2 is better than 1

Sista

2011-12-28T12:42:00.002-05:00

Miss R has taken to calling C - Sista. I think this is in part because I'd always say, There's your Sister. It's super cute.

They really have taken to each other which is nice. Sure there's some tackling and boundary setting with regards to whacking your little or big sister over the head with toys, but for the most part all is good.

I like watching the two of them play together. C likes to be very Mommy-like with R and does try to take care of her. It's super sweet and I hope it lasts.

Teeth

2011-12-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Miss C went to her new dentist here. She'd been before but this was the first time she was actually getting her teeth cleaned. We talked about the visit before she went. Even looked at pictures of the office online before she visited to prepare her because you just never know how it's going to go.

I had to work so SP took her. She did pretty well considering but totally DID NOT like the flossing. I am still trying to figure that one out because she freaked out again last night when I showed her how to floss my teeth. I think she believes the floss will get stuck between her teeth or something. Who knows really but it freaked her out.

Christmas

2011-12-28T12:34:00.002-05:00

Christmas has come and gone. If I ever find my camera I will post pictures. Until then, the written word will have to do.

Miss C was amazingly funny about Christmas this year. Her excitement and genuine belief in Santa and his reindeer and all that entails was sweet and make the holiday more fun. We are encouraging her to be gracious for the gifts she receives and talk to her about those who don't get gifts. We also discussed that Santa does not always get you what you THINK you should get even if it's on your list. That Santa gives you what he thinks is best for you.

I loved seeing sparkle in her eye when talking about leaving cookies, milk and something healthy for Santa and then her reaction on Christmas morning when she saw Santa had eaten some of what she left. She loves everything she received and clearly knows which things Santa got her.

Miss R was thrilled about the holiday just based on the sheer excitement around her. She didn't get what was going on, but loved, loved, loved searching for our elf Buddy every morning leading up to Christmas. She has been playing with so many of C's old toys that we didn't have to get her as much but still wanted her to experience the fun of opening presents. And she did.

It was nice this year to wake up in our own house, with our girls, and have our own Christmas memory. I look forward to many more years of Christmas memories with the girls and SP.

Holiday pictures

2011-12-15T21:50:00.004-05:00

Lovey

2011-12-15T21:43:00.002-05:00

R sure is a lovey little girl. It's not uncommon for her to grab you around your neck and give you a big hug. When she wants to kiss you it's typically in the form of her forehead coming toward your face.

She's smiley and happy and a true joy to be around. Somewhere along the way she's realized her sense of humor and does all kinds of things to make you laugh from playing peekaboo to showing you the food in her mouth.

Her oddest habit and funniest is that she picks between her toes with complete enjoyment. As soon as her socks come off there she goes between her toes picking whatever is there. It's hilarious.

I hope this sense of humor she has lasts forever.

Christmas Lists

2011-12-15T21:34:00.003-05:00

It's been somewhat difficult to determine what C really wants for Christmas because her list is ever changing. Some days she wants a castle or a diamond princess Barbie or a dollhouse. Other days it's a Lion King puzzle or whatever she can see around her.

There has been one constant though that quite baffles me and that also sent me around town to find this odd but important gift. C has been asking repeatedly for an acron. Yes, an acron. I have no clue where she came up with the idea or why it continues to be the one thing she asks for, but she does. And Santa will be bringing her an acron bell ornament for Christmas. Sometimes unique requests should be granted.

C helped write her list for Santa and R's as well. R's was equally as interesting because C thinks she wants a spider and a snake. Not sure where she comes up with this stuff.

Halloween

2011-11-20T14:34:00.007-05:00

Pictures from Hubers

2011-11-20T14:26:00.008-05:00

Life gets away from me

2011-11-20T14:10:00.003-05:00

Some times life just flies by and I realize it's almost Thanksgiving and I haven't written anything in awhile. The girls are growing like weeds. Everyday I am more in love with the both of them.

R is now 18 months. Just had her check up recently and is average across the board for weight and height. She's talking up a storm but some things only we understand.

Her BA is her blankie. And we hear BA a lot around her. She looks like Linus carrying around BA.

There are the usual MaMa, DaDa, Bye, Hi.

A new addition is No along with Ouch.

C is Sisa

She's starting to learn the grandparents and can say Nana and Papa. Granny and Grumpy are a little more difficult.

Animals are Duck, Woof-Woof, Oink.

She's also started saying, "I poop" even if she has only peed. Which is good either way.

Most days she's a pretty affectionate and happy little girl. Hugs and kisses abound. She can play by herself for awhile and loves C's doll house more than C ever did. Oh and Elmo. Girl loves, loves, loves ELBOW. She also loves doing anything and everything her big sister does. I expect that might continue to be a problem as she grows up.

She also can have her not so great toddler moments. Most stem from not getting her way and getting to do something her sister gets to do. And when she's unhappy, she's very unhappy and will let you know it. Thankfully she's happy more often than not.

C is my "Big GURL" as she likes to call herself. So smart and funny. We're working on letters and numbers. She'll rattle things off sometimes and I am not sure how she knows what she does. Definitely our creative girl who likes to write and draw all the time. Reminds me of me.

She'll dance and sing all around the house. Kicking her leg out and twirling around. She'd also prefer to be outside more than inside. Loves riding her bike and scooter and swinging. She could swing for hours.

We're still working on her not tackling her sister when she hugs her. Also working on R not pulling chunks of her hair out when she does that. Sisterly love.

Overall we are all well. Life continues to go on and the girls continue to grow even if I don't write.

Hallowee Party at School

2011-10-28T20:28:00.003-04:00

Can't get anymore pictures to upload. Will try later.

What a week

2011-10-28T20:20:00.002-04:00

This last week was a crazy mess. Miss R came home on Thursday with a temperature. There was an outbreak of hand, foot, mouth at school. She wasn't showing any other symptoms but the fever and had never had HFM before so we weren't sure if she had it or not.

Then Miss C broke her arm.

I had planned on being out of town with Dawn and Mom for a scrapbooking trip so SP kept the girls on Friday and took them to Nana and Papa's on Saturday so he could go to Kings Island. He started feeling bad on Saturday and by Monday he'd been diagnosed with Influenza A.

By this time Miss R's mouth had fully broken out with the sores indicating HFM. C was still in her splint and Paul was contagious. I had been lysoling and cloroxing the house trying to keep us all from getting sick. We were able to get the girls a prescription for Tamiflu along with SP.

Tuesday afternoon I started feeling achey and ended up in the Immediate Care Center. Tests for strep and flu were negative but I felt horrible. Thankfully my Mom and Nana and Papa were able to step up and help us with the girls. SP and I were in no shape to be taking care of them and I was so worried they'd get sick.

Now it's Friday and we are on the med. I missed two days of work but never had a fever. I ached all over, and was a sweaty mess. Paul spent multiple days in bed. R recovered rom HFM. C never got sick but did get her lovely new purple cast.

What a week.

Broke

2011-10-28T20:10:00.003-04:00

Last week while playing at Granny and Grumpy's with her cousin Mia Miss C fell off the glider and hurt her arm. Grumpy thought almost immediately that it might be broken. We applied ice, called the doctor and made sure she could move everything. After a restless night of sleep it was clear that we needed to go get her checked so I loaded her into the car and too her to the K*sair facility by our house.

I am not going to lie, I was freaked out. I have never broken anything before. Never experienced that kind of pain. Never worn a cast. It's all foreign to me. And taking her knowing it was a strong possibility made me super anxious. That and she seemed so tiny and small.

They were great at the Emergency Department. It was a perfect experience for a little girl in pain and her anxious mother. They did everything right from the movies they let her watch to the doll, "Brokey" that they used to show her how her arm would be splinted.

We left that day in a bright pink split with a fractured radius and ulna. I was super proud of my little girl who was so brave.

This is sculpture of 3 baby bears and their momma bear. The sculpture is outside the children's facility and was donated by a work friend's family.

After a week in the pink splint we got the official purple cast on Mommy's birthday. When we got home we decorated it and signed our names on it. 3 weeks in the cast is what they are telling us. Cross your fingers.

Pumpkin pickin

2011-10-11T21:27:00.002-04:00

Took the girls to the pumpkin patch to get some pumpkins for Halloween. They had a blast. It was the perfect day and I completely and thoroughly enjoyed spending the time with them and my family.

Elbow

2011-10-06T16:45:00.002-04:00

Every day now R's vocabulary seems to grow as does her fondness for certain things. I love listening to her try to learn new words and to keep up with our conversations. Most people probably have no clue what she is saying, but I do. She's a talker and is not content to just sit around and let the rest of us do things. She wants to do it all too.

