dear. I can't get enough of her.

We had Alice's four-month doctor visit today. She now weighs 12 lbs. 6 oz. and is 24 inches long. I wish I had a picture of her chunky leg rolls. Her rolls have rolls. 


So much for Alice being our quiet child.


Alice is so close to rolling over. Any day now, she'll have it.


We are entering a fun phase now where Alice is no longer a newborn but not quiet mobile yet. She just sits and smiles adoringly at everyone, and just generally makes you feel like you're the cat's pajamas. It's too bad about this four-month sleep regression. Otherwise, I would never want this phase to end. 


Sunday, November 22, 2015

Postpartum Depression and Anxiety

Such a cheerful subject, right?

I wanted to post about this topic because postpartum depression and anxiety are super common, but for some reason, hardly anyone ever talks about it. I'm not sure why there is such a negative stigma attached to postpartum depression in our culture, or why we as women feel the need to hide our struggle with postpartum depression. A woman's body undergoes drastic changes when she has a baby; childbirth takes a huge toll on the mother, not just physically but emotionally. It seems natural to me that, just as we need to recover physically, it also takes time for our bodies to recover emotionally. 

When Lucy was born, I didn't really know anything about postpartum depression. When I went to my postnatal visit (at 6 weeks postpartum), they made me fill out a little questionnaire about my mental state. At that point, I was walking on sunshine. I had a beautiful, newborn daughter. I was basking in the glow of new motherhood. My body was still running on adrenaline and happiness. It was impossible for me to imagine that I could feel anything but sheer joy.



But just as every pregnancy is different, a woman's body recovers differently after the birth of each child. After Alice was born, I had the same overwhelming feelings of joy and elation. I remember going to my postnatal doctor visit when Alice was 6 weeks old, filling out the postpartum depression questionnaire, and feeling so good, so emotionally stable.

Well. That's because the postpartum depression / anxiety had not set in yet.

Here are some important things to know about postpartum depression and anxiety. These are things I did not know and wish I had...

- It can often take weeks, or months, for the symptoms of postpartum depression and anxiety to appear. Typically, healthcare providers do not follow up with you regarding your mental health after your postnatal appointment, which is usually around 6 weeks. At that point, you may not even be experiencing symptoms yet. 

- Postpartum depression looks different for everyone. For me, I have experienced crippling anxiety, which has led to insomnia, brain "fog", and an overall feeling of dread. My anxiety is not triggered by my children (Alice's crying, for instance), but rather, by things I read in the news, or random thoughts that pop into my head. I can't speak to what postpartum depression looks like for other women, but I know from talking to moms that the spectrum is VERY broad.

- There is nothing wrong with you. It is scary to feel so out of control of our bodies and minds. Usually, I feel like I have a pretty good filter for keeping dark thoughts out of my head; with postpartum anxiety, I am plagued with constant "What if?" questions. No matter how much I pray, or try to focus on positive things, or distract myself, I can't control what's going on in there. It's very easy to feel guilty, to wonder why you can't just pull yourself together. But there is nothing wrong with us. Struggling with postpartum depression does NOT mean that we do not love our babies, or that we are not happy to be moms. Don't even go there. There is absolutely no reason to feel guilt on top of everything else that you are feeling.

- We will not be like this forever. "Will I ever be normal again?" I have asked this question so many times. "Will I ever feel like myself again?" Yes, Yes, YES. Your hormones will balance out. Eventually, I'm told, the feelings of depression and/or anxiety will ebb, until they are gone for good. I do not know how long exactly it takes; I'm sure it looks different for everyone. But it is comforting to know that we will be ourselves again, that this struggle is by no means permanent. 


Obviously, this is not a medical post, and I am not a doctor. I am not attempting to tell you how to treat postpartum depression / anxiety; I just want to bring some awareness to the issue. If you feel like you might be struggling with postpartum depression, talk to your doctor immediately.


I believe that the lack of information on this topic is partially the fault of healthcare providers, but we moms also have a responsibility to share our struggles with one another. The worst thing we could do is bottle it all up, not talk about it. Other moms make great resources and even better support systems. Solidarity, ladies.


{photo cred Dan Steiner}

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Alice's Baptism

Sorry for the infrequency of my blog posts lately. I have been struggling with some postpartum anxiety, which deserves its own post - if I ever get around to it. I have been having a difficult time updating this blog because I do not want to create the illusion that everything is perfect in my life when that could not be further from the truth. Not that my life is perfect EVER. But, you know what I mean.

Today, we celebrated a very happy occasion - Miss Alice Pearl's baptism. Here are some photos: (I apologize for the poor lighting.)



Alice wore my old baptism gown, just like her big sister Lucy before her. Lucy wore, of course, one of her princess dresses.




Alice was wonderful. She had the hiccups the entire time, which was super adorable. She did not cry even once, though M and I both teared up. Baptism is such a beautiful sacrament. I believe Madeleine L'Engle says it so well:

I am glad that in the communion of my church we are baptized as infants, because this emphasizes that the gift of death to this world and birth into the Kingdom of God is, in fact, gift—it is nothing we have earned, or even, as infants, chosen. It is God’s freely bestowed love. It is as radical as that, and it is gift. Through no virtue of our own we are made dead to the old and alive in the new. 


Amen.


Friday, November 6, 2015

28 Candles

I turned 28 last week. Here's how we celebrated...

