Monday, January 28, 2013
Jan. 28, 2013-- 2 Months!!
Friday, January 25, 2013
Privacy Please
I had to share some cute little updates. The first one is about Ashley, and obviously has to do with the post name...
She has been cracking me up lately. She is giving me some insight on how she will be as a teenager. Lately she has been wanting her own personal space (even when I'm not even bothering her). For instance, one day we were upstairs. I was taking care of a couple things in my room, and she was playing in her room. I was listening for her, and would come peek in on her from time to time. Well apparently I was getting in her personal space, so she said "bye bye mommy", and shut her door on me. Haha. She's done that kind of thing a few times. I think it's cute and funny, but in all seriousness it's a great developmental sign that she can not only entertain herself, but is wanting some independence/separation and setting healthy boundaries. Luckily at other times she is VERY loving and adoring, and full of hugs and kisses for her mommy and daddy (and baby). That reminds me of a teenager too--wanting separation and independence, yet still needing love and reassurance from parents (although they are a lot less obvious about showing it...haha).
Another thing that really cracks me up is her nap times....If it's any insight of how it'll be getting her out of bed for school as a teenager, I'm going to be in trouble. As of now, she always wakes up happy and gets up easily in the mornings. Naps however can be a different story. It's a 50/50 shot that she'll either wake up happy and content, or cranky and still seeming tired. When she wakes up cranky, I usually give her a few minutes to wake up and adjust before even bothering her. Well occasionally, even after giving her some time to get acclimated, she will still be very tired. So I'll come in and ask her if she's still tired. She actually will tell me yes. So I'll say, "do you want mommy to leave and give you a few more minutes?" and she will say yes.
There has even been once or twice recently where she had gotten up. She was miserable, and a few minutes after being up, she threw her sippy cup and her blanket back into her crib, and asked for me to put her back in the crib. She then asked me to turn off her light and put her fan back in, then said "bye bye mommy". So funny, but again good that she recognizes what she needs.
She has also been having fun playing make believe, dressing up in her tutu and other things, wearing her princess crown, etc.
Lastly, she has been cracking me up at night. We say prayers each night, and I always ask Ashley what we should thank God for that day. Multiple times she has said "eagles" (for daddy's football team....can we say brainwashed???). Last night though she actually said "baby". She sooo loves her baby sister, and sometimes she's the first thing she asks for when she gets up. So cute!
As far as Emily's latest, she recently found her hand and tries to suck it. I'm hoping we don't have a thumb sucker on our hands, that is a hard habit to break. She also loves to stretch and kick, and can hold her head up nice and strong (although she hates tummy time).
She also LOVES bath time. I remember Ashley had screamed and cried the first time she got a bath, but Emily absolutely loved being in the water, and continues to enjoy it!
She continues to smile, coo, and talk to you. She has lots to say, it's so adorable!
That's about it for now!
She has been cracking me up lately. She is giving me some insight on how she will be as a teenager. Lately she has been wanting her own personal space (even when I'm not even bothering her). For instance, one day we were upstairs. I was taking care of a couple things in my room, and she was playing in her room. I was listening for her, and would come peek in on her from time to time. Well apparently I was getting in her personal space, so she said "bye bye mommy", and shut her door on me. Haha. She's done that kind of thing a few times. I think it's cute and funny, but in all seriousness it's a great developmental sign that she can not only entertain herself, but is wanting some independence/separation and setting healthy boundaries. Luckily at other times she is VERY loving and adoring, and full of hugs and kisses for her mommy and daddy (and baby). That reminds me of a teenager too--wanting separation and independence, yet still needing love and reassurance from parents (although they are a lot less obvious about showing it...haha).
Another thing that really cracks me up is her nap times....If it's any insight of how it'll be getting her out of bed for school as a teenager, I'm going to be in trouble. As of now, she always wakes up happy and gets up easily in the mornings. Naps however can be a different story. It's a 50/50 shot that she'll either wake up happy and content, or cranky and still seeming tired. When she wakes up cranky, I usually give her a few minutes to wake up and adjust before even bothering her. Well occasionally, even after giving her some time to get acclimated, she will still be very tired. So I'll come in and ask her if she's still tired. She actually will tell me yes. So I'll say, "do you want mommy to leave and give you a few more minutes?" and she will say yes.
