I cannot believe 2 months has flown by! You are such a sweet girl, so laid back and content. Your eyes have turned a beautiful hazel/gray/brown (probably won't stay that way but they are very piercing at the moment) and your soft hair is getting longer and fuller everyday. You love to be talked to and get the biggest, goofiest open mouth grin I've ever seen on a baby when we talk to you. Poor thing, I think you get so delighted because we are actually talking TO you, since you really don't get as much attention as I'd like to give you. Yesterday you were so sleepy and I could tell you just wanted to be held a bit so you could fall asleep, but we were late getting K to school so I just had you laying on the bed. You kept crying and all I could do was keep sticking your paci back in which would calm you down for a minute until you spit it back out. You finally gave in and fell asleep and of course just when you were peacefully slumbering I had to strap you into the carseat to take you with us to drop K off. But you just whimpered ever so slightly and went back to sleep. The life of a second born!
I finally decorated your room and hung your ladybug across from your changing table, and like clockwork, every time I pick you up from changing you, you see it and get the biggest smile on your face even if you were having a screaming fit up until that point. (Thanks Jamie for a perfect gift!) You started laughing a bit this last week, just a short "huh huh" kind of laugh but it is music to my ears. Your sister is usually what gets you going, or your favorite cow toy.
We had your 2 month appt today and here are your stats:
12lbs 11oz - 90%
23.6in - 90%
75% for head
Not a big fan of the nurse today (same one who had to prick your heel twice for your newborn screen) and she wouldn't let me hold you to get your shots. Jerkface. You cried for maybe 2 min though and then passed out in your carseat, it took it out of you!
And because this is such a beautiful post and sums up all the things I love about newborns too, I'm linking to my friend Abbey's blog so you all can read what I love about my babies. Very well written Abbey!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Love Is A Battlefield
I have recently come to believe that Pat Benatar was not singing this song about some lover - no, she was singing about a relationship with a 2 year old. This is truly what I feel like on a daily basis, a warrior going into battle with my daughter. Granted it is mostly a psychological battle, but it can get physical if we're having an exceptionally lovely day. I think Scott has the best analogy - Kaitlin is our little velociraptor. In case you don't remember Jurassic Park, this was the dinosaur that was constantly testing the fences to see if the electricity is still on, looking for a weakness. Kaitlin is constantly testing limits, so much so that I'm wondering if we've done something wrong up to this point? Or perhaps she is just adjusting to all the changes in her life, as well as the growing independence she feels as she gains maturity? Either way, it makes for a long day with my little dinosaur. I don't really want to go into specifics, I just wanted to post this to remind me when Claire goes through it (if she does - still seems to be alot less fiery than her sister so maybe she will skip it - wishful thinking!) and to shamelessly look for advice from those who have been through it before.
Kaitlin's 2nd Birthday Party
Only 3 weeks late with this post! We had Kaitlin's second birthday party at Stan and Cindi's house on August 22. We had it out there because we rented the Fun Bus, which is based in McKinney and they wouldn't come as far east as our house in Coppell so the Keiths were kind enough to let us use their house. I reserved the bus several months ago, in the height of K's bus obsession, but by the time her party rolled around she was kind of over it so that was kind of a bummer. (Let this be a lesson to those planning their kiddos parties in the future!) She was excited when she first saw it, but there was also a man working the bus, and she's been very wary of men lately so I think that scared her when she got on. Every man we see is referred to as "the man" by the way. "The man" is mowing the lawn next door, "the man" is taking our order at a restaurant, "the man" is at the door if the doorbell rings. Scott hopes the wariness of "the man" lasts for 30 more years.
The idea of the bus is basically like a Little Gym or other gymnastic-type venue that comes to your house. They have alot of fun stuff to crawl on, a ring that the kids can swing on, a trampoline, etc and they lead a class for an hour utilizing all the equipment, and also do some music-type things (maracas, parachute, etc). It was alot of fun once K got comfortable with it, and once they allowed all the parents to come on the bus (originally they told us only 2 adults at a time - this was quickly violated as more and more kids freaked out without their mommies.) I think this idea would be perfect for a 4 year old bday party - Scott's cousin Cameron was eating it up and he just turned 4. The 2 year olds were all just a little too wary.
