Sunday, November 11, 2012
Holiday Pictures
Since Mia's first Christmas is approaching, we thought it would be fun to have the girls picture taken together. We made a 10:20am appointment at a local JCPenney. However, we weren't seen until 11:30. The girls did great while we were waiting, but Mia was in breakdown mode by the time we were in the studio. We did get cute shots of Emma and Mia individually, but the poses of them together did not go well. Mia did not want to sit still and wanted no part of pictures. Most of the pictures we did get, Mia looks like "Sad Baby" 2 seconds away from bawling. We did get 1 decent pose of them together. We're not thrilled, but it will be a story that will be told in the future!
7 months (+some)
Mia turned 7 months on 27 October! At this writing, she's 7.5 months.
In her 7th month, she experienced her first Hurricane, her 2nd power outage, and her first Halloween! She had her 2nd horrible diaper rash and her first bad virus complete with high (>104 degree) fever.
She is growing up before our eyes. She continues to adore her big sister and watches everything Emma does. They continue to play off each other and have giggle fests. It brightens our day to hear them laughing together! Today, Emma had fun pushing her monster truck and letting Mia crawl after it.
Mia goes through spurts of being vocal and being quiet. Some days are quieter than others and other days, she talks and grunts and yells. She still says dada and mama indiscriminately but it's music to my ears when she babbles mama. :) We can tell that Mia does understand language. She probably knows who Mom and Dad are, but definitely knows Emma. We'll ask where Emma is and she will look around for her immediately. We can tell her 'No,' and she will stop what she is doing and look at us expectantly. We ask if she's hungry and she replies with grunts or crawls to us quickly and throws herself into our laps. She might understand the word bath because she seems to perk up at it. She is a little water baby and loves bathtime!
This past week, Mia had a virus for about 3 days. She spiked a high fever at 10pm on Monday night. On Tuesday, I took her to the doctor who assured us that her ears, throat and chest were clear and since her fever was responding to medication, she just had to ride it out. The doctor said it might be roseola, but Mia never developed the rash after the 3 day fever. Mia was a trooper during it all. She played hard and continued to eat like a champ. Unless you held her to feel her body radiating heat, you almost wouldn't have noticed she was ill. She slept a bit more than normal and although I wished she wasn't sick, I did enjoy snuggle time with her the days we were home together.
Mia is getting stronger and stronger. She can pull herself up on almost anything. She is attempting to figure out how to stand by herself and how to get to standing by pushing herself up off the floor. She is incredibly frustrated that she can't climb the steps.
When we put Mia in bed, we cover her with a small blanket. She reaches down, grabs it, pulls it up and rolls on her side. It's adorable!
On Thursday this past week, Kurt and the girls were in the basement when I came home after work. Emma ran up to see me; Mia protested loudly when she heard my voice but couldn't climb the steps herself.
Today, I was laid down on the floor to play with Mia. When she saw me, she smiled, crawled to me, put her hands on my cheeks, then leaned forward to give me a baby kiss (i.e. open mouthed complete with tongue.) Kinda gross but too cute!
Mia loves her food. She eats oatmeal twice a day and either a fruit or veggie once a day (plus sometimes a bit extra at dinner). We've given her cheerios several times but she's not a fan once they are in her mouth. She does enjoy playing with them though! Just today, she figured out how to pick up her sippy cup and get water into her own mouth. Prior to today, she would gladly drink it if someone else held it. Today, she had a piece of crusty bread at Panera, and LOVED it! She also had some real banana bites and banana mush. She liked both and really liked trying to feed herself with the spoon. We also gave her a Gerber Arrowroot biscuit and she loved it! She kept giving us big smiles the entire time she had it in her little hand and all over her face!
Mia still doesn't sleep through the night. She started making progress before she got sick and was only waking up one time, around 2 and then again around 530, but since she was sick, she's back to every 2 or so hours. Earlier this week, she was inconsolable during the night and Kurt ended up feeding her oatmeal a couple times. So in addition to being sick, she might be growing. She might also be teething because, a couple times she refused to nurse, but would gladly drink a cold bottle interspersing sips with gnawing on the nipple.
