Zzzzzz

 Nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby... except two sleeping babies.

Mmm food!

A lot of the time people ask me about Baby Led Weaning. Some people think it's some new-fangled way to transition your baby to eating solid food. Really, it's just coming back to the natural way. To me it just makes sense. Teach a baby to chew before you teach her to swallow. Since we started introducing solid food at 6 months Olivia has shown how much she really loves food. Here are some of her firsts.

 Cantaloupe

 Chicken

 Pizza

 Graham cracker

 

Cuties Oranges

 Pot Roast

Green Beans

Traditions

When I was a kid my grandma had a tradition of making her cookies for the grandkids to frost at Christmas time. Now she lives far away so I was left to carry on that tradition -- with a little twist. This year I invited some friends to join us in a Christmas cookie decorating party.

Avery had so much fun helping me make the cookies to get ready and even more fun at the party. Thanks to my friend Christina for the photos on party day. 

Bye bye pacis

We finally kicked the paci habit for Avery. It's been a long time coming, but we finally bit the bullet and told her they were going bye bye.

For about a week we told her how the Paci Fairy was going to come to our house one night and take the pacis. In return she will leave a present only for big girls. We thought making it like the Tooth Fairy would be more believable.

So last Wednesday night we searched the house and car for all the pacis we could find. She helped me put write a note to the Paci Fairy, put the pacis in a box and tie a ribbon around the box.
 The original plan was to put them next to her bed for the Paci Fairy to come get once she was asleep. Unfortunately when it came time to go to sleep she was hysterical knowing the pacis were right there but she couldn't have them.

Then when she was upset and telling Justin about how she wanted the pacis we decided to make the switch now and tell her the Paci Fairy came while she was out in the living room. Luckily she is young and it worked. The Paci Fairy left Avery a new Dora watch so we put it on and told her when she felt like she wanted a paci to remember she was a big girl and look at her watch. It worked! I threw all the pacis in the trash that night and we have been paci free ever since. 

Olivia meets Santa

I have never been fond of taking my kids to see some smelly old man dressed in a Santa costume who has nothing better to do the other 11 months of the year where he has time to sit all day at the mall for the month of December.

This year the Town of Yountville where Aunt Stacy works had one of the firemen (who happens to be a friend of Aunt Stacy) dress up and arrive at the tree lighting on a fire truck. While he may not be the most "authentic" looking Santa, the girls are young enough still not to notice and knowing the person dressing up made me a little more comfortable with letting my kids sit on Santa's lap.

Unfortunately Avery was not a fan. She wanted nothing to do with Santa other than to wave at him from a distance similar to those enforced by a restraining order. Olivia on the other hand was a ham. She loved his beard and looking at him. She was even accommodating in sitting on his lap for a photo op.

My loves

It is in these, the quiet moments, I am supremely grateful. When I sit in the quiet listening to the sweet lyrics of lullabies with one sleeping baby in my arms as I look at another sleeping baby, who is a "baby" no more, I am profoundly aware how incredibly blessed I truly am.

So I'll sit here a little longer. I'll soak up the little things: the sound of a little person snoring so softly it sounds like a kitten purring and the feeling of a tiny hand resting on neck as her chest lifts and falls -- every so often breaking rhythm for the softest little sigh. My loves.

Thanksgiving 2012

 Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays. I am so lucky to have been able to spend it with some of my most favorite people.

 

Ouch!

We have all been sick lately. On Tuesday I took the girls to the pediatrician's office to check for ear infections and strep since Avery had a fever of 104+ and Olivia had a nasty barking cough. Verdict was Avery has a cold and Olivia has croup (a nasty extension of a cold). No big deal. Push fluids and give Tylenol if Avery's fever creeps up to 104 again or Olivia's gets to 100.3.

On our way out I let Avery push the button on the elevator -- as usual. The door closes and we ride down. I had Olivia in the Kinderpack carrier and Avery was in front of us mostly hidden under Olivia in the carrier. Once we got to the 1st floor we go to walk out. For some reason -- maybe she tripped or she just reached out to touch it because it's shiny -- Avery put her hand on the elevator door. The door continued to open and slid into the slot in the wall taking Avery's hand with it. As soon as I saw her hand squished in the wall I immediately reacted and grabbed her hand.

At first it looked fine. Just some peeled skin. Then the blood. Oh my gosh the blood. It was everywhere. Avery was freaking out. Crying. I'm not sure from the shock of the blood or if it actually hurt because I'm told cuts as deep as this are usually numbed by shock. I pushed the button to go back up to the doctor's office and run in holding Avery's hand in the air. I drop the diaper bag and Avery's toy doctor kit that we just had to bring with us and ask for someone to help us.