She has a strong love and fascination with both Elbow (Elmo) and Duck (any duck, chicken, bird) and will get super excited and seeing either. Typically clutched in her hands are books or dolls falling in either category. Her grip is tight and often taking those away from her at bed or bath time is met with resistance. It's so cute to see her toddling along with three duck books and an Elmo doll her sister gave her in her hands.

Speaking of her sister. R wants to do EVERYTHING C does. C pats her head, R pats her head. C twirls a circle, R twirls a circle. You kiss C, R sticks her cute little lips out and cocks her head for a kiss. Her every move and action is often her interpretation of what her sister is doing or saying. C seems to be embracing it, in between trying to tackle her in a super fierce hug.

I like watching the two of them together. R being in awe of her sister and C learning to be more gentle and giving of herself and her toys to her sister. I like to see them growing together, becoming friends and playmates. I look forward to more of that as they get older.

Ramsey's world

2011-09-09T21:24:00.002-04:00

I forget sometimes to stop and write down what R is doing. Life is just moving so quickly. But today I will stop a reflect.

Miss R is a funny, funny girl and she knows it. She will intentionally do things that she know will make you laugh. Then she laughs. Oh how she laughs. She is always smiling and laughing. I hope that never changes because her smile is a beautiful thing to see.

I know everyone thinks their child is the smartest on Earth. But Miss R really is. The most recent example was when we were all getting ready to go on a walk and she went unprompted out to find her tennis shoes and brought them back to have them put on. Every day she amazes us with just how much she knows and understands. I will ask her to point out animals in a book and she knows so many of them.

And the words she says...wow! I am sure we are the only ones who truly understand but we do. She says book, duck, dog, sock, shoe, mama, dada, sister, etc. I think this comes from her love of books. The child would rather have a book than anything else. Then she will sit forever with the book and pretend to read. It is super cute.

Today she did one of the sweetest things ever. While sitting next to me on the couch she goes ma! Mama! And when I turned she planted a big wet kiss on me. Love my girl!

Silly girl

2011-08-16T20:53:00.003-04:00

Miss R has been a smiley girl since birth. She laughs, smiles and has a good old time. As she gets a little older she is learning what is funny and will do things to get a laugh. She loves playing peek a boo or putting things like a ball in her mouth and then showing you.

Her vocabulary is ever increasing and her favorite, FAVORITE word and thing is DUCK. Ducks are the most exciting thing in her tiny little world. When she sees them she starts to squeal and flap her little arms and just gets all worked up. It's hilarious.

Pre-School

2011-08-16T20:31:00.005-04:00

Miss C started Pre-School yesterday. I am seriously not sure when that happened but it sure snuck up on us. It went pretty easy and I think that was because she goes to the same place she was going, just new teachers and a new class. Things in Pre-School are more structured and more "school-like" and so far, so good.

It's weird because Miss C seems so grown up in so many ways but even with starting Pre-School this week, she still is a little girl. Just like when she was first born, I want to bottle up her sweet, sweet innocence and carry it with me forever. I want to record all those times now where she goes, I love you Mommy and I haven't said it to her first. I want to take a mold of her tiny hand holding mine and capture that bond displayed so simply and yet so clearly.

I love that my little girl can be so independent and is enjoying her new class and Pre-School, but I hate that it means she is growing up.

Pacifier

2011-08-02T21:32:00.002-04:00

Miss R loves her pacifier. LOVES it. Very much attached to the paci and it's a definite soother for her.

We try to keep the use of the paci to a minimum and reserved for nap and bedtime. That holds true at day care but at home some times we cave and give it too her if she seems overly worked up.

She is also pretty attached to her blankie but in the blanket arena it can really be any blanket not just a specific one. Still she does have a specific blankie (with back ups) that she sleeps with.

So tonight we tried paci-free bedtime with the blankie. There was some fussing but in the end she feel asleep without it so we'll see how it goes tomorrow.

Uh oh!

2011-07-31T21:35:00.003-04:00

We've been pretty busy around here enjoying the Summer and finding time to write has been few and far between. The girls are growing up fast and if feels like I blinked and Miss C is heading into Pre-School and Miss R is starting to talk beyond MaMa and DaDa.

They are sisters to the core and one minute they will be rolling around making each other laugh and the next R will have a handfull of C's hair pulling it by the roots. It's a wild ride around here for sure. The two of them can wind each other up, but...one of my favorite things is when the girls hold hands. When the softer, gentler side of sisterhood shows up and I see C taking care of her Sissy. There is a bond there between my girls and I try to remind C that she has to take care of her sister.

Miss R is feeling out her vocabulary and is starting to communicate more and more every day. She knows who we all are and will point to us if asked. Duck is one of her most favorite words Her appetite is through the roof and we can hardly keep food in her. She's still pretty attached to her paci and will make any blanket her blankey. I love the way she pulls out a book and will sit and "read" the book outloud. She loves that almost more than anything else.

Miss C, well, that girl is hilarious. You can tell she is our child by her silliness. Today she was dancing to every song that came on the radio and singing her own version of Lady Gaga. She's learned that if she says, "hope you find your dad" from the movie Elf it makes people laugh so she says it over and over again.

July 4th Kentucky Lake

2011-07-12T20:26:00.003-04:00

For the holiday weekend, and our 5th wedding anniversary, we went to Kentucky Lake with Dawn, Mike, Mia, Granny and Grumpy. We had a great time.

First Piggies

2011-07-12T20:21:00.000-04:00

Give a listen

2011-07-12T20:12:00.003-04:00

Miss R is a force to be reckoned with. She has fully inserted herself into our family and can hold her own. Despite not being able to talk using too many words, she can very clearly convey what she wants.

Those words that she can now say include...MAMA! DADA! Hi. Bye-Bye. Uh-oh! Something that sounds like Copper and random, but quite frequent gibber jabber.

One of my most favorite things she does is when she grunts for a book and then once she gets it, she gets all excited kicking and smiling while she "reads" it outloud to us. She'll turn the pages and point and speak her indecipherable language. I hope this indicates one day she'll be an avid reader or public speaker.

It's amazing to watch her grow. I love her independence. The way she'll sit by herself actively reading a book, or play with a toy.

I love the way she plays with her sister. They hold hands and laugh and R seems quite taken with everything about her sister and vice versa.

Miss C

2011-06-27T22:21:00.005-04:00

First dance recital.

New goggles.

Floatation device as a head dress.

Best buddies eating popcorn and watching a movie.

Once night C started posing.

And posing.

Hanging in the pool.

Snoozing after swimming.

Cheese.

Writing a note.

Miss R

2011-06-27T22:09:00.004-04:00

Hanging out at her sister's dance recital.

Swimming in the pool with the neighborhood kids.

Swimming with Papa.

And more swimming with Nana.

Snoozing in the car. Life can be exhausting sometimes.

Drinking and eating and just playing.

Hanging with brother Jake.

Playing outside.

Some much to tell so little time

2011-06-27T22:06:00.002-04:00

I had surgery recently which has left me unable to lift the girls. That's been a bit of a challenge but life goes on and they continue to grow and thrive whether I am healthy or not. Trying to catch up all that is going on will be hard to do but I am going to try.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T13:26:00.002-04:00

One of the coolest things about Miss C getting older is I can ask her what she thinks or wants. That is what I did for Father's Day. I asked her what she wanted to get her Daddy for Father's Day and she picked a baseball glove so she could play catch with her Daddy.

This is the sweetest thing to me. To me it shows she gets how important baseball is to her dad and she wants to be a part of that. So, for Father's Day we got SP a Dora baseball glove and ball so they could play catch.

No longer a baby

2011-06-20T13:15:00.002-04:00

It's official. Miss R has moved to the toddler room at her school. She is no longer considered a baby to them but she will always be a baby to me.

She is walking more and now her not walking is just a matter of choice because she can walk. I think she realizes she can get their quicker right now by crawling so she does that instead.

She is a vocal girl. VOCAL. Lots of grunting and hollaring and pointing to what she wants. I am surprised she isn't talking because she very much knows what she wants, and she wants it. I can only imagine what the future is going to be like because my girl is very head strong and opinionated at 13 months.

For her birthday Aunt Pat got her a bunch of books. She LOVES them. LOVES them. It's hilarious to see her with a book because she will jibber jabber like she is reading. And she loves those books. When she sees one she grunts her desire for it and happiness to see it. Then she opens the book and pretends to read them laughing and grunting all the way.