We've had a rough few days, but Mia is a trooper and continues to be a joy to all of us! It's fun to watch her develop before our eyes!
In her 7th month, she experienced her first Hurricane, her 2nd power outage, and her first Halloween! She had her 2nd horrible diaper rash and her first bad virus complete with high (>104 degree) fever.
She is growing up before our eyes. She continues to adore her big sister and watches everything Emma does. They continue to play off each other and have giggle fests. It brightens our day to hear them laughing together! Today, Emma had fun pushing her monster truck and letting Mia crawl after it.
Mia goes through spurts of being vocal and being quiet. Some days are quieter than others and other days, she talks and grunts and yells. She still says dada and mama indiscriminately but it's music to my ears when she babbles mama. :) We can tell that Mia does understand language. She probably knows who Mom and Dad are, but definitely knows Emma. We'll ask where Emma is and she will look around for her immediately. We can tell her 'No,' and she will stop what she is doing and look at us expectantly. We ask if she's hungry and she replies with grunts or crawls to us quickly and throws herself into our laps. She might understand the word bath because she seems to perk up at it. She is a little water baby and loves bathtime!
This past week, Mia had a virus for about 3 days. She spiked a high fever at 10pm on Monday night. On Tuesday, I took her to the doctor who assured us that her ears, throat and chest were clear and since her fever was responding to medication, she just had to ride it out. The doctor said it might be roseola, but Mia never developed the rash after the 3 day fever. Mia was a trooper during it all. She played hard and continued to eat like a champ. Unless you held her to feel her body radiating heat, you almost wouldn't have noticed she was ill. She slept a bit more than normal and although I wished she wasn't sick, I did enjoy snuggle time with her the days we were home together.
Mia is getting stronger and stronger. She can pull herself up on almost anything. She is attempting to figure out how to stand by herself and how to get to standing by pushing herself up off the floor. She is incredibly frustrated that she can't climb the steps.
When we put Mia in bed, we cover her with a small blanket. She reaches down, grabs it, pulls it up and rolls on her side. It's adorable!
On Thursday this past week, Kurt and the girls were in the basement when I came home after work. Emma ran up to see me; Mia protested loudly when she heard my voice but couldn't climb the steps herself.
Today, I was laid down on the floor to play with Mia. When she saw me, she smiled, crawled to me, put her hands on my cheeks, then leaned forward to give me a baby kiss (i.e. open mouthed complete with tongue.) Kinda gross but too cute!
Mia loves her food. She eats oatmeal twice a day and either a fruit or veggie once a day (plus sometimes a bit extra at dinner). We've given her cheerios several times but she's not a fan once they are in her mouth. She does enjoy playing with them though! Just today, she figured out how to pick up her sippy cup and get water into her own mouth. Prior to today, she would gladly drink it if someone else held it. Today, she had a piece of crusty bread at Panera, and LOVED it! She also had some real banana bites and banana mush. She liked both and really liked trying to feed herself with the spoon. We also gave her a Gerber Arrowroot biscuit and she loved it! She kept giving us big smiles the entire time she had it in her little hand and all over her face!
Mia still doesn't sleep through the night. She started making progress before she got sick and was only waking up one time, around 2 and then again around 530, but since she was sick, she's back to every 2 or so hours. Earlier this week, she was inconsolable during the night and Kurt ended up feeding her oatmeal a couple times. So in addition to being sick, she might be growing. She might also be teething because, a couple times she refused to nurse, but would gladly drink a cold bottle interspersing sips with gnawing on the nipple.
We've had a rough few days, but Mia is a trooper and continues to be a joy to all of us! It's fun to watch her develop before our eyes!
Birthday Parties Galore!
We went to 2 birthday parties on Sunday (3 November).
The morning party was for Emma's friend, Kate who turned 3. It was a small party with 5 little girls and Mia. The girls all got butterfly wings to wear, ate butterfly pancakes and got to decorate their own cupcakes. The cupcakes were a big hit and it was cute to watch themdump decorate them with sprinkles. Mia had a good time watching the big girls run around with their wings.
