18 Months of Cakes

Eddie is not so sure that he likes me writing blog posts. Just when I think I have him all comfy on his pillow so that I can sit down to type, he decides he'd rather be held. Lucky for him, I am more than happy to oblige. Before bed last night, Jack wanted to hold Eddie and he just kept giving him kisses. Until he decided he was done and thought Eddie should go to his swing haha. We'll take what we can get :)

Right now Eddie stays up pretty late with Joe and I, but I'm hoping to start having him go to bed a little earlier soon. If I end up getting more cake orders in the near future, I'll need him in bed at a decent time so I can work! I do have an order of cookies to deliver next weekend, so we'll see how that goes, now that I have two little guys to tend to instead of just one.

Over the last year and a half I have been lucky to get several orders for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. While each order seems to have its own challenges, I do still enjoy the baking and decorating. I also feel like certain decorating skills are starting to get a little easier for me, which takes some stress out of the job.

On to the pictures! There are quite a few for this post so I'll just put any specifics for the cakes under the picture. Enjoy!

My only wedding order over the past year and a half.

Star Wars baby shower cupcakes!

Baptism cake for a friend's baby. 

The octopus body was a rice krispie treat.

A simple design with A LOT of little pieces. 

Twin 1st birthday smash cakes!

Wedding shower cake for a friend. My first attempt at ombre buttercream. 

There were matching cupcakes for these but I didn't take a picture. 

1st Birthday smash cake and cookies. 

The hat is a cupcake in disguise :)

The baseball stitch writing was simple yet time consuming. 

Matching baseball cookies. 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse cake with 1 dozen of each type of cupcake. 

I think that's it for today! Time to get a few more things done while both boys nap.

One month as a family of four!

Not sure if anyone noticed, but it's been well over a year since I posted on the blog! Needless to say, a lot has happened since then and we've been busy. I'm hoping to post about of few of the projects that we've done around the house separately, so I won't bother talking about them in this post. For now I want to introduce the newest member of our family and give you glimpse into our new life as a family of four. We found out last November that we were expecting baby number two. We were excited to find out in February that we would be having another boy. I'm so happy for Jack to have a brother!

After what felt like a VERY quick 9 months, Edward Robert Lombardo made his appearance on July 7th! At almost 2 pounds lighter than Jack was when he was born, Eddie felt so tiny but he is quickly catching up.

Jack wasn't so sure at first about this new baby that I was constantly holding. The first several days at home were a little rough, but Jack has adjusted more every day. These days Eddie has more brotherly love coming his way than he knows what to do with! Jack is excited to see "Eh-eee" every morning, and showers him in snuggles and kisses. The only problem is Jack is a bit of an aggressive snuggler. We're working on that though.

While we were in the hospital and for our first 2 weeks at home, we had either my mom or Joe's mom in town to help us out and they were lifesavers! Having an extra set of hands to hold Eddie or play with Jack was such a huge help. Now that I'm home with both boys on my own during the day, we're still working on settling into our new normal. Lucky for me, Jack is typically very helpful and has become more patient when Eddie decides he wants to eat off and on every 10 minutes in the morning. Eddie is also very "helpful" in the sense that he is very laid back for the most part, and happy to rest on a pillow or in his swing. He is also a good night time sleeper. He still gets up once or twice a night to eat, but he goes back to sleep almost immediately after eating.

As for Jack, he's 19 months old now and is chatting up a storm. I swear he learns 2 new words a day. Too bad he won't hardly talk in front of anyone but Joe and me! He loves trains, picking tomatoes, picking up walnuts with daddy, reading, playing with his kitchen, and helping out with anything he can. He's still a mama's boy and gets a little nervous when new people come to visit, but I'm hoping he will get better about that as time goes on.

Overall, we're doing really well over here! We've had so much support from family and friends to help make the transition as smooth as possible. These two boys are keeping me busy but in the best way possible. I can't wait until Eddie can interact with Jack a little more so Jack can get some love in return :) Now on to the best part: pictures!

Fresh from his first bath

Jack had his hands on his ears because he was asking for a phone to watch a train video :)

Stranded at the picnic shelter at the park during a rain shower. 

"Trainspotting" in downtown Olathe

Tummy time pro!