There has even been once or twice recently where she had gotten up. She was miserable, and a few minutes after being up, she threw her sippy cup and her blanket back into her crib, and asked for me to put her back in the crib. She then asked me to turn off her light and put her fan back in, then said "bye bye mommy". So funny, but again good that she recognizes what she needs.
She has also been having fun playing make believe, dressing up in her tutu and other things, wearing her princess crown, etc.
Lastly, she has been cracking me up at night. We say prayers each night, and I always ask Ashley what we should thank God for that day. Multiple times she has said "eagles" (for daddy's football team....can we say brainwashed???). Last night though she actually said "baby". She sooo loves her baby sister, and sometimes she's the first thing she asks for when she gets up. So cute!
As far as Emily's latest, she recently found her hand and tries to suck it. I'm hoping we don't have a thumb sucker on our hands, that is a hard habit to break. She also loves to stretch and kick, and can hold her head up nice and strong (although she hates tummy time).
She also LOVES bath time. I remember Ashley had screamed and cried the first time she got a bath, but Emily absolutely loved being in the water, and continues to enjoy it!
She continues to smile, coo, and talk to you. She has lots to say, it's so adorable!
Friday, January 18, 2013
When the World Was Waiting for You
We got Emily this book for Christmas. I wanted to share it, I thought it was sweet:
When the World Was Waiting for You
When the world was waiting for you,
the air was bright,
the sun seemed new.
We made your room so warm and snug,
with crib and blanket,
lamp and rug.
There were toys
and presents too,
waiting, waiting,
just for you.
"Will it be soon?
Is baby here?"
"Not yet, darling,
wait, my dear."
Then the time
to wait was past.
You were born
at last--at last!
We held you close
and spoke your name.
So full of joy,
so glad you came.
The good news spread;
from near and far,
they came to see
our little star.
Granny, grandpa,
cousin Polly,
uncle John
and auntie Molly.
Jiggle baby
on your knee.
"Upsy-daisy,
one, two, three!"
But when the parties
were all done,
and the visitors
had gone...
...You were there,
so sweet, so small.
The dearest baby
of them all.
Now the world
still waits for you,
to grow, and bloom,
and be, and do....
When the World Was Waiting for You
When the world was waiting for you,
the air was bright,
the sun seemed new.
We made your room so warm and snug,
with crib and blanket,
lamp and rug.
There were toys
and presents too,
waiting, waiting,
just for you.
"Will it be soon?
Is baby here?"
"Not yet, darling,
wait, my dear."
Then the time
to wait was past.
You were born
at last--at last!
We held you close
and spoke your name.
So full of joy,
so glad you came.
The good news spread;
from near and far,
they came to see
our little star.
Granny, grandpa,
cousin Polly,
uncle John
and auntie Molly.
Jiggle baby
on your knee.
"Upsy-daisy,
one, two, three!"
But when the parties
were all done,
and the visitors
had gone...
...You were there,
so sweet, so small.
The dearest baby
of them all.
Now the world
still waits for you,
to grow, and bloom,
and be, and do....
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Recent pics
N
Now that I've gotten caught up on pics and updates, my goal is to try to keep up with them as I go so I don't get backed up. I also enjoy writing and sharing what's going on in our lives. I hope to make these books for the girls so they can read about their journey.
Here are pics from the last two days. The first were from some fun bonding time with Emily. We were hanging out and I was enjoying watching her sweet faces--smiles, coos, yawns and blowing bubbles. So cute!
The next few pictures are from today. Ashley is 2, and Emily is a day shy of 7 weeks old, with daddy. I know I am the one who does all the blogging, and most of it's about my feelings, but I can say that daddy loves his girls so much too. We both feel blessed with two amazing children, and I also feel so blessed and thankful that those children have such an incredible daddy! I always knew he'd be a great dad, but sometimes he even exceeds my hopes.
The next few pics are from Ashley and Emily together. In my last post I had written about how prior to having Emily, I was concerned about gipping either of them out of their times as babies with having kids so close together in age. However, I think the opposite is true. I think having Emily has really enhanced Ashley's life. We have made a point of allowing her to be where she's supposed to be developmentally without pushing her to grow up. She doesn't get quite as much individual attention as she did before (although we both try our hardest to give as much as we can and still have special one on one times with both of them), but she has gained a sister that she already loves and enjoys so much. She absolutely loves her: kissing and hugging her, helping her, spending time with her, etc. They are already great sisters and friends, and that will just continue to grow over time. It's evident how much Ashley loves having Emily in her life.