After the bus, we all went inside for a pizza feast and then cake. I made Scott's Nannie Pat's recipe for strawberry cake since every time I asked K what kind of cake she wanted she would just say "a pink one." It was very good, but not the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I think I messed up the frosting, but the family swears that is what it is supposed to look like. K liked it so that's all that really matters! I'm so sad though, none of us thought to get the video camera out and no one captured a still photo of Kaitlin's SWEET FACE when we were all singing to her. I'm not kidding, it was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen because she was embarrassed to have everyone singing to her so she just put her little face down and looked up with her little puppy dog eyes and had a tiny shy smile on her face - precious! And not captured! Darnit!
Everyone hung out for a bit and then the family stuck around to watch her open all her loot and play for a bit, and then it was home for a nap and after that to see her brand new kitchen from Nana and Pop, which was a huge hit. It was a great day! Here are all the pics, highlights are below.
The bus rolls up - we are the envy of the neighborhood!
Some of the action on the inside of the bus...
and some of the action on the inside of the house.
Hmm, not a huge fan of "the man" or the slide...
but she is a huge fan of pizza. To the tune of 5 slices.
Told you the cake was not the prettiest, but the girl sure is!
Candle as utensil?
The whole fam-damily.
The idea of the bus is basically like a Little Gym or other gymnastic-type venue that comes to your house. They have alot of fun stuff to crawl on, a ring that the kids can swing on, a trampoline, etc and they lead a class for an hour utilizing all the equipment, and also do some music-type things (maracas, parachute, etc). It was alot of fun once K got comfortable with it, and once they allowed all the parents to come on the bus (originally they told us only 2 adults at a time - this was quickly violated as more and more kids freaked out without their mommies.) I think this idea would be perfect for a 4 year old bday party - Scott's cousin Cameron was eating it up and he just turned 4. The 2 year olds were all just a little too wary.
After the bus, we all went inside for a pizza feast and then cake. I made Scott's Nannie Pat's recipe for strawberry cake since every time I asked K what kind of cake she wanted she would just say "a pink one." It was very good, but not the prettiest thing I've ever seen. I think I messed up the frosting, but the family swears that is what it is supposed to look like. K liked it so that's all that really matters! I'm so sad though, none of us thought to get the video camera out and no one captured a still photo of Kaitlin's SWEET FACE when we were all singing to her. I'm not kidding, it was quite possibly the cutest thing I've ever seen because she was embarrassed to have everyone singing to her so she just put her little face down and looked up with her little puppy dog eyes and had a tiny shy smile on her face - precious! And not captured! Darnit!
Everyone hung out for a bit and then the family stuck around to watch her open all her loot and play for a bit, and then it was home for a nap and after that to see her brand new kitchen from Nana and Pop, which was a huge hit. It was a great day! Here are all the pics, highlights are below.
The bus rolls up - we are the envy of the neighborhood!
Some of the action on the inside of the bus...
and some of the action on the inside of the house.
Hmm, not a huge fan of "the man" or the slide...
but she is a huge fan of pizza. To the tune of 5 slices.
Told you the cake was not the prettiest, but the girl sure is!
Candle as utensil?
The whole fam-damily.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Kaitlin's 2 Year Checkup & Toddler Notes
We had Kaitlin's 2 year checkup on Friday. Everything looks good, here are stats:
Height: 38.5in, >97%
Weight: 33.2lbs, 97%
Head: still in the 75%
I did the height predictor on Babycenter.com and it said she will be 6'1"!! They even give you precision - they say there's a 90% chance that she will be within 1.7in of that. So we're looking at a tall girl here!
We talked with Dr. Meyer about discipline, eating habits and night waking. Discipline our issue is that she has started to think time-outs are a game, and sometimes just blatently walks out before her time is up. She said to just stay the course, ignoring her if she is peeking out and just putting her back in the corner if she walks out without much discussion, just saying "no, you're in time-out." This doesn't seem to be working yet so I'm contemplating a chair, in the hopes that that might make her stay? Any advice here is welcome.