The evening party was for Emma's friend, Emily, who turned 4. It was at Roly Pollies, a kiddo gym. Emma had a BLAST playing with Emily and her friends and exploring the gym. Without hesitation, she walked across a balance beam, climbed on curvy ladders, swung on a rope into a foam block pit, slid on a zip line, bounced on a trampoline, played in a bounce house, and most impressively, was the only kid to scale a 8 foot climbing wall. When she reached the top of the wall, she started moving horizontally! Mia had fun crawling over some small equipment, jumping on the trampoline, and watching the kids play.
Ever since we left the party, Emma has been telling us that when she turns 4, she wants her party at the 'yoga gym' which is what we called it before we arrived.
The morning party was for Emma's friend, Kate who turned 3. It was a small party with 5 little girls and Mia. The girls all got butterfly wings to wear, ate butterfly pancakes and got to decorate their own cupcakes. The cupcakes were a big hit and it was cute to watch them
The evening party was for Emma's friend, Emily, who turned 4. It was at Roly Pollies, a kiddo gym. Emma had a BLAST playing with Emily and her friends and exploring the gym. Without hesitation, she walked across a balance beam, climbed on curvy ladders, swung on a rope into a foam block pit, slid on a zip line, bounced on a trampoline, played in a bounce house, and most impressively, was the only kid to scale a 8 foot climbing wall. When she reached the top of the wall, she started moving horizontally! Mia had fun crawling over some small equipment, jumping on the trampoline, and watching the kids play.
Ever since we left the party, Emma has been telling us that when she turns 4, she wants her party at the 'yoga gym' which is what we called it before we arrived.
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Happy Halloween!
Following the storm, we weren't sure what would happen with Halloween. Luckily our area was spared major flooding or damage and so Halloween went on!
Emma was very excited for Halloween. We've been counting down to it all month. She decided in early September that she wanted to be a princess. Since we already have princess dress up clothes, we were set, even if her mind changed from Cinderella. Early in October, she decided she wanted to be a fairy princess. We already have wings for dress up! Easiest Halloween EVER! :)
For Mia's first Halloween, she was a skeleton whose bones glowed in the dark! So adorable!
Our friends, Kyle and Mary came over for dinner and then manned our house so that all 4 of us could go trick or treating. We ended up being out for about 30 minutes (it was cold and Emma wasn't wearing a jacket, it started sprinkling, and Emma's basket was full) before we came back inside. Emma was adorable! She was very excited to go out and knew to say "Trick or Treat!" and to follow it up with "Thank you!" At first, she wanted Kurt to go with her to the doors. After a couple doors, she said, "It's OK Daddy, I'll go by myself." And later, "You wait here, I'll go all by myself." Mia had fun being out in her stroller and seeing all the activity.
When we came inside, Kurt showed Emma how to sort out her loot. As soon as they were finished, she offered both of us some. Such a sweet girl!
Kurt then went out on our steps with Kyle and Mary and Emma had fun being in and out handing out candy with them for quite a while.
The previous weekend, Kurt and I went to a friend's Halloween party. I dressed as "The Cloud," and Kurt dressed as "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Pictures coming soon!
Emma was very excited for Halloween. We've been counting down to it all month. She decided in early September that she wanted to be a princess. Since we already have princess dress up clothes, we were set, even if her mind changed from Cinderella. Early in October, she decided she wanted to be a fairy princess. We already have wings for dress up! Easiest Halloween EVER! :)
For Mia's first Halloween, she was a skeleton whose bones glowed in the dark! So adorable!
Our friends, Kyle and Mary came over for dinner and then manned our house so that all 4 of us could go trick or treating. We ended up being out for about 30 minutes (it was cold and Emma wasn't wearing a jacket, it started sprinkling, and Emma's basket was full) before we came back inside. Emma was adorable! She was very excited to go out and knew to say "Trick or Treat!" and to follow it up with "Thank you!" At first, she wanted Kurt to go with her to the doors. After a couple doors, she said, "It's OK Daddy, I'll go by myself." And later, "You wait here, I'll go all by myself." Mia had fun being out in her stroller and seeing all the activity.