And as for Emily, my only complaint is that I can't hold her and savor this special time as much as I'd love to. I am so sad that the past 7 weeks have flown as quickly as they have already since I love all this. BUT, that is just what happens with two kids regardless of the age difference. And in a way, having them closer is better for Emily too I think--as kids get older they have more set structured activities and schedules, and we'd have to be more on the go. Although we do lots of fun things with Ashley, she doesn't have official classes or a schedule to have to follow other than her "school" one day a week. And that actually allows some individual time with Emily so it works in her favor.
Anyway, the other pictures are from Ashley's 2 year doctor check up today. She had fun wearing her "santa coat"as she calls it. Her appointment went well...Ashley is doing great and right on track (or even ahead of the game) in all the areas. She was 48% for her weight, and like 83% for her height--they predict she'll be about the same height as me when she's done growing. She did a great job with shots, and was proud to show off her cool bandaids afterward.
Well, hope you enjoy the pics as much as I do!
Monday, January 14, 2013
Couple quick updates
Making the most of my time and figured I'd update while I can...
The latest with Emily...first, I can't believe she is over a month old already (She's almost 7 weeks). Knowing she is my last baby, I am sad at how fast the time is going. I wish I could pause time for a while and just savor it.
At about a week old (literally a day or two after her check up), she started having issues where she'd cry A LOT, particularly after eating. I felt so bad because I knew it wasn't her. That first week she was such a happy, content, sweet little baby. So to see her switch from that to crying all the time I knew something was up. Ashley had gone through something similar, but hers only lasted a week or two from what I remember. With poor Emily it was ongoing for almost a month.
Since Ashley had gone through it, I remembered all the things to do to help with gas. Nothing seemed to help. Poor Emily would stiffen right up after eating, jerk her body around, and sometimes cry for a couple hours after because she was so uncomfortable. I gave a call into the doctors and got some tips from the nurse (all of them that I was already doing/had tried). After another week of it, I had enough of seeing her so upset. On Christmas day eve, she cried for like 3 hours straight. So that next day I told them I wanted an appointment to have her looked at. (Also, her belly button still hadn't fallen off, and she was almost a month old).
When I went in and spoke with the doctor, I explained what was going on and her symptoms. It turns out she has reflux. Basically, he said she's experiencing that same burning, acid feeling that we get when we've thrown up. So he prescribed her meds for it. It helped at first, then didn't seem to help much anymore. Luckily we had a follow up appointment soon after. We upped the meds, and Emily is doing MUCH better. She still has moments here and there, but she's like 90% better. My baby is back! It's so great to see her happy and feeling good!
Speaking of doctors, at her one month check up Emily was weighing 9 lbs, 7 ozs, putting her at the 50.3%, and her length was 21.5 inches, putting her at the 58.56%.
In the past week and a half, not only is she sweet and content again, but she has started smiling (real smiles, not gas), and cooing a lot. I absolutely love it, it melts my heart every time!!! I think it makes me extra happy to see her happy since she had been so miserable for a while.
So yes, as of now she smiles, coos, she has started figuring out that her hands work and grabs at her ears, face, toys, etc. She also likes to kick...she'll kick me and I'll say "are you kicking your mommy" and she just smiles and cracks right up.
She is also very alert when she's awake (she was alert from day one though), and very strong. She has also been able to lift and move her head from day one as well. I also call her my wiggle worm, she already has surprised me and been in different spots in her crib when I go in there.
Emily also keeps us on our toes when we change her diaper. She's like a boy in the sense that she'll pee all over when we are changing her diaper. We have to put one right under her, or she'll give us a little surprise. Haha.
We aren't on a routine, but on average Emily typically goes to sleep around 11ish, is up around 3:30, then again at 7. That has been awesome...although it does still change sometimes (like last night when she was up a few times).
She is just the cutest, sweetest baby! (Well she is tied with Ashley, we were blessed with two amazing kids).
Ashley I am happy to say is back to her old self again. She had had a little bit of a hard time adjusting for the first week or two, but she is back to her happy-go-lucky self, and she absolutely LOVES "baby" as she calls her most of the time. She loves to give her kisses and hugs, bring her things, hold her hand; she asks to hold her a lot. She's always saying "hi baby" to her. It's so sweet. I already see such a love between them, and I know it'll just continue as time goes on which is cool.