I just find her to be so full of life and energy and personality. I thought Miss C was all of those things, and she is, but then you have Miss R who will not get left behind among all these strong personalities. I love her. Just love every ounce of her.

Of course, when she refuses to lay down so I can change her I get frustrated beyond belief but I still love her.

Play time

2011-06-03T21:44:00.001-04:00

Now that it's finally stopped raining we are able to play outside more. Miss R loves the pool and has absolutely no fear. Miss C loves having all the kids come over and play.

Strawberries

2011-06-03T21:33:00.004-04:00

We had a wonderful time picking strawberries despite the hot weather. The girls loved eating fresh strawberries.

Hi Hi Hi

2011-05-31T22:10:00.003-04:00

One of the things you realize when you have kids is that there are phrases you use A LOT. You know you use them because your kids repeat them. For some, it's those embarassing cuss words. For others, like us, it's a simple greating like Hi.

For quite some time now Miss R has been doing this "Huh! Huh! Huh!" sound whenever she would see people. At first I thought she was just making random noises. Then we realized she is actually saying Hi and greeting people. Sometimes she'll wave hello or blow kisses too, but she is definitely saying Hi. It's hilarious.

Other things she's doing now...

Sitting in her new big girl car seat which she LOVES because she wants to do anything and everything her big sister does.

Eating all table food and no baby food. Again, she wants what we have to eat and no more stinking baby food.

She'll try to put shoes on her feet, dress herself, put bracelets on her wrists, brush her own teeth with a toothbrush (though not well), comb her hair if given a comb and other things that just seem amazing to me that she's doing now.

We are so close to walking that it's just a matter of confidence at this point because she does walk when she stops thinking about it.

Her favorite thing to do is climb up the stairs. She'll dart for them and quickly scurry up them if we aren't careful so we have gated them. But...she is figuring out how to open the gate so we are rethinking the gate.

She's just getting so freakin big so quickly.

Wow! Head strong and so young

2011-05-18T20:46:00.002-04:00

I expect that Miss R is going to give us a run for our money when she is older. She has a well formed opinion and she is only one. Despite her inability to speak she is pretty good at letting us know what she wants, what she doesn't and how she feels about things.

Currently, she is opting not to use any sign language, despite the fact that I know she can sign both more and milk appropriate. Instead, she likes to grunt and yell loudly or point and grunt. We were doing so good with the signing to let us know what exactly she wanted. I'd like to think her development isn't so far along that she is really deciding to NOT sign, but sometimes I swear she is doing it with full awareness of what and why she is doing it.

She is also pretty head strong and determined about what she wants too. Whether it's a toy, food or even a person like me or her Daddy...she will go to great lengths to get that item or person. Nothing holds her back...though we try and try and try because often her safety is compromised when she tries to propel herself off the changing table or crawl up or down the stairs.

I know her vocalness, her drive and determination are all qualities that we need to encourage and grow...but she is only 1. There has to be some boundaries, right?

Ramsey's First Birthday

2011-05-09T21:47:00.004-04:00

Miss R's party was a huge success. She clearly likes white cake better than chocolate and smearing it all over me.

Miss R

2011-05-03T21:03:00.007-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday Miss R

2011-05-03T20:34:00.002-04:00

Dear Miss R,
Life with two kiddos is definitely different than life with one. You have added more happiness and sunshine into our lives in 12 short months than I thought was ever possible.

If I wish for anything, it would have been to have more time to dedicate to just you over the last year. In focusing on that I often fail to write down all that you are doing. And you are doing a lot.

For starters, you really are one of the happiest babies I have ever met. Your smile is beautiful with your mouth fully of gapped teeth. You love to crack up at your sister and she can get you going like nobody else.

Here are some other things you are doing right now, today, on your first birthday...

You blow kisses by putting your hand over your open mouth and then extending your arm out.

And you give nice sloppy open mouthed kisses when asked.

Those kisses come with a little head bump as you lean in to kiss.

You can wave and sign more and clap with a frenzie.

I expect you to walk any moment because you are standing on your own and moving around testing the feel of moving from one piece of furniture to the next.

Socks continue to be something that you pull off with frequency. Socks don't last long on your feet.

Changing you is still a challenge because you HATE to lay on your back. This usually is worse when you have an ear infection and those have been pretty frequent as well.

Push toys that help with walking are your new favorite and you also love most of your sister's toys, especially those that make noise.

Your appetite is finally starting to grow and you are more into eating what we eat that eating any jarred baby food.

We're dressing you in 12-18 month clothes because you are a growing girl.

I must admit that when we first found out that we were pregnant I was shocked and overwhelmed. Now that I have met you, I cannot imagine our family without you. You are my girl...my precious, loveable, happy girl and I wish you the most beautifully happy birthday and many more to come.

Love your Mommy

New Blanket

2011-04-21T20:18:00.005-04:00

The other day C got a package in the mail. It was from one of her former teachers at her old school. SP and both cried as we read her thoughtful note. Her gift was a lovely quilt that C has slept with every night since.

The arrival of the quilt and the note from her teacher stirred up a lot of memories for C. We've spent a lot of time talking about her old school and how much she misses her school and her friends.

I snapped this picture because it was too sweet to see her covered in the quilt amongst all the other crazy stuff she piles into her bed.

It's been awhile

2011-04-21T20:16:00.001-04:00

Life sometimes goes on and we don't have a second to think about all that is going on much less write it down. I know that's not fair to my girls because these are the moments that need to be captured. I will try and do better and think I can now that I have transitioned to my new job and am done traveling.

Reward

2011-03-30T08:59:00.002-04:00

Miss C is taking tap and ballet at her new school. It actually works out really well to do it there because we don't have to take time out of our evenings to go somewhere for the class. The girl also LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to dance so I thought this would be perfect. One of the requirements is she has to have tap shoes. I kept forgetting to buy them and finally remembered the other day. So when I picked her up I gave them to her in the car. She took the shoes, got all excited when she opened the box and then looked at me and said, "Thank you Mommy." I about fell over. Without prompting or prodding my child thanked me for something I gave her!!! Then yesterday, she did it again! We might be doing something right around here!

Meow

2011-03-28T21:18:00.002-04:00

Years ago I walked into a pet store bought a tiny orange kitten. I had just gotten rid of my Australian Shepherd because I was moving into a new apartment and it was just too small for a dog. I had that tiny little cat named Pumpkin for a few weeks before I got her brother. He came to be part of my family after a friends mother found a mom-less litter under a house. I told her to bring me the cutest cat in the litter and if Pumpkin liked him, I'd keep him. Romeo was a tiny little grey and white guy with huge ears. From the moment he arrived, he cuddled up to his new sister and lived up to his loveable name. I have had my cats for over 10 years. They've been with me through everything. Now, it looks like I am going to have to get rid of them. Miss R has had a some instances lately that have resulted in her now having to have breathing treatments. The doctor says because she had RSV as a baby she is more susceptable to irritants. She gets sick. She wheezes. She coughs. The cats are considered a huge irritant because of their hair and dander. The fact that she is a baby and her whole life involves being on the floor close to their hair and dander makes it even worse. Looking back, it's possible the cats have been bothering her from the moment she came home. We took her repeatedly to the doctor for a cough that never seemed to go away. She was never diagnosed with anything. And the cough never really seemed to go away. Now, I can't justify keeping my cats when it compromises my daughter's health. I am trying to find a good home for them and so far no takers. I get it. People want cute little kittens not 10 year old cats. And I am stuck because of that. I can't have my cats running around my house where Miss R crawls and plays. I have it when she starts to wheeze and I have to give her breathing treatments. I want to protect her from that. But I hate having to lock them in the basement. It's not fair to them to live like that. Ugh. What do I do?

Just keeps growing...

2011-03-24T09:32:00.003-04:00

Miss R is growing fast and she is a hilarious little girl. She loves to make this growling like sound and does this "AH!" outloud laugh when things excite her. I thought I'd capture somethings she's doing now...

Signing for milk and more. Both of these are very helpful.
Eating table foods like bread, cereal, veggies, fruits and some meats.
Has a mouthful of 8 teeth, for of which came in all at the same time.
She'll stand on her own for a few seconds at a time.
I think once she stands on her own it's only a matter of time before she is walking.
I love to watch her sit and play by herself and be entertained by things like Tupperware or the magnets on the fridge.
She loves playing with her sister and gets so excited by her.
We just bought her some new 12 month clothes because she's getting so big.
Still not sure who she looks like because I don't see me or SP in her features.
She seems to have taken really well to her new teacher at the daycare. Miss Cheryl is a very kind, loving woman that has made our transition easier.
More often than not her socks are off and in her mouth.
She is a happy, happy, happy little girl who brings joy to our lives every day.