The nurses and front office staff were a little shocked, but they got Avery's amazing doctor who told the nurse just what to do. After a saline soak and a little pressure it was decided that they needed to close the wounds. Luckily the doctor could do it in the office and could use glue instead of actual stitches because that would have been even more traumatizing I think. Thankfully one of the nurses too Olivia so I could focus all my attention on Avery and helping her through this.

We got it all glued and bandaged and her calmed down and all she wanted was Daddy. Unfortunately Justin was at work so we decided he would just meet us at home. By now Olivia had fallen asleep so the nurse who had her walked with us out to the car. I got Avery all buckled in and put Olivia in. Before we even pulled out of the parking lot she was asleep; exhausted from all she had been though on top of it being regular naptime.

Poor girl has been such a trooper. She has proudly worn her bandage every day and allowed me to change the dressing as necessary. It doesn't even seem to bother her. She almost never complains about it and when she does it's just to say she needs help with a toy because she can't use the fingers on that hand. Now over a week later it is healing nicely and the doctor says it will not likely leave a scar and if it does they will be so small that by the time she is grown up her hand will be so much bigger you won't even be able to notice them.

Day 2

Day 8

Olivia: 31 weeks!

MONTH: 8
WEEK: 31
WEIGHT: 20+ lbs
LENGTH: 26+ in
HEAD: 42+ cm
MILESTONES: Olivia crawls! Starting in the beginning of the week Olivia is fully hands-and-knees crawling.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: It's hard to get her to sit still nowadays.
EATING: Olivia has been eating better this week now that her nose is cleared up.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We've been cooped up lately because we've all been getting over sickies.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Practicing her newly acquired crawling skills.
MOMMY FEELS: Nervous that we haven't baby-proofed well enough for the new crawler!
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Olivia: 7 Months!

Weight: 20lbs 1.5oz

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• stretch her body or try standing on tiptoes to reach a toy Olivia sure is determined when she sees something she wants. She will contort herself in all kinds of ways to get whatever it is.
• get upset if you take a toy away, as her memory continues to develop and she begins to understand that "no toy equals no play" It's something we have to stress with Avery that she cannot take a toy from Olivia without offering something else in return because Olivia gets upset when she doesn't have what she wants.
• identify what you're feeling by the tone of your voice Olivia loves the soft, sweet voice of lullabies and doesn't particularly care for Avery's loud, rambunctious voice.
• eat a cracker or piece of finger food by herself Olivia has always eaten 'whole' foods but she recently started wanting to share my English muffins.

Olivia: 30 weeks!

MONTH: 7
WEEK: 30
WEIGHT: 20 lbs 1.5oz
LENGTH: 23+ in
HEAD: 42+ cm
MILESTONES: Olivia has her first cold.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Even sick she is still all smiles.
EATING: With being sick she has not been eating very much because she can't breathe without her mouth.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We went to the pediatrician's office on Tuesday to make sure the girls didn't have ear infections or strep. They didn't but we also had a mishap in the elevator on the way out that sent us back to the office.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Since she is sick sleeping is a favorite pastime lately.
MOMMY FEELS: Helpless. My girls are sick and I wish I could help them.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: The girls feeling better.

Where are you going?

Laughter is the best medicine

Olivia has the sweetest laugh. She loves to be tickled because whenever I stop she grabs my hand and puts it back for me to keep tickling her. I love this game we play.

Olivia: 29 weeks!

MONTH: 7
WEEK: 29
WEIGHT: 17+ lbs
LENGTH: 26+ in
HEAD: 42+ cm
MILESTONES:Olivia tried yogurt and english muffin for the first time this week. Only one was on purpose. She stole Avery's yogurt that she left in Olivia's reach.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Loving this silly smile.
EATING: She really loves oatmeal and yogurt.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Avery and Olivia participated in their very first Presidential election this week!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Rolling around and getting into everything!
MOMMY FEELS: So proud of my two girls.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Thanksgiving!

Election 2012

This year is an election year. Justin and I are both registered to vote by mail, but this year is special. This year we have two young American's to show the importance of actively participating in the determining the future of the country we call home. This year we decided we would fill out our ballots at home and on election day we would walk to our nearest polling place -- which happens to be the school across the street from our house -- and have the girls see us drop them off. 

We were so lucky that the polling place volunteers were so nice because they let Avery put our (already sealed) ballots in the official box and even gave both girls stickers. Avery sort of understood what the sticker was for but Olivia just likes having her picture taken. I am so proud to have been able to share this with them.