When we came inside, Kurt showed Emma how to sort out her loot. As soon as they were finished, she offered both of us some. Such a sweet girl!
Kurt then went out on our steps with Kyle and Mary and Emma had fun being in and out handing out candy with them for quite a while.
The previous weekend, Kurt and I went to a friend's Halloween party. I dressed as "The Cloud," and Kurt dressed as "Fifty Shades of Grey."
Pictures coming soon!
Hurricane Sandy
Hurricane Sandy, the largest hurricane on record, blew into the area on Monday 29 October into Tuesday. It was Mia's first hurricane and Emma's second (She and Kurt weathered Hurricane Irene in August 2011). The weekend leading up to it, we did some prep work and Emma noticed. She noticed extra junk food and treats that we brought into the house as well as the flashlights we put out on Sunday afternoon.
We had this exchange on Sunday afternoon:
Emma: Mom, what are those flashlights for?
Me: For when the power goes out.
Emma: Can I have it?
Me: No we have to save our power because it might be out for a long time.
Emma: Like 6 minutes?
Me: Probably longer than 6 minutes.
Emma: How about 7?
On Monday, we carpooled to daycare and work and planned to leave at noon since the storm was predicted to really pick up around 2pm. In the morning, it wasn't too bad, really just a soaking rain. We got awesome parking at work because many people followed the Governor's orders and stayed home and off the roads. We left shortly before noon and the wind had really picked up and the rain seemed to have gotten colder and was not falling straight down any longer. After grabbing lunch, we got the girls and got home a little after 1pm. We had a good afternoon playing and hanging out.
Kurt and Emma were having fun playing video games on the Xbox when, unfortunately, it crashed. Although Kurt was disappointed, I told him it was positive, that it meant we wouldn't lose power. :) The wind continued to pick up and the rain continued to fall. We had the television on all day and they predicted the worst of the storm would end around 10pm. We got the girls to bed and settled down to relax for the night. Literally minutes after I looked at the clock and thought to myself, 'Just a bit longer and we're in the clear,' the lights flickered once and then went out completely. We both agreed that we were lucky. Prior to the storm, we assumed the power was going to go out early in the afternoon. Around 330am, Mia woke up and after feeding her, I brought her to bed because the house was starting to get cold. Then at 5am, Emma woke up and was scared because her room was pitch black. By this point, the wind had died down and we were back to just a soaking rain. I had been hopeful that we would all sleep in since it was so dark and the rain was soothing. Unfortunately, Emma woke up Mia and after several tries of one waking up the other, we lite a candle and let them play in our bedroom while we stayed in bed for a while. After eating breakfast, I went back to bed since she was very crotchety and Kurt and the girls played. After I got up, Kurt and Mia napped and Emma and I went in search of coffee and survey damage. There were some tree limbs down and a few small trees, but overall, we didn't see too much damage. Many of the trees still had leaves on them.
Around 10, friends in our development came over and the kids had a ton of fun playing. For lunch we all went to Chik Fil A so the kids could continue to burn off some energy. While there, friends sent us a message that they got power back. We were cautiously happy since they are in a neighboring subdivision. Around 2pm, we walked back in our house and saw LED lights and felt warm air! All in all, we were only without power for 17 hours. Not too bad. We were also lucky that we didn't have any property damage.
Over this past weekend, we saw that a nor'easter is moving up the coast. Emma was very worried that we would lose power again. After I explained that it's not likely this time, I also told her we might get snow. This seemed to erase all worry and filled her with excitement!
We had this exchange on Sunday afternoon:
Emma: Mom, what are those flashlights for?
Me: For when the power goes out.
Emma: Can I have it?
Me: No we have to save our power because it might be out for a long time.
Emma: Like 6 minutes?
Me: Probably longer than 6 minutes.
Emma: How about 7?
On Monday, we carpooled to daycare and work and planned to leave at noon since the storm was predicted to really pick up around 2pm. In the morning, it wasn't too bad, really just a soaking rain. We got awesome parking at work because many people followed the Governor's orders and stayed home and off the roads. We left shortly before noon and the wind had really picked up and the rain seemed to have gotten colder and was not falling straight down any longer. After grabbing lunch, we got the girls and got home a little after 1pm. We had a good afternoon playing and hanging out.