Settling in - the special book

2011-03-24T09:13:00.002-04:00

Things are slowly starting to get back to normal. We are adjusting to our new routine, our new house and the increase in family activities. For the most part, the girls are doing well but there are still times when Miss C tells me she wants to go to her old school and her old friends or she'll talk to me about Lukas' birthday party that happened right before we moved, or mention Owen or Olivia.

This breaks my heart. It breaks my heart because I miss them too.

I know with time she will embrace her new friends like she did her old friends...she is already starting to do that now. I know that her memories will fade but the impact will be long lasting.

Still, when she asks a lot about her old school, or mentions her old friends or teachers I always pull out her "special book". The special book is a photo book made by her teacher that shows pictures of all her friends and her teachers. We sit and go through all the pictures naming each one of her friends and look at the pictures of her playing with them.

We talk about Miles who left the school to stay home with his mommy. We talk about Owen who has a booboo on his head in his photo. We talk about Kristy, Ann, Yin-Ling and Maria and what fun we had at school.

It makes me sad, but I am so thankful for that book. I think acknowledging those memories and relationships will ultimately help us both move on.

Playing

2011-03-15T21:41:00.003-04:00

I love to sit and watch Miss R play. She has this innocent expression of curiosity that I find fascinating to watch. She'll sit and explore her toys and just be content with that activity.

Yesterday it was taking one of the coins from C's cash register and dropping it over and over into one of C's toy cars. She'd drop the coin in, look at it, then stick her hand in to pull it out. Then do it all over again. I loved watching her do this.

Trampoline

2011-03-15T21:34:00.002-04:00

The best part of our new house, per Miss C, is the trampoline that is in the backyard. The weather finally was nice enough for her to get outside and check it out. We need to still get a net for it so she doesn't go flying off but she loved it. Of course, the first bounce on the trampoline landed her with a scraped up nose but that didn't seem to deter her.

New House

2011-03-09T22:17:00.002-05:00

C's actual birthday - CUPCAKES

2011-03-09T22:14:00.002-05:00

10 Months

2011-03-09T21:55:00.005-05:00

In the middle of Miss C turning 3 and moving to Louisville Miss R turned 10 months old. Holy crap! Here's some pictures of our girl.

3 glorious 3

2011-03-09T21:47:00.002-05:00

Birthday Girl

2011-03-09T21:27:00.002-05:00

My Sweet Sweet C,
Mommy and Daddy gave you what I hope will be one of the most important and live changing birthday presents...we moved to Louisville. I know that you don't realize the significance of this now but one day I hope you do.

You are an amazing little girl that has wrapped herself tightly around every ounce of my being and infused such beautiful loveliness into every aspect of my life. You have a wit and amazingly on target sense of humor that often catches me off guard but makes me laugh nonetheless. Along with that wit is a mischeviousness that I expect will one day cause me frustration and heartache but is, for now, pure in it's intentions.

Daily I am amazed by how smart you are and the conversations you have with me. While I don't like that you are growing up I do like that you and I can talk. I cherish those times when we lay in your bed at night and talk about your day. Now, it's not always me talking to you, it's you telling me what you did, what you like and don't, what you find important in your little life.

I try to make each day of your life, not just your birthday though it IS very important, memorable. I like to end each day knowing that you are happy and healthy and that you have the potential for greatness, because you do. And, I hope you never doubt that as you venture through more years and more birthdays.

I was flooded with emotions the day you were born and more often than not, I am flooded with them daily as I love and admire my little girl. You have taught me more than I think I could ever possibly teach you but I am trying.

Happy Birthday my sweet baby girl.

Love,
Mommy

Age

2011-03-03T14:21:00.000-05:00

My girls are growing up. C is now 3 years old and R is 10 months old today. Where did the time go? Lately it's been consumed with moving. Hope things settle down soon.

We've moved!

2011-03-02T14:29:00.002-05:00

Things have been a little crazy around here. We moved over the weekend to Louisville so our lives have been focused on that. I hope once things settle back down I will get to writing more.

For now...

R got tubes right before we left and seems to be doing great.
The girls are in their new daycare. This has been difficult for me but they seem to be doing ok.
I expect R to walk soon. Yesterday she pushed a toy across the floor walking behind it. That girl has been moving since birth.
Speaking of R, she now has 4 bottom teeth and 4 top teeth.
This weekend we are celebrating C's 3rd birthday. I cannot believe she is 3!

We are all happy and healthy...and home.

Happy Happy Birthday

2011-02-22T09:56:00.001-05:00

Miss C turned 3 on Sunday and with all the packing and craziness going on around our house I haven't had a chance to write about it. But I will soon. Promise.

Ears, damn ears

2011-02-14T12:12:00.002-05:00

Miss R has ANOTHER ear infection. I don't even know how many this is because there have been so many in her very short life. Maybe it's been just one continuous ear infection, who knows. What I do know is tomorrow we are doing to the ENT doctor.

I feel so bad for her because she has such a happy disposition but these ear infections are knocking her on her ass. She wants so smile and laugh and play but just feels miserable.

New things

2011-02-08T08:52:00.002-05:00

Miss R

Has two new top teeth.
Is now waving bye and hi by opening and closing her hand.
Is also signing for milk.
I expect her to be standing on her own soon and very quickly after that walking. The girl can't be contained.
We are now out of most of her 6 month clothes.
She still working on using the cup and has very little interest in self feeding. We keep trying both.
Jarred meats make her gag...can't really blame her because the smell gross. So we have stopped trying those. If they are mixed with something it's fine but separate not a chance.
She loves anything that makes noise...crumpling paper, shaking bags, etc.

Miss C

Loves to dance and to have us "watch her moves" which include finger pointing, going around in circles while swirling her arm like she is lassoing and doing donkey kicks.
Struggles with the pronounciations of some words. Today she told me we needed to put sauce on the concrete so people wouldn't slip on the snow.
She often calls Granny, Franny and Grumpy, Frumpy.
This weekend she called Paul's mom, New Nana.
We are now napping without diaper or pull up...next step overnight sleeping.
This weekend we lost original Blankie at the mall. One minute she was there, the next minute she was not. We are now using Back Up blankie all the time.
Her favorite games are Bingo and Cootie. We try to do family game night a couple nights a week after Ramsey goes to bed.
Her fishing pole is one of her most favorite toys and she continues to practice her casting.
She loves to sing and knows most of the words to her favorite songs. It's super cute to hear her sing the words in her tiny little voice.

9 Month Observations of Miss R

2011-02-03T20:58:00.002-05:00

9 Months ago Miss R entered our lives and she's been going non-stop ever since. She is on the move and here are a few things she's been doing.

Smile...smile...smile. Unless sick or hungry Miss R is ALWAYS smile. She has the biggest, most infectious smile ever.
OK, well maybe she doesn't smile when she is put into her car seat or on her back for diaper changes. She revolts with a vengence during those times without fail.
Otherwise she is a happy, happy girl who loves to smile and laugh.
She's crawling everywhere and doesn't want to be contained in any way hence the revolt when put into the car seat or when being changed. She wants to move, move, move.
When crawling she does this thing with her right leg where she sort of sticks it out and does this weird half crawl.
Her biggest thing is trying to pull up on anything and everything.
We practice walking and standing. When walking she'll try to do it on her own despite the fact that she isn't really strong enough or balanced enough.
I expect some standing and maybe even a little cruising/walking in her near future.
After a couple of ear infections she seems to be back on track with her eating. I have yet to find that one food she just loves, but the girl loves her bottle. As soon as she sees it she gets all excited.
We've been working on using the sippy cup and self feeding. Still working on both but getting better every day.
It's becoming pretty clear she is a hard core Momma's girl. She wants me all the time...all the time.
She loves her sister. They are able to interact more each day and it's fun to watch R crawl after C or C make R laugh over and over again.

9 Months...What?

2011-02-03T20:40:00.003-05:00

Changes

2011-01-20T20:06:00.003-05:00

I don't do well with change. It's difficult for me to adjust to new situations, new people, new anything. I am slow to warm up. Slow to adjust. Even when I know that the change is a good thing. I still need my moment to freak out before I embrace it.

Next month we are moving back to Louisville. We have lived in Cincinnati for 6 years and it's time to go home.

