Mr. 2!

Raphael turned two on the 9th!! Where has the time gone? I remember his birth like it was yesterday...oh and all that dark hair!

What a cutie.

 Raphael didn't want to get up the day of his birthday (although it was almost 8:30).  Jacob, however, was excited to get him up and show him his presents.

 Two of his presents, a brand new basketball hoop and a Curious George shirt.

 Balloons are always a big hit.

 Raphael looks so grown up in this picture.

 Time for birthday cupcakes! Yeah!

 Delicious!

Don't forget to lick those fingers!

Overall we had a low key day, but Raphael seemed to enjoy it all. We love this little man to pieces and can't imagine our lives without him.

Little Raph

 This little guy will be TWO in less then two months! Time is flying!

He is quite the little ham! He has already started having the normal two year old tantrums and he certainly asserts his independence! He is constantly on the move or talking.  He is very daring and copies everything that Jacob does.  He is interested in the potty and has gone on it numerous times, yeah!  He loves animals, balls (he has quite the throw) and books. Oh and eating his is favorite pastime.  He wakes up in the morning and says "eat" and "where's Daddy?"   He is so much fun and always makes us smile. 

1/2 a year old!

How did we get from here,

To here already!
These photos and the one below were taken by my awesome friend Kristen H.!

Six months has just flown by! I can't believe it. Raphael is such a joy! He is almost always happy and smiley. He loves to be cuddled and tickled and enjoys watching his big brother. He has become quite the little talker and is constantly rolling over and grabbing for toys. Soon he'll be sitting up on his own.

Look at all this hair after a bath!

Raphael is chilling with a sleeping brother.

We love you little man...slow down, don't grow up too fast!

At his 6 month appointment he weighted 14 lbs 6 oz (5%) and was 26 1/4 inches long (50%)

P.S. This is a picture of Jacob's nativity scene(of course cars and trucks are the main participants)!

Raphael at four months

Check out this hair..it is getting wild!

At his four month check-up Raphael weighted in at 12 lbs 10 oz (10%). However, he is 26 inches long (90%). He's long and lean! I wish at times that I could freeze frame Raphael how he is at this moment. He's cuddly, smiley, almost always happy and a little bundle of pure joy!

We're teaching Raphael how to roll!

He is on a fairly consistent schedule. He wakes up around 7ish, takes an hour nap after he's been awake an hour and then takes a 2-3 afternoon nap. Before dinner he'll put in another short nap before he's down for the night around 7:00. He does still wake up 2-3 times at night, but he usually always goes right back to sleep after eating, so there's no complaints here!

I like this picture...even though it's blurry!

Jacob is finally getting comfortable in his role as the big brother. He enjoys it when I put Raphael in his crib in the morning so they can spend some brother time together..it's very cute. I need to get a picture of this..it's priceless! I hope the boys will always be best friends!

Here's what is new with Raphael:

-he can roll from his tummy to his back

-he's eating rice cereal along with a few veggies (he seems to enjoy it!!)

-he can grab any toy within his reach

-he can talk...really loud!

Aunt Mary and Ed surprise visited this past weekend...they're awesome!

In other news, Stephanie got married! We roomed together at JCU for four years. We probably broke a record since virtually no one had the same roommate for all four years! She was so happy on her wedding day and she looked gorgeous! Congratulations Steph and Chris!!

Raphael has been to two weddings in four months!

All about Raphael

Excuse the red eyes please!

In case you think I forgot about Raphael here is a post completely dedicated to him! On the 9th of September he turned 3 months old (happy birthday Grandma). It is hard to believe that three months have already flown by! Wow!

He has more hair than me!

Raphael is discovering his hands! He loves to put his entire fist in his mouth and watch his hand intently while he's sitting in his chair.

Poppy and Raph

He still hasn't lost any of his amazing hair! In fact it is getting quite long and our baby shampoo supply is quickly dwindling (just joking). Raphael loves to make eye contact with us and when he does he flashes us his amazing smile. He is very content, most of the time, and enjoys watching Jacob play and run around all day long. Soon, very soon, he'll be joining in with his brother's daily festivities!

He is truly a little angel and we can't imagine our family without him!

2 months old and counting!

Great-Uncle Mike and Raphael

Raphael is perfect! He is easy going and loves to smile and coo! He takes long naps and is very calm. He doesn't mind having his hair pulled by his big brother and he loves being held and rocked! We love you baby boy!

Welcome to the world Raphael William!

Raphael William was welcomed into the world on Tuesday June 9th at 6:39 a.m.! He weighed 6 lbs 15 oz and is 19 1/4 inches long. He has the most beautiful head of dark hair!!

Finally in our room after waiting in the OR holding room for 6 1/2 hours!

I started having contractions around 11 p.m. on Monday night. At 3:00 a.m. when the contractions were 3-4 minutes apart we called the doctor who said we should make our way to Womens and Childrens. We made a stop at the Hassells' house to drop off Jacob (sorry for waking you up, but we were desperate)! I arrived at the hospital a little after 4 a.m. and was told (by an ER resident) that I was only 2 cm dilated and that I could go home and sleep or walk the halls. I was having pretty severe contractions by this point and making the 1/2 hour plus trip back home was out of the question. After walking the halls for 20 minutes I told Jay I couldn't do this anymore and that I wanted to be checked again. This time a 3rd year OBGYN resident checked me and told us I was 5.5-6 cm dilated and that I could be admitted although all the birthing rooms were full. At this point I was relieved beyond belief!

Big brother Jacob and Raphael.

Look at this crazy hair!

Once in the non-birthing room I told them I wanted an epidural. The time at this point was after 5:30 a.m.! I knew getting an epidural would take awhile and I was a little nervous. My contractions were extremely painful and I started feeling like I needed to push. Meanwhile, the nurse told me not to push since it might cause me to close up and she kept saying "you don't want a c-section do you now?" Once again the ER resident came in to check me and said I think you're only still 6 cm dilated..what!! In less then 10 minutes the 3rd year arrived and said you're fully dilated and the head is bulging we're taking you to the OR to deliver!! The doctor kept being paged, but she never arrived in time. After being in the OR for less then 15 minutes Raphael was born!!

Later I found out that 11 babies were born on the 9th and around 6 the next day! Maybe the full moon had something to do with all of the craziness!!

Ready to go home!

It sure was a completely different experience from the 18 hour labor with Jacob! I only opted to stay in the hospital for 36 hours and am glad to be home!! Sorry if the post above was too detailed, but I wanted to remember it. I'm off to rest and enjoy our precious little baby boy!

Pure perfection!