Olivia: 28 weeks!

MONTH: 7
WEEK: 28
WEIGHT: 17lbs +
LENGTH: 26in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Olivia SITS and we had Olivia's very first Halloween.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: It's a little blurry, but I was trying to keep the camera away from Avery and get the photo before I forgot to take it!
EATING: Olivia is getting so good at eating. She really likes oatmeal and loves to use the spoon all by her big girl self.
VISITS/OUTINGS: Olivia had her very first Halloween. She was the cutest giraffe you've ever seen!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: eating and practicing her sitting skills.
MOMMY FEELS: like time is going too fast. I can't believe Olivia is 6 months old and Avery is speeding through her third year.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Thanksgiving and Christmas are rapidly approaching and they are my favorite times of year.

Sleep breakthrough!

 Sleep is a magical thing. Unfortunately with kids it is hard to come by. Until last week it was always a fight to get Avery to nap. Then something magical happened. She decided napping is a good thing. It's a fun thing. She just wanted to do it on the couch.

I cannot believe it took me 2 years to figure out, but we are finally at a place where we can both look forward to naptime without anxiety. And doesn't she look so peaceful?

Instragram: October 2012

Here is a snapshot of our month of October.

Halloween 2012

The Princess and the Giraffe

We have a sitter!

Such a big girl she is. Olivia is officially an independent sitter. She gets tired after about 2 minutes, but she has so much fun being able to see like we do.

Sisters

My girls are such good sisters. Avery has been shying away from taking photos lately, but the other day she climbed up on the bed with Olivia and said, "My picture us, Mama!" and gave me this cheesy smile.

Princess Pee Pee in the Potty girl

Avery is a big girl now. A couple weeks ago we decided it was time to try potty training Avery. She had shown interest for a few months but I was hesitant to start before Olivia was born for fear of regression once seeing baby sister in diapers So Monday night we went to the store and stocked up on supplies. We already had a little potty, but we got a potty seat for the big potty, some fruit snacks (Avery's most favorite "prize") and about 20 pairs of tiny little underwear.

Tuesday morning we woke up and Avery helped me throw away all her diapers we could find. We were jumping in feet first and not holding on to any lifelines. It's all or nothing.

Tuesday was a huge success. She only had 3 accidents, one of which was Justin's fault for locking the bathroom door when he was in there. She even made it through her first nap diaper-free without so much as a drop! That night she went to bed late and woke up early, but stayed dry the whole night.

The next two days we had a couple accidents, but by the end of day 3 she was fully using the potty for every time. On day 4 we visited Aunt Stacy at work for our first public-potty trial since it's someplace she was familiar with. She used the potty there like a champ. The next day she used the travel potty I bought for the car while we were at the park. By day 6 I concluded she was 100% fully a potty-using big girl. I couldn't be more proud! And grateful not to change as many diapers.

Food!

Since Olivia was about 4 1/2 months old she has been trying to snatch food off our plates or out of our hands. Since she turned 6 months old yesterday we decided to give her a taste of solid food. Just like with Avery we started with avocado, but unlike her big sister she actually seemed to enjoy it. She mostly just smashed it around, but she seemed to like the taste and had a lot of fun playing around with it.

Olivia's first swing!

Olivia rode on her very first swing at a part today. She absolutely loved it and laughed the entire time. It was so fun to watch.

Olivia: 6 months!

Weight: 17lbs 9.5oz
Height: 26.9 in
Head circ.: 17.2 in

THIS MONTH YOUR BABY MAY:

• improve her fine motor skills and begin to feel and turn around small objects in her hands Olivia is so good at this! She especially loves to pick up her paci, turn it around to the right direction and then put it in her mouth. She is so proud when she gets it right!
• say vowel-consonant combinations She just loves talking to herself and blowing raspberries. 
• express unhappiness when a toy is taken away Oh yes. Sister has gotten the wrath of an unhappy Olivia several times. I think it is helping with Avery's sharing because Olivia can express her displeasure when Avery snatches something away. It's really cute because now Avery will usually give it back or give her another toy to play with instead.
• discover herself and "talk" to herself in a mirror We don't really have too many mirrors at baby level, but when she sees herself in our bathroom mirror while we do bathtime she is so fascinated.
• separation anxiety: understand that she’s a separate being and thus develop anxiety when she’s apart from you Luckily I haven't noticed any. She is totally okay with other people holding her or when I leave the room.
• learn to soothe herself by sucking a thumb or using a pacifier Both! She uses her paci if she can find it or her whole hand.
• explore her environment by putting everything into her mouth (since a baby's mouth has more nerve endings and is thus more sensitive than any other part of her body, she uses it to learn more about the world around her) Anything and everything. With a toddler we have to be very diligent in making sure the smaller pieces to Avery's toys are not near Olivia.