This is a HUGE change that I know, in the most logical parts of my brain and the largest parts of my heart, is the right move for me and my family. Still, I am scared shitless. I am starting to freak out about the change.

I am afraid my expectations will be too high for what our life will be like there. I am not naive enough to think it will be a perfect life but I do think (and hope) it will be close.

The house we are buying is in a great neighborhood. The girls will have a wonderful fenced yard to play in and I won't constantly be worried they will run into the street and get hit by a car speeding around the corner. It's a cul de sac so I am looking forward to them riding their bikes in the street without fear of those same cars hitting them.

We'll live .7 miles from my sister and while I don't expect to spend every waking moment with her and her family, I do expect to spend more time with them. More unplanned, spur of the moment, it's Friday night let's cook out and have the kids play, moments. I look forward to being able to say, let's go for a walk or having her house to go to when I just need to get out and have someone to talk to.

Dawn makes me laugh like nobody else and that laughter soothes my soul. I often find myself thinking that she must have been towards me like C is toward R. Such a bright light and a constant source of smiles and love. When you don't know your life any other way, you do feel an emptiness when that person is not around.

We will be 20 or so minutes from my parents. When C say she wants to see them, I won't have to coordinate a visit weeks in advance with planned pick up and drop off and all scheduled around who is eating when. My children will know their grandparents even more and I know for a fact that those memories last forever because I still have memories of spending time with mine.

The girls will go to daycare right near where we'll live and C will be in class with Mia. This, above all else, makes me panic the most. I know there will be some adjustment...that is normal. I also know the adjustment will partly be mine but knowing this still doesn't lessen how I feel or how much I worry.

This move, ultimately, is for my girls. I hope it strengthens my marriage and my family to be closer to people who can help us when we need it. People who want to spend time with us and who care about us and our kids.

Wish us luck!

All the things she can do - C

2011-01-20T19:56:00.003-05:00

It seems Miss C is growing up to be quite the spectacular little girl. And funny...she is so freaking funny.

Most nights before be we do dance time where we turn on music and dance around the living room. SP and I used to initiate this but now she'll look at us and say, "I wanna dance." What follows is the most beautiful display of uninhibited dancing you can imagine.
C loves her sister. We are thankful for this but also have to remind her that R is still a baby and is not ready for some of the more "big girl" activities like C is.
We are pretty much potty trained with the exception of naps and overnight. There are a few accidents here or there but for the most part we have been successful. We aren't doing any rewards for her going, but rather setting the timer and working with her both at home and school to make it happen.
One of C's most favorite things to say is "What you talking about Willis?" She knows it makes us laugh so she says it all the time.
She plays a lot with her kids laptop she got for Christmas. It's funny to see her sit and type on it like we do.
One of my most favorite things to do is sing with C in the car to and from daycare. We'll either dance to Lady Gaga or we'll sing and dance to Sugarland. Our favorite song to sing together is "Stuck Like Glue" and she knows most of the words.
C writes a lot. She'll write notes and lists which really are just papers of scribble but to her they have very specific meaning. Today she wrote our grocery list which included batteries (because we need new ones for her toy), blueberries, bananas and grapes.
When she talks she's often very matter of fact and serious about what she says.
She's awesome in her tumbling class and has definitely got her Daddy's athletic ability. She just seems naturally inclined towards things that require balance and coordination.
Every night when I put her to bed we read a book, talk about her day and then I give her hugs and kisses followed by a good tickle session. Often she'll pretend to wipe my kisses off so I have to cover her with more. I love it.

All the things that she can do - R

2011-01-20T19:46:00.002-05:00

Miss R is going non-stop and I thought I'd try to catch a second to write down all that she's been doing. It's not as easy to get down time with two kiddos around but I wanted to make sure I didn't forget these moments.

Now that she can crawl, there is no stopping her. She doesn't want to be contained in anyway. She'd rather be moving and exploring rather than sitting still.
We are working on using a sippy cup and she very clearly likes the hard topped cups versus the soft tip cup. She'll use the one and not the other.
She goes crazy for her formula. When she sees her bottle or cup she bounces up and down and flaps her arms while making grunting sounds.
She hasn't embraced eating solids with as much enthusiasm. There has yet to be one fruit or veggie that she loves and gobbles up. Often our attempts and getting her to eat a solid are met with a tight lipped headshake. We'll keep trying.
We are working on self feeding and have started giving her things like Mum Mums, Cheerios and other little finger foods.
It's become very clear that she is a Momma's girl. I am who she wants, who she comes to, who she searches out regardless of who is around.
Her sister makes her laugh uncontrollably.
When crawling she does this crazy one leg straight thing like she is trying to monkey walk or something.
She pulls up on everything. We've had to lower her bed because she's already standing up in there.
Every time I put her into the car seat she cries. Every. Single. Time.
She loves hair. Her eyes light up and focus in on someones hair. Then her hands go out reaching for it.
She's ticklish on the center of her stomach and under her arms.
Her toes and socks are still two of the most fascinating things to her and usually she pulls her socks off.
She's a much more sensitive sleeper than C was. I try to trim her nails at night or put clothes away in her room and she always reacts in some way. Typically she doesn't fully wake up but she stirs enough to make me think she is going to.
We are still blessed to have her sleeping through the night, unless she is sick. That is a huge blessing.
Overall she is a very easy going baby, unless she is tired or hungry...then she lets us know it.

8 months of love

2011-01-05T22:02:00.002-05:00

Dear Ram,
My sweet, funny girl. You are now 8 months old. It seems like I say this every month, but I cannot believe you are growing up so quickly. Time is flying back and I barely have time to capture in writing all the moments we have together.

Each and every second with you is a precious joy. Your laugh and smile are contagious and I love to watch you get excited as you recognize people you love like me, your Daddy and your big sister. You bounce, literally bounce, with excitement with your arms and legs going when you see us. And that toothy grin...beautiful.

You are quite active now and I think you are just bound and determined it go and do whatever it is you want to do. You first scooted along on your bottom while sitting to get where you wanted or would reach and grunt and wiggle around to get a toy or something else you wanted. Then very quickly you mastered crawling this month and now, you are trying to monkey walk and pull yourself up. It's only a matter of time before you are running after your sister.

You completely enjoyed your first Christmas and were most interested in the wrapping paper. We did a lot of Christmas activities like going to see Christmas lights but you pretty much slept the entire thing. I am sure next year you will be much more excited and interested in the lights, presents and activities.

We are working on introducing more solids and you are not super thrilled with much of anything we give you with the exception of your bottle. You laugh with glee when you see the bottle. Often you'll refuse to open your mouth for solids but will open wide for your bottle. We keep trying and I know we'll find something that you love. We are also working on drinking with a cup and doing some self feeding. The cup you liked because, well, it had formula in it. But the self feeding of little puffs is not your favorite yet.

You are starting to try and wave a little bit and I love to see your little hand trying to do it.

Honestly, there really isn't much you do that I don't love. I love your smile and laugh. I love the way you interact with your sister and laugh deeply when she entertains you. And she loves to do that...to be involved with you and around you. The beautiful part is you do to.

I love every single inch of you Miss R and I hope you have enjoyed these last 8 months as much as I have.

Love,
Mommy

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T21:18:00.002-05:00

Get a move on

2010-12-19T20:13:00.001-05:00

It's official! Miss R is now crawling. Get out of her way because she was determined to crawl and now she is. There's no stopping her now. It is hilarious to see her moving around. Such determination.

Please let this work

2010-12-10T20:32:00.002-05:00

For about a month now Miss R has been waking up during the night. Every night. Multiple times a night. This has been quite difficult for us because she's been a through the night sleeper since she was about 3 months old.

We've tried everything. And I mean everything in our bag of tricks. Bottom patting. Teething drops. Gas drops. Motrin. Tylenol. Stopped all solids and started over. Switched cereals. Bought nighttime diapers. Layered her up with a onesie, pjs and sleep sack so she'd be warm. Held her. Rocked her. Shushed her. Put her in hear car seat. Put her in her bouncy. Played music. Played her ocean thingy. Played the mobile. You name it, we tried it.

It was to the point where she was so tired that nothing would calm her down and she'd just cry and cry. Then she'd cry to the point where she'd wake Miss C and we'd have two crying kids on our hands.

We are tired. Tired. Running on fumes. Our "nights off" aren't really nights off because we are trying to help each other.

The logical mind tells me it's possible we have the fallout of the "perfect storm" of recent illnesses...RSV, stomach virus, ear infection. That she isn't sleeping because she's gotten used to being up from all those illnesses. The tired mind thinks all kinds of crazy things and really just wants her to sleep so we can sleep.

