I-Tee-A, Newborn Pics, and Both Babies First Election

It *only* took me a year and a half, but I think I may have finally found a balance for work and blogging! I came to the realization that other day that if I can get one day ahead on my OIYS articles, I can have a day off to dedicate to updating this blog/working on my new Catholic blog/doing museum marketing work! Genius, right? 

Anyway, as I have mentioned several times in the past, one of the reasons I do this blog is so that I can one have it printed and made into a memory book, so what I will probably do from here on out is update Annie One Can Cook with our weekly family updates, plus the boys' milestone posts. 

Come next week, I should be able to finally publicize my Catholic lifestyle blog as well (that I have been working on for over a year now), so be sure to keep your eye out for that! Living Like St. Martha will have all kinds of simple recipes, easy decor tips, fun party ideas, reflections, and other ways to simplify your life (and keep what matters at the forefront), so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the big launch! 

Without further ado, here is a look back on another week with the Sandmeiers:

~Before Gabe was born, I found these brother shirts on clearance at Target and knew I had to get them! Jax wore his "Promoted to Big Brother" shirt when he came to visit us in the hospital the day Gabe was born and I have been meaning to get pictures of both of them together... I got out the Nikon and got them posed, but as you can see, none of the pictures turned out quite like I had envisioned...

Oh well... maybe I'll try it again tomorrow!

~Last week we had Gabe's newborn pictures taken by the fabulous Brandy Caruso and I am DYING to see them! He was a little stinker for most of the shoot and wouldn't sleep (which I blame on his congestion :( ), but she still got some great shots of both him and the family. Stay tuned to see more!

~After pictures on Friday, I took Gabe to his 2-week checkup and discovered that not only was our poor guy congested, but he has an ear infection :(. His doctor said that she would normally be more concerned about such a little baby being sick, but he looks so good and has been nursing like a champ (he gained almost a pound in one week!), so she sent us home with a prescription and told us to keep a close eye on him. Luckily, we're almost finished with his 10 days of tummy destroying amoxicillin and have a follow up with her next week, so hopefully we're on the mend! 

~My mom came to stay/help with the boys Sunday-Wednesday and I didn't take any pictures, ugh! It was so nice to have an extra set of hands while Brandon was at work and we had such a fun time Christmas shopping (we made the trek to Ikea -- or I-tee-a, as Jackson calls it, Costco, and other places), visiting, and sipping wine on Tuesday night during the election.

~Jackson has his check up at the dentist on Thursday, so we made it a family outing by playing at a playground and getting some Hagen Daz after his perfect appointment!

~Happy Veterans Day to all active and retired military! We are going out to get our veteran his complimentary meal and to do a little shopping, so I better wrap this up. 

Have a great week, everyone!