Kurt and Emma were having fun playing video games on the Xbox when, unfortunately, it crashed. Although Kurt was disappointed, I told him it was positive, that it meant we wouldn't lose power. :) The wind continued to pick up and the rain continued to fall. We had the television on all day and they predicted the worst of the storm would end around 10pm. We got the girls to bed and settled down to relax for the night. Literally minutes after I looked at the clock and thought to myself, 'Just a bit longer and we're in the clear,' the lights flickered once and then went out completely. We both agreed that we were lucky. Prior to the storm, we assumed the power was going to go out early in the afternoon. Around 330am, Mia woke up and after feeding her, I brought her to bed because the house was starting to get cold. Then at 5am, Emma woke up and was scared because her room was pitch black. By this point, the wind had died down and we were back to just a soaking rain. I had been hopeful that we would all sleep in since it was so dark and the rain was soothing. Unfortunately, Emma woke up Mia and after several tries of one waking up the other, we lite a candle and let them play in our bedroom while we stayed in bed for a while. After eating breakfast, I went back to bed since she was very crotchety and Kurt and the girls played. After I got up, Kurt and Mia napped and Emma and I went in search of coffee and survey damage. There were some tree limbs down and a few small trees, but overall, we didn't see too much damage. Many of the trees still had leaves on them.
Around 10, friends in our development came over and the kids had a ton of fun playing. For lunch we all went to Chik Fil A so the kids could continue to burn off some energy. While there, friends sent us a message that they got power back. We were cautiously happy since they are in a neighboring subdivision. Around 2pm, we walked back in our house and saw LED lights and felt warm air! All in all, we were only without power for 17 hours. Not too bad. We were also lucky that we didn't have any property damage.
Over this past weekend, we saw that a nor'easter is moving up the coast. Emma was very worried that we would lose power again. After I explained that it's not likely this time, I also told her we might get snow. This seemed to erase all worry and filled her with excitement!
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Pop Rocks and Pumpkins
...but not together.
Yesterday, we helped Cameron celebrate his 4th birthday. His party was Rock and Roll themed. His parents were very excited to introduce the kids to 'their very first pop rock experience.' Emma was a big fan and said it was like the candy was dancing in her mouth. :)
Insert photo/video here.
Today, we met a few friends at Baugher's in western Maryland. It was a gorgeous day, bright sun and right around 60 degrees. The kids had a great time in an inflatable pumpkin. I think Emma went in 3 times. We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch where the kids had fun sliding down a piece of tubing from atop a huge round hay bail. They also had fun looking and playing with the pumpkins. Kurt was happy to find his perfect pumpkin for the year. After returning to the market area, we had lunch complete with hot dogs/pitt beef, fresh cut fries, cider, and an apple fritter! The kids played on a small swing set and then went into the petting zoo. Emma got to hold a kitten, see peacocks, feed sheet, goats, and a donkey, and pet an llama (or maybe alpaca). We returned to the market to stock up on fresh apple butter, maple fudge, apples, and rootbeer (for the ride home). Both girls were great all day. Emma was a fantastic listener and Mia was content to be in the Bjorn and look around and nap periodically. We wish all fall weekends were as great as this one!
Stay tuned for pictures.
Yesterday, we helped Cameron celebrate his 4th birthday. His party was Rock and Roll themed. His parents were very excited to introduce the kids to 'their very first pop rock experience.' Emma was a big fan and said it was like the candy was dancing in her mouth. :)
Insert photo/video here.
Today, we met a few friends at Baugher's in western Maryland. It was a gorgeous day, bright sun and right around 60 degrees. The kids had a great time in an inflatable pumpkin. I think Emma went in 3 times. We took a hayride to the pumpkin patch where the kids had fun sliding down a piece of tubing from atop a huge round hay bail. They also had fun looking and playing with the pumpkins. Kurt was happy to find his perfect pumpkin for the year. After returning to the market area, we had lunch complete with hot dogs/pitt beef, fresh cut fries, cider, and an apple fritter! The kids played on a small swing set and then went into the petting zoo. Emma got to hold a kitten, see peacocks, feed sheet, goats, and a donkey, and pet an llama (or maybe alpaca). We returned to the market to stock up on fresh apple butter, maple fudge, apples, and rootbeer (for the ride home). Both girls were great all day. Emma was a fantastic listener and Mia was content to be in the Bjorn and look around and nap periodically. We wish all fall weekends were as great as this one!