Yesterday I took her to the doctor for a follow up from her recent ear infection. Thankfully she doesn't have an ear infection. AND the doctor told us to do the following...

- Introduce new white noise, like the radio.
- Go in one hour after she's fallen asleep and nudge her to "reset her sleep cycle".
- First night, if she wakes up wait 15 minutes, then go in and pat her bottom for 5 seconds and leave. Wait 30 minutes, repeat. Wait 60 minutes repeat. Wait 90 minutes and repeat.
- Second night, wait 30 minutes, then 60, then 90.
- Third night, wait 60, then 90.
- Fourth night, wait 90.
- The goal is to retrain her to sleep on her own.

We tried it last night. It was TORTURE to lay there for 30 minutes and then an hour but she fell asleep and I only had to pat her twice. Got a few hours of uninterrupted sleep and actually had to wake her up this morning.

I really hope this works again tonight. Cross your fingers.

Trying to crawl

2010-12-08T20:22:00.002-05:00

I am fascinated watching R as she tries to crawl. She has mastered moving to get where she wants to go. But you can really see her trying to move more efficiently.

Right now, in her full limberness, she will get herself into the splits to get where she wants to go. She'll split and reach toward something and end up on her belly. Or she'll be on her belly and push back into the splits and then into a sitting position to move around.

When on her belly she will push up onto all fours and rock back and forth. She'll move backwards and scoot around. Forward is so close. So, so close.

All the things you say

2010-12-08T20:17:00.002-05:00

Miss C has been coming up with some quite comical things lately. Here are a few...

We were sitting eating dinner and SP was talking to her. All of the sudden she looks at SP and says, "What you talkin' 'bout Willis?"

Lying in bed with her the other night she goes, "Mommy, you Missy and Daddy Paul?"

She's taken to calling me Momma instead of Mommy or Mom. Not sure where that came from but I kinda like it.

Tonight she said snow tastes like macaroni.

Happy Happy Girl

2010-12-04T13:58:00.004-05:00

You can't really tell but she is doing the splits.

Showing off her two teeth.

Things that make my life easier

2010-12-04T13:42:00.002-05:00

Being a parent involves a lot of trial and error. It also involves talking to other moms and dads to see what worked for them in certain situations and trying it out yourself to see if it works for you. I blog here for many reasons, but one of them is because I know there are people out there who may benefit in some way from things I learn. So here are some things I have found that make my life easier as a Mommy in no particular order and from either a toddler or a 7 month old.

Gentle Naturals Homeopathic Teething Drops are one of the best inventions EVER. We call them baby crack around here. Used them for C and are now using them for R.
Huggies Overnight diapers do wonders when your little one learns how to roll over. Most diapers hold the pee in such a way that being on their bellies makes them leak, thus getting the baby all wet and icky. Overnight diapers keep them nice and dry.
Teethers that have somewhere to hold on them that is not cold.
Those covers that go over the car seat in cold weather...what a wonderful idea. Keeps the little one from being exposed to the elements and they are all warm and toasty inside the car seat when traveling too and from places.
Those strollers that allow you to click your car seat into them and then turn into a regular stroller. This also includes those bases you can leave in your car and can just snap the car seat in or out.
Momo the Monkey clock that opens and closes his eyes to help toddlers sleep.
Using a "nap calendar" and giving toddler stickers when they nap.
Using a timer when potty training...especially if you have another child because chances are you are going to forget your toddler is in underwear and could end up with a mess on your hands.
Sleep sacks. I am completely freaked out about SIDS and hate any blankets being around my baby. But I do know they get cold. Sleep sacks are a wonderful idea because the remove the baby smothering on a blanket fear.
Back up lovies. When C ditched the paci and turned to Blankie I searched the internet to find the same blanket with no success. What I did find was a larger blanket that was similar and Sue-momma cut it into smaller pieces to make "back up blankies". C knows these are back up blankies and calls them by that name, but they allow us to wash the other ones and have something to fall back on if Blankie gets lost.

I am sure there are others but I can't think of more now.

Dear Baby Girl

2010-12-03T20:42:00.002-05:00

Dear Miss R, my sweet smiley girl.

Today you are 7 months old and today for the first time you raised your arms up and reached for me when you saw me. That made my day. Then you bounced and kicked your legs and got all grinny with excitement. That is you...so excited all the time. Everything excites you and you show it.

You really are amazing to watch as you discover things and express sheer enjoyment over it all. Right now you are all into grabbing and reaching. Most of the time things go into your mouth, but often you are just in pursuit of whatever item has piqued your interest and you won't stop until you get it.

I try really hard to spend as much time with you as I can because I know this time, these moments, will go by quickly. It's not always easy...life is constantly pulling us in all directions but you, you in your sweet, joyful, innocence remind me daily of what is most important in life. It is those moments like today when you saw me and reached for me. You know me. I am your world and my precious baby, you are my world.

Happy 7 month birthday.

Love,
Mommy

Moving around

2010-11-30T21:44:00.002-05:00

Miss R is now a full fledged sitter. She's also a full fledged splitter. The girl always sits in the splits or a half split with one leg tucked behind her. From that position she easily slids onto her belly to get things she wants.

Tonight I sat and watched her move from sitting to her belly to her back to her belly. She then proceeded to roll and scoot around on her belly to get around on the floor.

I also watched as she would pull herself up onto all fours and rock back and forth trying to move forward. For now she's only going backwards but she does great on all fours. From being on all fours she even pushed herself back and tried to sit from there.

She's quite the little mover and I love watching her effort to get where she wants to go. I foresee her crawling quickly to keep up with her sister. Those two girls together are going to give me a run for my money!

Miss R's routine

2010-11-30T21:32:00.003-05:00

This week Miss R will be 7 months old. I find that life is flying by and if I don't stop and write things down I know I will regret it. So here goes...

Miss R's days now go like this. She wakes anywhere between 6 and 7. There's usually a little cry to let us know that she's awake, or a big cry, or just some jibberjabbering. She eats a bottle at 7 and after getting dressed we load up into the car and head to the daycare. Most mornings she has a little cat nap in the car will Miss C and I chat and listen to the radio.

At school she accompanies me to C's room where we drop her off. I take her into the daycare in a stroller because it's easier to manage the two of them that way. I keep the stroller right out in front of C's room because I have quickly learned all her classmates gravitate to R's face and want to put their hands all over her. Trying to avoid a least some germs.

We then head down to the Cardinal room for R's drop off. I now can sit her down with some toys and she is fine. She's starting to move and play and becoming part of the group. While at daycare she is eating cereal and a veggie. We stopped her solids for a bit because she had a tummy bug recently but she is back to eating in full force.

I pick R up after a full day of playing, napping and eating around 5. She has her last bottle around 6:30 and is off to bed by 7. For the most part she is sleeping through the night and we do it all over again the next day.

It's pretty routine around here. She eats at 7, 11, 3 and 6:30. She naps about an hour and half or so after she eats and has her two good naps in the morning. It's working...we stick with it.

Holiday Pictures 2010

2010-11-29T21:28:00.004-05:00

Who's that girl

2010-11-19T20:46:00.002-05:00

Is seems like overnight Miss R is growing and changes by leaps and bounds. Here are some of the things going on with her.

She now sits forever playing with toys
One of her favorite sitting positions is the splits with one leg out in front of her and the other tucked behind her. From this position she can easily go to her belly and she does that often.
Time sure changes things because she loves being on her belly as well and spends all kinds of time there play...and prepping to crawl.
At this point she can lift all the way up to her knees and I am thinking she's going to just bypass the Army crawl and go straight to crawling.
While she's still working up to crawling she still manages to get around on the floor by scooting backwards or rocking her body back and forth to move around.
Her grasping and hand/eye coordination is amazing. She'll damn near flip herself over to get to the smallest of things that she wants and then she shoves it in her mouth.
Speaking of her mouth, she now has two bottom teeth.
Eating hasn't been easy of late because she's had a tummy bug. Every veggie I've tried has been met with a closed mouth but we keep trying.
Can't forget to mention that smile...rarely does Miss R cry and when she does its either because she's very tired or very hungry. Even when she is sick she's smiling.

Hunger Strike

2010-11-16T15:51:00.002-05:00

For the last few days Miss R has decided she doesn't want to eat like she usually does. She's cut her formula intake in half going from over 30 ounces down to about 15. Those 15 come with a struggle.

Initially I thought she was rejecting new solids...sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, squash, avocado. She'll eat cereal, oatmeal and rice. But didn't want the veggies.