Ashley has been doing so much too! She is great with color and shape recognition. She can do all of her puzzles. She's saying a lot of 2-3 or 4 word sentences now. She can count. When you ask her how old she is she'll say "two" (she says it sooo cute).
She is also showing signs of readiness to start potty training (she has for some time actually). I think she is more ready than me...I'm not quite ready to tackle that with a newborn who needs to eat so frequently. We'll wait a couple more months. Although we did get her her own potty to keep around to get used to, and so she can "practice" with her diaper on. She'll come in the bathroom with me sometimes and sit on her potty while I use the bathroom, then she'll even get toilet paper to wipe. It's too cute.
She is also at a point where she FINALLY will lay or sit and snuggle with us during a movie. Sometimes she'll even get the blanket we leave on the couch and put it on herself and snuggle right up. Speaking of movies, she has been going through a phase where she absolutely LOVES watching movies, particularly The Polar Express and Finding Nemo. She asks to watch one or both of them every day. Thankfully I like both movies otherwise I'd probably be tortured by now. Haha.
We have had some typical "2 year old" behaviors emerge. There is the defiance, not listening when you tell her something. Or the occasional lay on the floor kicking and screaming meltdown. And the whining/repeating the same thing over and over in attempt to make you cave.. We have had to start time -outs, but thankfully it's all pretty rare. Most of the time she behaves as a very good girl. I am quite proud of the little girl she's become.
I am also happy to report that the panic mode I went through was very brief and temporary thankfully. We have definitely gotten into the swing of things and are doing great. After Matt returned to work, we had a sitter named Breanne help out for 2 weeks.....the first week she came every morning-lunch time, the second week we tapered down to 2 or 3 days, one being shorter hours. Then I had about a week by myself, then company here for a week for Christmas visit. Now I'm totally comfortable and have figured out how to juggle two.
There was a time not too long ago when I was a little apprehensive about having another baby so soon. Ideally I wanted kids 3 years apart, a little bit for my sake so that Ashley would be older and more independent, and also for their sake because I didn't want either of them to get gipped out of their own "babyhood". A few people have said "it's nice because you can get it all out of the way, the whole diaper thing and baby thing"...but I am the opposite, I LOVE the whole baby thing and don't want to "get it out of the way"...I wanted time to sit and enjoy it all individually with each child.
The latest with Emily...first, I can't believe she is over a month old already (She's almost 7 weeks). Knowing she is my last baby, I am sad at how fast the time is going. I wish I could pause time for a while and just savor it.
At about a week old (literally a day or two after her check up), she started having issues where she'd cry A LOT, particularly after eating. I felt so bad because I knew it wasn't her. That first week she was such a happy, content, sweet little baby. So to see her switch from that to crying all the time I knew something was up. Ashley had gone through something similar, but hers only lasted a week or two from what I remember. With poor Emily it was ongoing for almost a month.
Since Ashley had gone through it, I remembered all the things to do to help with gas. Nothing seemed to help. Poor Emily would stiffen right up after eating, jerk her body around, and sometimes cry for a couple hours after because she was so uncomfortable. I gave a call into the doctors and got some tips from the nurse (all of them that I was already doing/had tried). After another week of it, I had enough of seeing her so upset. On Christmas day eve, she cried for like 3 hours straight. So that next day I told them I wanted an appointment to have her looked at. (Also, her belly button still hadn't fallen off, and she was almost a month old).
When I went in and spoke with the doctor, I explained what was going on and her symptoms. It turns out she has reflux. Basically, he said she's experiencing that same burning, acid feeling that we get when we've thrown up. So he prescribed her meds for it. It helped at first, then didn't seem to help much anymore. Luckily we had a follow up appointment soon after. We upped the meds, and Emily is doing MUCH better. She still has moments here and there, but she's like 90% better. My baby is back! It's so great to see her happy and feeling good!
Speaking of doctors, at her one month check up Emily was weighing 9 lbs, 7 ozs, putting her at the 50.3%, and her length was 21.5 inches, putting her at the 58.56%.
In the past week and a half, not only is she sweet and content again, but she has started smiling (real smiles, not gas), and cooing a lot. I absolutely love it, it melts my heart every time!!! I think it makes me extra happy to see her happy since she had been so miserable for a while.
So yes, as of now she smiles, coos, she has started figuring out that her hands work and grabs at her ears, face, toys, etc. She also likes to kick...she'll kick me and I'll say "are you kicking your mommy" and she just smiles and cracks right up.