Stay tuned for pictures.
Zoo!
Last weekend, we met Nadine, Paul, and Claire at the DC Zoo. We had great weather and a great day! Emma and Claire had a great time walking around the zoo together and Mia enjoyed the view from her stroller. The grown-ups enjoyed visiting as much as was possible while chasing after two 3 year olds. :) It's great that the zoo is so nice and that it's a nice mid-point for our families to meet at periodically!
We look forward to the next time, when Kim, Chris, Cameron, and Mason can join us!
Pictures to come! Stay tuned!
We look forward to the next time, when Kim, Chris, Cameron, and Mason can join us!
Pictures to come! Stay tuned!
2nd Tooth!
Mia's 2nd tooth, bottom left (right when facing her) poked through on Tuesday 16 October. She's had a couple nights of better sleep. Friday, she was only up two times...once at 1:30 and then for the day at 5:30. IF she figures out how to sleep all night, I have no problem starting the day so early! Here's hoping!
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
More Firsts!
Mia had more firsts today (28 weeks and 1 day, ~6.5 months)!
When Kurt went to get Mia out of her car seat this evening, she lifted both arms up to him. I thought she had been starting to lift her arms when I went to pick her up over the last few days, but this was the first time that she decidedly did it. Too cute!
At dinner tonight, we discovered that her first tooth popped through. The bottom one on her right side. We thought she was teething for quite a while and I felt around in her mouth this morning, but didn't feel anything, so at some point today it came through. She's growing up! I think I'm going to make it my mission to take as many pictures of her gummy smile over the next few days as I can...gummy smiles are my favorite!
Tonight in the bath tub, Mia leaned forward, grabbed the edge of the tub and pulled herself to standing. While she's been pulling herself to standing holding on to our hands, this is the first time she did it all by herself. She did it so that she could reach out and touch the octopus faucet cover. She was incredibly proud of herself!
It's exciting that Mia is doing so much, but I admit that I teared up a bit tonight when we discovered her tooth. She's getting so big so fast! She's barely a baby anymore! She is a happy girl though and we are so blessed!
 |
| 28 weeks and 1 day (we forgot yesterday was Tuesday!) |
When Kurt went to get Mia out of her car seat this evening, she lifted both arms up to him. I thought she had been starting to lift her arms when I went to pick her up over the last few days, but this was the first time that she decidedly did it. Too cute!
At dinner tonight, we discovered that her first tooth popped through. The bottom one on her right side. We thought she was teething for quite a while and I felt around in her mouth this morning, but didn't feel anything, so at some point today it came through. She's growing up! I think I'm going to make it my mission to take as many pictures of her gummy smile over the next few days as I can...gummy smiles are my favorite!
 |
| The happy girl actually poses for pictures. She will stop what she's doing, look at the camera, and smile! |
 | |||
| Look at her go! Such a big girl! |
Monday, October 8, 2012
Recent Facebook Posts
These speak for themselves :)
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Emma: Dad, I want the Kiki ballerina show. I didn't watch that in a long, long time ago.
Me: Emma, you watched that 5 times today!
Emma: I need to watch it 6 times, silly.
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Emma at lunch: Dad, I want a quesadillo for lunch.
Me: I don't think Mom wants you eating another one this week.
Emma: Dad, I need a whole lot of cheese in my belly.
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Carrie: Why is it so loud in here?
Me: Because we have dinosaurs for children.
Carrie's post on 6 October:
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Emma: Dad, I want the Kiki ballerina show. I didn't watch that in a long, long time ago.
Me: Emma, you watched that 5 times today!
Emma: I need to watch it 6 times, silly.
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Emma at lunch: Dad, I want a quesadillo for lunch.
Me: I don't think Mom wants you eating another one this week.