As far as eating habits, we talked about how she eats SO MUCH. She said normally between 1 and 2 you see a weight dropoff b/c appetite wanes and activity picks up. Not so much with our girl. I asked if it was normal to eat a can of beans at a sitting, and she said "No, not normal but not a problem." I am just thankful that she eats so really no worries here.
We talked about night waking because Kaitlin goes through phases of months of waking 3-5 times a week in the middle of the night and needing us to come in, whether it be to hold her, cover her up, get her a drink, etc. I'm sure it's a combination of the move, the new baby and the new bed, and Dr. Meyer agreed. We had been going in there and patting her pillow (keeping the talking to a minimum, if at all) and then turning around and standing by the door while she calmed down and then leaving. This worked to a point, because it kept her from going into all her crazy requests, since we wouldn't talk to her, but it didn't really stop the waking. Dr. Meyer said that with her girls she would talk about a special treat they would get in the morning if they slept through the night in their bed without crying for Mommy, so kind of more of a positive reinforcement. We've tried that the past few nights and it seems to have done well. She's on a big honey kick so we tell her if she sleeps all night in her big girl bed she can have a spoon of honey in the morning. I worry a bit that this is starting a bad habit, but Dr. Meyer said after a couple times they forget about the treat and just are in the habit of sleeping through. Hope that's true.
I will say these past few weeks have showed me just how much more difficult toddlers are than babies, just because I have a side by side comparison at the moment. Babies are physically draining with the lack of sleep, but toddlers are emotionally and mentally draining, and I feel it's so much harder to be constantly tested on those levels. I just have to pray for patience and I find myself singing "It won't be like this for long"(thanks Mr. Rucker for a great song) more often than not just to get through the day/night.
Height: 38.5in, >97%
Weight: 33.2lbs, 97%
Head: still in the 75%
I did the height predictor on Babycenter.com and it said she will be 6'1"!! They even give you precision - they say there's a 90% chance that she will be within 1.7in of that. So we're looking at a tall girl here!
We talked with Dr. Meyer about discipline, eating habits and night waking. Discipline our issue is that she has started to think time-outs are a game, and sometimes just blatently walks out before her time is up. She said to just stay the course, ignoring her if she is peeking out and just putting her back in the corner if she walks out without much discussion, just saying "no, you're in time-out." This doesn't seem to be working yet so I'm contemplating a chair, in the hopes that that might make her stay? Any advice here is welcome.
As far as eating habits, we talked about how she eats SO MUCH. She said normally between 1 and 2 you see a weight dropoff b/c appetite wanes and activity picks up. Not so much with our girl. I asked if it was normal to eat a can of beans at a sitting, and she said "No, not normal but not a problem." I am just thankful that she eats so really no worries here.
We talked about night waking because Kaitlin goes through phases of months of waking 3-5 times a week in the middle of the night and needing us to come in, whether it be to hold her, cover her up, get her a drink, etc. I'm sure it's a combination of the move, the new baby and the new bed, and Dr. Meyer agreed. We had been going in there and patting her pillow (keeping the talking to a minimum, if at all) and then turning around and standing by the door while she calmed down and then leaving. This worked to a point, because it kept her from going into all her crazy requests, since we wouldn't talk to her, but it didn't really stop the waking. Dr. Meyer said that with her girls she would talk about a special treat they would get in the morning if they slept through the night in their bed without crying for Mommy, so kind of more of a positive reinforcement. We've tried that the past few nights and it seems to have done well. She's on a big honey kick so we tell her if she sleeps all night in her big girl bed she can have a spoon of honey in the morning. I worry a bit that this is starting a bad habit, but Dr. Meyer said after a couple times they forget about the treat and just are in the habit of sleeping through. Hope that's true.
I will say these past few weeks have showed me just how much more difficult toddlers are than babies, just because I have a side by side comparison at the moment. Babies are physically draining with the lack of sleep, but toddlers are emotionally and mentally draining, and I feel it's so much harder to be constantly tested on those levels. I just have to pray for patience and I find myself singing "It won't be like this for long"(thanks Mr. Rucker for a great song) more often than not just to get through the day/night.
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