Then it started to be the formula. She turns her head. Clamps down her lips and at times even cries if I tried to feed her and she is done.

What's a Mommy to do? Worry.

So I called the doctor. I don't know how worried I should be or what I should do.

She is cutting 2 teeth so maybe her mouth hurts.
She just got over an ear infection so maybe it's not fully cleared up and it hurts to suck.
She isn't pooping as regularly so maybe she's constipated.

The doctor said I could bring her in to have her ears checked to see if there's fluid there if she continues to not eat like she was. The CMIO at work, who is a pediatrician, said that as long as she is producing wet diapers then she isn't at risk of being dehydrated. He said babies will eat when they are hungry and are growing. Not to worry.

Of course I worry.

This morning she ate a full bottle. We'll see how the rest of the day went. If I need to take her to the doctor I will.

Miss R's 6 month stats

2010-11-10T21:35:00.002-05:00

Took Miss R to the doctor today for her 6 month check up. All is well. She is 26 3/4 inches long, 15 pounds 8 ounces which puts her in the 10% percentile. Separately, she is in the 75 percentile for her length and 25 percentile for her weight.

She is an inch longer than C was at this time and weighs a few ounces less.

The doctor said everything looked good. She got 3 shots and one oral vaccine.

We are working on her eating solids and this will continue. So far she's had sweet potatoes, green beans, sweet peas and avocado. She is very clear about what she likes and doesn't like. She clamps down those lips and won't budge if she doesn't want to eat any more. We'll just keep trying. Right now, for the most part, I am making all her food. I've supplemented a little with organic stuff bought a the store because it's a little easier at daycare, but I am working it out.

1st Halloween

2010-11-09T19:52:00.001-05:00

Picture Pages

2010-11-09T19:39:00.004-05:00

Happy 6 Month Birthday Ram

2010-11-09T19:28:00.002-05:00

My Dearest Baby R,

Last week you turned 6 months. 6 MONTHS! I feel like time has flown by and I am not sure where it went. In that time you have started sitting up all by yourself and sprouted a new tooth. Your head is full of a bunch of light brown hair and you spend more time with your socks in your mouth than you do on your feet.

I look at you and see such happiness. You smile and laugh and cackle every single day, even when you aren't feeling well. This makes it difficult for us to always know when you aren't feeling well. But we keep learning about you and figuring it all out.

Life moves very hecticly around here and we make every effort to just slow down and enjoy every possible moment with you. I love watching your face light up when you see us and I love it even more to see how you respond to your sister. She loves to make you laugh and laugh you do. It is a beautiful sight.

I am proud to be your Mommy. I love it when I pick you up and you smile and grab ahold of me. I can't wait to see the little girl you grow into in the months to come.

Happy 6 month birthday Ramalamadingdong!

Love,

Your Mommy

Talking about our day

2010-10-30T18:00:00.003-04:00

For quite some time now part of our nighttime routine with Miss C has been to talk about her day. I started doing it before she really even knew what I was talking about. It's a time when I tell her all the positive things she's done all day and to praise the behaviors we want her to continue. We are at a point now where Miss C can articulate parts of her day and is also insisting we talking about Miss R's day too.

Last night at bedtime I pretended like I was her. I curled up on her bed and said, "talk about my day" to see what she would do in response. She covered me up and got all the babies in her bed situated and then goes, "So today.." and began telling me about how I drove home, ate dinner, packed her stuff for her visit to Nana and Papa's, etc.

It was funny to hear her say "so today" and I realized that is how I start every one of our nightly conversations about her day. It was super cute and interesting to hear what she said about my day.

After that she read me a book (a baseball book about the Reds) and sang me Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Then she laid down next to me and we cuddled on her bed with her patting my hair.

I am leaving tomorrow to go out of town until Wednesday. It will be longest time I have ever been away from either of my girls. It was nice to have that special moment with C. I love that girl.

Firsts

2010-10-27T20:29:00.002-04:00

Today Miss R has her first tooth. She's been pretty fussing and drooling all over the place so we knew it was coming. And whoop...there it is. I'll get a picture soon. In the mean time here are some others of her showing off her skills.

Staycation - Kings Island

2010-10-27T20:21:00.003-04:00

Staycation - Zoo

2010-10-27T20:16:00.004-04:00

The many faces of Miss C

2010-10-21T20:59:00.002-04:00

Pumpkin Pickin' and other things

2010-10-21T20:51:00.004-04:00

The many faces of Miss R

2010-10-21T20:42:00.001-04:00

OK, maybe she only has one "face" and that is a happy one.

Miss R's world

2010-10-21T20:34:00.003-04:00

It seems like Miss R is growing by leaps and bounds. She is a funny, funny girl who rarely cries and constantly smiles. The laugh we have grown to love happens often and is music to my ears. The best is when Miss C gets her going and the two them interact. R roars with laughter at her sister. It is wonderful.

R has been doing so many things lately it's hard to capture them all. She's sitting pretty much all on her own for extended periods of time. She loves this new perspective and spends so much time reaching and grabbing at her toys and exploring all that is around her.

Her feet continue to be one of her favorite things and her toes are constantly in her mouth. There's also this musical set of bongos that she is fascinated with and she loves to bang on them so they play music.

Pulling things up to her face continues to be a soothing method for her and while she does use the paci it's not all the time. Since she is teething there's a lot of drooling and shoving things into her mouth.

While she can roll over, both ways, she doesn't very often. When she slepts it's on her side but she doesn't roll all the way over. She's also mastered moving herself around in circles if she's on her belly or her back to get where she wants to go.

We recently started real food and while the rice cereal and oatmeal seemed to make her constipated, she has gobbled up the sweet potatoes and squash. I am trying to make all her baby food. Right now the freezer contains multiple varieties of squash and I just bought a ginormous sweet potato to cook up. I made food for C but did not solely give her homemade food. I might try that this time around.

5 Months

2010-10-10T20:29:00.002-04:00

Miss R is now 5 months old. I am not sure when that happened. She's now sitting up, rolling over and jibberjabbering like she's carrying on the most interesting of conversations. It seems like in just a week her hair filled in and it looks like it's going to be a light brown.

She is still fascinated with her feet and loves to grab her toes and pull them into her mouth. Of course, most things go into her mouth right now as she is fully in the process of getting some teeth. She's a drooling mess.

We are now mostly in 6 month clothes as I can barely squeeze her into anything that's 3 months. We've been able to use some of the things we had for Miss C but have also had to buy a lot because we are off season. Can't have her wearing summer clothes when it's 50 degrees out.

We've been giving her rice cereal now for a couple weeks She gobbles it up. Only draw back is she doesn't poop when she has the cereal which makes her a tad fussy. I think we are going to start some veggies next week.

Milestone

2010-10-05T20:49:00.000-04:00

Guess who is sitting up all by herself? Miss R! Pictures to come.

Rockin her own style

2010-10-02T19:43:00.001-04:00

Pictures of our life

2010-09-27T21:21:00.003-04:00

Time flies by

2010-09-27T21:12:00.002-04:00

With Miss R I feel like time is going even quicker than it did with Miss C. I look up and she's out of her 0-3 month clothes and can wear some 6 month clothes. When did that happen? It's like time has sped up and I can't slow it down for anything. That makes writing it all down and taking pictures of it even more important.

I can't even begin to explain how animated R is. She always has a smile on her face and she laughs, cackles and just overall makes us happy with her happiness. Her belly seems to be a sensitive spot that is guaranteed to make her giggle.

One of the most amazing things to see is how she reacts to C. She definitely recognizes her sister and lights up when she hears her voice. C will sit and just make R laughing over and over. I love to see them enjoying each other so much.

Right now she seems fascinated with her feet. She'll put her toes in her mouth and look at you like, hey look what I can do. I think she enjoys her toes why more than C did. Her socks are equally as exciting and they are often in her mouth.

Today we tried rice cereal for the second time. We tried it last week but backed off for a bit and now are giving it another go. You would think we never feed her the way she attacks her bottles and has attacked that cereal.

People keep asking me if she sleeps through the night...she does, and has for awhile. I attribute this, as always, to The Baby Whisperer. We don't mess around with our routine. It works for her and for us. We put her down by 7 and she sleeps until 6. Can't beat that.

Overall, things are going great with R. She's thriving and has fully become a part of our family. Can't imagine life without her.

Tumble Bee

2010-09-18T19:53:00.003-04:00

My heart wells with pride when I watch Miss C at her tumbling class. The way her face lights up with excitment as she watches the teachers demonstrate what she will get to do makes my day. I know without a doubt that we made the right decision to get her in this class. She loves it.