Three Months with Jack

And just like that, another month has flown by! I had every intention of posting non-baby related things on here in the last month but we were so busy that it just didn't happen. We were busy with lots of fun things though! Jack's third month was filled with lots of visits and love from family. First Joe's parents came to visit for the weekend, then the day after they headed home, Grace came to spend her spring break with us. Jack and I did some running around town with Gracie and then spent the later half of the week getting ready for an even bigger crowd to come in town for Jack's baptism. Instead of listing everyone out here, I'll just do it on the actual pictures. :) Then the day after the baptism, Sara and Elsa came in town for a week! While they were here, my Grandparents came in town to meet both Jack and Elsa for the first time. After our visit with Sara and Elsa (and Andy for a night) we had a little down time before Mary and Michael and my parents came in for Easter! Now we're home alone again once more and Jack is re-adjusting to not being held and played with constantly :)

On the medical side of Jack news, we found out today that his repeat EEG came back normal and we get to start weaning him off his medicine! The doctor was very pleased with his EEG and with the results of the genetic test so we're hopeful that after being weaned off his medicine, Jack will be done with all of this. I'm looking forward to having no medical updates for Jack!

The rest of our spring and early summer is shaping up to be busy already. With more visiting with friends and family as well as a couple of cake orders for me. One thing I'm super excited about is meeting our newest niece! Joe's sister Abby just gave birth to little miss Adeline and we just can't wait to meet her!

Here's what Jack is up to at 3 months:
- Loves chewing on his own hands. And everyone else's hands for that matter.
- Enjoys talking and "singing" when I play the piano for him.
- Still waking up at least once in the middle of the night to eat :(
- Loves "flying" with dad
- Is beginning to be much more interactive with his toys
- Likes sitting up to play (while being supported of course)

Well I guess it's time to get to some pictures!

This is at the beginning of month 3. When he had MUCH more hair :)

Us with Jack's Godparents, Grace and Josh. Also, Father John Charles.

Mom, Dad, Me, Jack, Joe, Grace, Mimi

Lance, Liz, Me, Jack, Joe, Maria, David

Rocking the tummy time

Fun at the zoo!

 

Mimi, Me, Jack, Sara, Elsa, Mom

Sara, Dad, Jack, Grandma, Grandpa, Elsa, Me

Happy cousins, Jack and Elsa!

Just chillin' at the winery. 

Jack's first Easter

Jack with Aunt Mary and Uncle Mike on Easter.

Two Months with Jack

This is a few days late, but our little man is two months old now! And really, he's not so little. At his 2 month doctor's appointment last Friday he weighed in at 14 lbs., 10.5 oz. and was 24. 5" long! That puts him in the 90th and 95th percentiles respectively. As you can see, he doesn't miss a meal! Jack's 2nd month was MUCH less eventful than his first. Joe and I are very thankful for that! At his first follow up appointment with the NICU clinic, they told us that we could take him off his supplemental oxygen and heart rate/apnea monitor during the day. Now he just uses those 2 things at night and during the day we just have to spot check his blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter monitor they sent us home with. (The stickers you'll see on Jack's cheeks in all these pictures are what we tape his oxygen tube to at night.) This has made it much easier to care for Jack during the day because I can bring him around the house with me instead of him being tied to the living room. Jack has been doing great, with the exception of coming down with RSV a couple weeks ago. For those who don't know, RSV is a respiratory virus that can be very serious for infants. Many end up being hospitalized. With the help of a breathing treatment and frequent suctioning of his nose, Jack got over his coughing and stuffiness without having to go back to the hospital. He had to miss his first 2 birthday parties that he was invited to, but he is feeling much better now! Before I get to the photo roll I'll give a little list of the things Jack does and likes at 2 months. (This is really more for me to remember!)

Jack at 2 Months:
- Wearing size 3-6 month clothes
- Smiles and coos when in a good mood (or when you make funny noises for him)
- Does a great job at tummy time until he gets mad
- Has rolled over from belly to back several times. Thanks to his big head pulling him over when he lifts it.
- Loves being carried around on his belly in a "football" hold.
- Has started discovering his hands
- Will follow you around the room with his eyes
- Loves looking at anything shiny and gold in the house.
- Is a pretty good sleeper at night, but still wakes up a couple times to eat.
- Enjoys sitting with Mom and playing the piano

Now for some pictures!

Just chilling with friends on Valentine's day. Jack, Allie, and Warren.

Yes, I made us all coordinate for Valentine's day. 

Old man / heart breaker :)

Dad is so silly :)

He had absolutely zero interest in the toys I gave him.  

This is the face he gave me after pushing out a big squishy in his diaper!

Just snuggling with Mom before bedtime. 

Jack got to hang out with his Grandma and Grandpa Lombardo this weekend and will have a steady stream of guests and visitors for the next two weeks. We're looking forward to all the company! And help :) We're also excited about the amazing weather that is forecast for this coming week. There are lots of walks on the bike trail in our future! I think that's it for today. Have a great week!