Olivia: 25 weeks!

MONTH: 6
WEEK: 25
WEIGHT: 16lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Olivia got to swing on her first park swing this week. She LOVES it.
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Olivia was not too cooperative this week, but she is cute as always.
EATING: This is the last week Olivia is going to be exclusively breastfed. Next week starts real food (in addition, of course)
VISITS/OUTINGS: We have been hitting lots of new parks in town. Olivia and Avery both love it!
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Olivia loves swinging on the swing in the backyard or on the swings at the park with mommy or in the baby swing all by herself.
MOMMY FEELS: Like time is going too fast.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Starting real, big people food!

Month in Photos: September 2012

Olivia: 24 weeks!

MONTH: 6
WEEK: 24
WEIGHT: 16lbs +
LENGTH: 25in +
HEAD: 42cm +
MILESTONES: Nothing major this week
OBLIGATORY ADORABLE PICTURE: Every photo was adorable, but I really liked this one. It's really indicative of her personality. She is very laid back and easy to make laugh.
EATING: Olivia must mean "chow hound" in some other language.
VISITS/OUTINGS: We went to gymnastics for Avery and Olivia loved all the colors of the mats. She even showed off her rolling skills on the soft floor.
FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Eating. She loves it.
MOMMY FEELS: blessed. We are so lucky to have two healthy, happy kids and I try not to forget it.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO: Halloween!

Leavin' on a jet plane...

Last week Avery, Olivia and I took a "vacation". I use the word vacation lightly because who am I kidding? Traveling alone with two kids is no vacation. It would have been easier if Justin could have made the trip with us, but he had to work the days we were going.

For our adventure we traveled by plane to San Diego to watch my little brother, Thomas, graduate boot camp and become a United States Marine. We were able to stay with my sister, Amanda, and her little family. I was even able to finally meet my niece, Penny.

Justin dropped us off at the airport, but after he left us at the tram we had a little trouble getting through security that included a meltdown by Avery and all of our carry on luggage being taken apart, but that's a story for another day. Once we got on the plane both girls were so well behaved and Avery loved the plane. She sat in her carseat next the the window, ate snacks and watched her DVD's like a big girl. She even had some airplane pretzels and said thank you to the flight attendant without being prompted. (My polite little girl!)

Once we arrived Amanda picked us up at the airport and we got all three kids in the car. Good thing she just got a new SUV or we would not have fit! While we were there Avery loved helping Aunt Mandy make dinner and play with her sister and cousin. 

 

On Thursday we were able to go to the depot where Thomas had spent the last 13 weeks and after what seemed like forever we were finally able to see and talk to him. I may have cried. Luckily I rented a stroller because it was so hot none of the kids wanted to walk or even stand while we waited for hours for the drill instructors to release the recruits to their families. As you can see Olivia fell asleep and Avery stole Sophie the Giraffe. I swear that thing can keep even her entertained. Once we got to see Thomas I was so amazing to see how much he had changed, but that he was still the same Thommy we had been missing.

On Friday we attended his graduation where he officially became a Marine. What was normally a 20 minute car ride took us 2 hours and all the kids had meltdowns on the way (Avery worst of all, naturally) but once we got there we got settled in and at least the bleachers were in the shade. It was seriously hot (like 90+ at 10am) but the girls did relatively well. Avery was fascinated with the marching band and tried to march back and forth on the bleachers like they did. Unfortunately there wasn't much room because they were packed! Luckily the ceremony was only about an hour and then we were free to take Thomas with us!

After all that we went to lunch and a miracle occurred. On the 10 minute car ride to the restaurant both my kids fell asleep. I successfully transferred them, still sleeping, to the stroller where they slept for the entire lunch. Luckily Penny was so well behaved in the big girl high chair I was actually able to eat a hot meal and have an adult conversation. It was a amazing.

One of my favorite things was finally getting to meet Penny. Seeing her on Skype is just not the same as snuggling that little peanut in my mommy nook and feeling that full head of hair brush against my cheek when she leans on my shoulder for a baby hug. It was amazing seeing all three cousins play together and the way she and Olivia interacted was just adorable.

All in all it was a stressful "vacation" but one I am glad I took. I wouldn't have missed Thomas's graduation for the world and seeing my sister, meeting Penny and making those memories are a few things I wouldn't have gotten had I not taken the girls. They even got their very first set of wings which are now in their baby books.