The place we take her is wonderful. I think the know exactly what they are doing and keep things going enough to hold her attention. While there she gets to walk on a balance beam, jump on a trampoline, roll, do summersaults, stand on one leg, use rings and bars and all kinds of other fun stuff. Even when she falls, it doesn't hurt because everything is mats and padding.

I hope when she is older she remembers this time as a fun one. And if she doesn't, I will tell her that she truly enjoy this experience and would smile from ear to ear as she participated.

Just another night around here...

2010-09-17T20:28:00.003-04:00

Most nights, now that the weather has cooled off a bit, we go for walks as a family. Some nights Miss R is in the stroller with her sis, other nights I carry her. Usually her face doesn't look so odd.

We try to get Miss C outside playing as much as we can and she loves playing baseball with her Daddy.

Miss R's first bites of cereal

2010-09-17T20:25:00.002-04:00

Pictures of my girls

2010-09-12T20:46:00.004-04:00

This was when Miss R was working on rolling over. She's been rolling onto her side and pretty much has her whole entire body rolled over except her shoulders and head. A couple of times she's made it all the way over from her belly to her back or her back to her belly. After this picture took place she rolled over.

This is the expression that is ALWAYS on R's face. She is such a happy girl.

We have season tickets to UC. SP took Miss C and Jake.

The pictures from her actual class were all blurry but this is Miss C doing some Jane Fonda style warm ups. While she was a little timid at first and wanting to be very close to her Mommy, she quickly warmed up once we got moving and LOVE, LOVE, LOVED tumbling. I hope to get some better pictures next week.

Proud to be an American

2010-09-11T21:29:00.003-04:00

Today as I sat watching a show on the History Channel about 9-11 I thought a lot about what was going on in my life on that day and how totally different is now.

The images on the screen saddened me just as much today as they did then. Watching those planes hit those buildings I felt so vulnerable, so unsure, so afraid, so lost all over again.

Life has a way of moving on though.

On the one year anniversary I organized a memorial at my work. I had every name of every person who was killed printed on huge sheets of paper that covered the walls of a conference room. We created a quiet space and allowed people to come and reflect, to mourn all over again. We wore red, white and blue and flew our flags at half staff. 365 days had passed and it felt like it had just happened.

On the nine year anniversary I held my girls on the sofa and if the scar was not still on my heart I may have easily let the day slip by like any other. But it's not like any other, and it never will be. My way of remembering may have changed over the years but the fact that I will never forget remains the same.

So for those in the world who wish to break us. Who wish us ill. Who think for one second we will let those people who died on 9-11 die in vain...you are wrong. I am saddened by your hatred, your anger at a people you don't know. But I am blostered by the innocence of my children and my desire to create a world that is better...for them.

4 Months

2010-09-08T20:56:00.002-04:00

Dear Little Bit,
Happy 4 Month Birthday! It's been a crazy 4 months and I feel like I haven't had a moment to really stop since we brought you home. I try to stop and just enjoy you because I know how quickly time can fly by and before I know it you'll be a toddler and I won't be able to get these moments back.

We have taken to calling you our little lion for the "roaring" you do as your form of communication. It is hilarious to hear you when you get going which is most mornings when we are getting ready to go to the day care.

In addition to the roaring your high pitched cackling laugh is contagious and you are quick with a smile as well. One of my favorite moments is when you recognize me and your little arms and legs start going and your face lights up. It's like you are saying "I know you and love you" without ever uttering a word.

One of the other things that brings me great joy is to see how you react to your sister and how she reacts to you. You light up just as much when she talks to you and when you see her. She goes out of her way to make you laugh and laugh you do. She also takes care of you by patting your head to comfort you if you are crying, or by giving you your paci, or simply by saying "Mom, Rami is crying" in case I missed it. She loves you and you her. I hope that bond grows even stronger as the two of you get older because I know the value of a big sister and I want nothing more than for you to experience that too.

When you were first born it was a struggle for me adjusting to being your Mommy, now I feel like we have clicked. We have our routine down and you are such an easy baby. You rarely cry and when you do it's because you are either tired, hungry or don't feel well. You have such an easy going, happy disposition.

You have taken well to you routine and now go to bed every night at about 7 PM and sleep until I wake you up at 6 to eat. This pains me every morning to have to wake you up but it works well with our schedule. You typically eat and then go right back to sleep. Still, this is our time. We just hang out together in the quite house and I whisper to you how much I love you while you eat. At night we have a similar time together when I put you down for bed. I read you a story and we cuddle for a minute. You'll roll into towards me with your face pressed against my chest and your eyes become heavy with sleep. I love those moments when your sleepy eyes look at me.

I love every single ounce of you and can't wait to see you grow into a wonderful little person.

Love,

Your Mommy

Birthday in the park

2010-08-29T19:24:00.003-04:00

Things going on around here...

2010-08-29T19:11:00.002-04:00

So much going on around here that I am just going to list it out...

Took Miss C to the dentist and she let them clean her teeth. Such a brave little girl.
Miss R is sooo close to rolling over that if she farted one good time I know she'd blow herself right over.
C has been sleeping well in her big girl now along with her box of Mickey Mouse books, a picture of me and SP, Mickey Mouse, Elmo, Rosie, Baby, SouthPaw, etc. there's barely any room in the bed for her to sleep but she makes it work.
R is cutting teeth and recovering from her first ear infection. She is such a happy baby we knew something was up but honestly thought it was just her teet. Took her to the doctor because had a cough and turns out it's an ear infection. Who knew?
C loves to sing and one of my favorite things is when she just randomly starts to sing and makes up the words she doesn't know.
R a great sleeper and once we put her to bed at about 7-7:30 she sleeps until morning.
C has such a wonderful memory. I am amazed at the things she remembers that I tell her or she hears. I know I am biased, but she is a smart girl.
R still loves to sleep with something up close to her face and really doesn't care what it is.
C and I rock out to "her CD" or Lady Gaga in the car a lot. It's funny to hear her say, "Dance with me Mom" and see her little head bopping along to the music.
R has outgrown a lot of her clothes and at 12 pounds is moving into the 6 month range on things.
C is full fledged into the "my do it myself" mode and a meltdown can occur if we don't let her do something she thinks she can do, even if she really can't.

Basically, my girls are growing and happy and a true joy to be around. Yes, there are moments when it's overwhelming but they make it all worth it.

So close

2010-08-24T21:36:00.003-04:00

Miss R is rolling completely onto her side from her back and I think it's only a matter of time before she's rolling over all the time. While she's rolled over once, she hasn't done it again since. I figure she'll roll and then it'll be non-stop after that.

She's still grabbing onto her toes which seem to fascinate her to no end. There's also the beginning of sticking everything in her mouth...her hands, her blanket, her bib, etc. If she can get her toes in her mouth she'll be the happiest girl alive.

Music to my ears

2010-08-24T21:33:00.002-04:00

The other night while getting Miss C ready for bed she just looks up at me and out of nowhere says, "I love you Mommy."

Now, this wasn't the first time she's told me she loves me. We say it all the time. But typically she says it in response to my saying it to her first. This was the first time she did it all on her own.

It was beautiful to hear.

First but not the best first

2010-08-24T21:28:00.002-04:00

Miss R has been a little fussy and not herself the last few days. Her temp never got above 99 and she's showing signs of some little teeth in her mouth. So, we thought she was teething. Then she got real congested and started with a cough. We decided to take her to the doctor just to be on the safe side.

Glad we did. She has an ear infection.

Honestly, aside from her fussiness and the daycare saying she was not acting herself most of the time she was still smiling and laughing. She doesn't look sick and since she hasn't been sick before we aren't real familiar with how she acts when she is sick. So, I am glad we took her based solely on the cough.

Otherwise, she is good. Weights a whopping 12 pounds 14 ounces. Growing girl.

Hands

2010-08-15T20:27:00.003-04:00

Miss R is all about exploring with her hands as you can see from these pictures. Her favorite thing is to grab her toes, specifically her right foot. She also likes to suck on her hands and might even end up being a thumb sucker before it's all said and done.

Those hands of hers are strong. She grabs everything including my bracelets. Tonight she held onto C's finger with a death grip. Had to tell C they were holding hands and R was enjoying it so C wouldn't freak out when R wouldn't let go.

We're alsoworking on her holding the bottle and it's only a matter of time before she does that. Now if she could just figure out how to get that paci back in her mouth after she yanks it out we'd be all good.