On the morning of my birthday, I woke up to coffee and presents from M. We ate breakfast and then I took Lucy to school. M had class all day, but that afternoon, he called to say that we would have a babysitter coming to stay with the girls, so that we could go out for after-dinner drinks - it would be our first time going out alone since Alice was born. Needless to say, I was super excited!

When M got home from class, he cooked dinner and then presented me with my delicious birthday cake, the ice cream cake I had requested from Sweet Cow. This was a big splurge for me, as I have been taking a break from dairy.

It was delish.

After we got Lucy ready for bed, our sitter arrived. It felt so strange, walking out of the house without any children! All night, I felt like I was forgetting something!

I knew nothing about where M was taking me. Imagine my confusion when our destination turned out to be an old book store. I love books, but I had been promised a drink. Fortunately, the girl sitting behind the counter at the book store opened a door in the wall that was hidden behind one of the bookshelves, and we found ourselves in a dark, 1920's-esque speakeasy. One of the coolest bars I've ever been to!

We were home by ten (we're so old) and in bed by eleven. In my youth, I could party all night long, but now that I'm an old lady, it takes me a week to recover if I stay out too late. Besides, I have two little ones who like to get up before dawn every morning. They are my favorite gifts of all :)


Thank you, family and friends who made my birthday so special. I got so many phone calls and fun packages and cards in the mail. I love each and every one of you dearly!



Saturday, October 31, 2015

Happy Halloween

Since Lucy is still too young to go trick-or-treating, we decided on a fun alternative this year. This morning, we went to Boo at the Zoo, which is basically just like going to the zoo any other day, only everyone was wearing costumes, and there were booths of zoo employees passing out candy (or animal crackers for toddler-aged children). We prepared ourselves for the worst (crowds, tantrums, etc.), but it actually ended up being really fun.

Fairy Princess Lucy

Pumpkin Alice... She slept through the whole thing.

Lucy's favorite part of the zoo, riding the merry-go-round.



She did not know it, but she was really collecting treats for Mom and Dad.


After naps, we carved our pumpkin...



Weird fact: Lucy is afraid of pumpkins. I think she saw the slimy pumpkin innards, and something about that just did not sit right with her. She refused to participate in the carving of the jack-o-lantern.


Our jack-o-lantern, about as non-scary as it gets. Lucy will not go near it.

This pumpkin is much cuter. 
And, in true Alice fashion, she slept through the whole pumpkin-carving episode.

Some friends came over for dinner. We had home-made pizzas and hot cocoa. We even got a few trick-or-treaters, who were not scared away by our dogs, thank goodness. We watched The Great Pumpkin with Lucy, and now we are going to call it a night. 

I'm sure the squirrels will enjoy devouring our poor jack-o-lantern tonight. Happy Halloween!





  

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Three Months

Alice is three months old!







As you can see from the pictures, Alice has gotten very animated. So far, her personality is really sweet and fun. She smiles a lot, and she loves to snuggle. She has started to grab on to things and recognize faces. She has also discovered her hands, which she thinks are pretty fascinating. 

At three months, Alice likes:
- her play mat
- her blankie
- her big sister
- her hands
- cuddling
- talking... she is a little chatter box!

She does not like:
- dirty diapers
- being ignored... uh, hello, pay attention to me!!!


We love our little Alice Pearl!

The Mountain Train

This past week, while M and I (and baby Alice) were at a conference, M's dad came to stay with Lucy. He took her to the children's museum and the aquarium, and I think she was a little disappointed when we came home.

Before Papa Bear left, we decided to ride the train all the way up to the top of Pike's Peak, which is just over 14,000 feet high. We have lived in Colorado almost six years, and we've never done this.

The Train

The view from the top.

The family.

It was pretty cold at the top. There was already a good bit of snow up there. We were all feeling a little light-headed because of the altitude. But the views were incredible. 


We are so glad Papa Bear could come to Colorado for a visit. Miss you already!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

The Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend, we went to the Pumpkin Patch to pick some pumpkins...


The girls and I... We could not get Lucy to look at the camera because the sun was so bright.


On the hay ride...





She got one.



Headed home with our pumpkins.

Happy Fall :)

Friday, October 2, 2015

Two-Month Doctor Visit

Today, we had Alice's two-month check-up...




In case you can't tell from the pictures, little Alice has grown. She now weighs 10 lbs. and 6 oz. Just to give you an idea, Lucy weighed 10 lbs. and 5 oz. at her two-month check-up, and Lucy weighed a whole pound more at birth. So, yeah, Alice is definitely caught-up! She is also 22 inches long. 

We also weighed Lucy while we were there (why not?), and she now weighs 25 lbs. During Alice's appointment, Lucy wore latex gloves and "assisted" the nurses. I wish I had gotten pictures. We think Lucy would make a great pediatrician one day.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

Two Months

Our sweet, little Alice is two months old! She has started smiling, cooing, and focusing on faces...


We don't know how much she weighs (her two-month check-up is next week), but we guess about 7.5 pounds. She has already outgrown her newborn clothes, and she is working on some adorable baby rolls. 

At two months, Alice likes...
- her big sister
- her swing
- riding in the stroller
- being swaddled

Dislikes...
- when mama eats dairy
- pacifiers


These sisters are the cutest.
  

Thursday, September 17, 2015

School


 Lucy started school this week. She was so excited...



When I asked her about school, she told me that she...
- "Played on the playground."
- "Played with friends."
- "Read books."
- "Learned about Noah." (Me: "What did Noah do?" Lucy: "He built a BIG boat!")
- "Played with paint."

When I showed up to pick her up from her first day of school, she did not want to leave! I guess it was a success.