She is also very alert when she's awake (she was alert from day one though), and very strong. She has also been able to lift and move her head from day one as well. I also call her my wiggle worm, she already has surprised me and been in different spots in her crib when I go in there.
Emily also keeps us on our toes when we change her diaper. She's like a boy in the sense that she'll pee all over when we are changing her diaper. We have to put one right under her, or she'll give us a little surprise. Haha.
We aren't on a routine, but on average Emily typically goes to sleep around 11ish, is up around 3:30, then again at 7. That has been awesome...although it does still change sometimes (like last night when she was up a few times).
She is just the cutest, sweetest baby! (Well she is tied with Ashley, we were blessed with two amazing kids).
Ashley I am happy to say is back to her old self again. She had had a little bit of a hard time adjusting for the first week or two, but she is back to her happy-go-lucky self, and she absolutely LOVES "baby" as she calls her most of the time. She loves to give her kisses and hugs, bring her things, hold her hand; she asks to hold her a lot. She's always saying "hi baby" to her. It's so sweet. I already see such a love between them, and I know it'll just continue as time goes on which is cool.
Ashley has been doing so much too! She is great with color and shape recognition. She can do all of her puzzles. She's saying a lot of 2-3 or 4 word sentences now. She can count. When you ask her how old she is she'll say "two" (she says it sooo cute).
She is also showing signs of readiness to start potty training (she has for some time actually). I think she is more ready than me...I'm not quite ready to tackle that with a newborn who needs to eat so frequently. We'll wait a couple more months. Although we did get her her own potty to keep around to get used to, and so she can "practice" with her diaper on. She'll come in the bathroom with me sometimes and sit on her potty while I use the bathroom, then she'll even get toilet paper to wipe. It's too cute.
She is also at a point where she FINALLY will lay or sit and snuggle with us during a movie. Sometimes she'll even get the blanket we leave on the couch and put it on herself and snuggle right up. Speaking of movies, she has been going through a phase where she absolutely LOVES watching movies, particularly The Polar Express and Finding Nemo. She asks to watch one or both of them every day. Thankfully I like both movies otherwise I'd probably be tortured by now. Haha.
We have had some typical "2 year old" behaviors emerge. There is the defiance, not listening when you tell her something. Or the occasional lay on the floor kicking and screaming meltdown. And the whining/repeating the same thing over and over in attempt to make you cave.. We have had to start time -outs, but thankfully it's all pretty rare. Most of the time she behaves as a very good girl. I am quite proud of the little girl she's become.
I am also happy to report that the panic mode I went through was very brief and temporary thankfully. We have definitely gotten into the swing of things and are doing great. After Matt returned to work, we had a sitter named Breanne help out for 2 weeks.....the first week she came every morning-lunch time, the second week we tapered down to 2 or 3 days, one being shorter hours. Then I had about a week by myself, then company here for a week for Christmas visit. Now I'm totally comfortable and have figured out how to juggle two.
There was a time not too long ago when I was a little apprehensive about having another baby so soon. Ideally I wanted kids 3 years apart, a little bit for my sake so that Ashley would be older and more independent, and also for their sake because I didn't want either of them to get gipped out of their own "babyhood". A few people have said "it's nice because you can get it all out of the way, the whole diaper thing and baby thing"...but I am the opposite, I LOVE the whole baby thing and don't want to "get it out of the way"...I wanted time to sit and enjoy it all individually with each child.
But I have to say, I am so glad I went with God's timing instead of mine. When my endometreosis issues started getting worse, the doctor said if we wanted any more children we may want to start thinking of trying sooner than later. Matt and I both knew without a doubt that we wanted another child and we wouldn't want to miss out on having another. I prayed about it a lot. I decided that this may be the one window of opportunity that God was giving me, and if I waited for my timing I could take the chance of missing out all together. So I had said to God, "thy will be done". And I am SO glad I went with God's timing, because he has blessed me with another incredible baby girl that I/we love so much. I can't imagine life without her, or even ending up with another child instead of her. I remember my friend Christi saying that if she had conceived on any other day, even the next day, she would have ended up with a totally different child; and that she couldn't imagine that because she loved her child so much. I totally agree with that. I am so grateful to have both Ashley and Emily, and couldn't imagine it any other way. And yes, things can get a little chaotic at times, but it's still so wonderful. Now if I could just figure out a way to pause time for a while, I'd be set ;)
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