Emma: Dad, I need a whole lot of cheese in my belly.
Kurt's post on 7 October:
Carrie: Why is it so loud in here?
Me: Because we have dinosaurs for children.
Carrie's post on 6 October:
If
Emma had FB, her update would be: "I have my Daddy wrapped around my
little finger and sweet talked him into buying me a scooter this
morning."
Weekend of Firsts
We had an exciting weekend!
On Friday, Mia got to meet Maureen for the first time! When I brought Mia out of her daycare room, she saw Maureen, looked at her for a second and gave her the biggest smile. A few times over the weekend, we caught her looking between the two of us. We both recall Emma had the same reaction when she first met Maureen at 5 months. It was great to have Maureen here; I miss her terribly and the girls both love her. All weekend long, we heard Emma, "Miss Maureen this" or "Miss Maureen that," it was very cute. On Sunday morning, Emma wanted to see Maureen very badly. Some comments:
"Mommy, Why is Miss Maureen still sleeping?"
"Miss Maureen sure is a sleepy head!"
"Is it time for Miss Maureen to wake up yet?"
"Miss Maureen sure does like to sleep a lot!"
Several of these were repeated over and over again between 630 and 815 when I finally told Emma she could go tell Maureen that coffee was ready.
Saturday evening, Maureen gave Emma braids after her bath. She looks adorable and so big all at the same time! This is a sort of first. Rachel tried to braid her hair a long time ago, but it wasn't quite long enough.
We had pumpkin pancakes for the first time as well on Sunday. They were delicious! We will definitely be enjoying them again! Mia had her first taste of pumpkin. She was not sure what to think of it. I mixed in a little milk, so it might have been a bit of a different taste for her.
Friday evening, Mia was playing on a blanket and got up onto her hands and knees. She's been doing this for a while and desperately trying to figure out how to move her hands. I got down in front of her and told her to come to Mama...and she did! Honest to goodness crawls! It was so exciting! The rest of the weekend, she continued to crawl to me. It's only a few short movements, but exciting nonetheless. This evening, when Kurt and I picked her up, she showed her daycare teacher her moves too. Ms. Virginia told us that she hasn't crawled there before; she'd only been getting up and rocking back and forth. Tonight, I sat her in her room with a toy and was putting laundry away in her drawers. She pushed the toy out of the way and crawled over to the drawer to play with the pull. I guess the days of leaving her unattended are dwindling.
We also think that Mia might be getting her first tooth. She's been 'teething' for quite a while, poor baby. But on Saturday morning, we both felt that her right bottom gum was a little swollen. Ms. Virginia said the same thing today. Mia has been biting on everything and will do anything to get our fingers in her mouth to gnaw on. She seems to be handling it like a trooper, but we can tell she's uncomfortable.
On Saturday, we went to our community's yard sale. Emma quickly spied scooter. And not just any scooter, but a Princess scooter. She's been asking for a scooter for about a year now. (Since the fall/winter were so mild last year, all the big kids raced around on their Razor Scooters all year long.) She quickly turned on the charm: "Daddy, can I please have this scooter, please Daddy?" He tried to pass it off to me, but I quickly put the ball back in his court and of course he relented. She did great on it and was occupied the whole time we were at the yard sale! She's been out on it 3 times now and loves it!
On Friday, Mia got to meet Maureen for the first time! When I brought Mia out of her daycare room, she saw Maureen, looked at her for a second and gave her the biggest smile. A few times over the weekend, we caught her looking between the two of us. We both recall Emma had the same reaction when she first met Maureen at 5 months. It was great to have Maureen here; I miss her terribly and the girls both love her. All weekend long, we heard Emma, "Miss Maureen this" or "Miss Maureen that," it was very cute. On Sunday morning, Emma wanted to see Maureen very badly. Some comments:
"Mommy, Why is Miss Maureen still sleeping?"
"Miss Maureen sure is a sleepy head!"
"Is it time for Miss Maureen to wake up yet?"
"Miss Maureen sure does like to sleep a lot!"
Several of these were repeated over and over again between 630 and 815 when I finally told Emma she could go tell Maureen that coffee was ready.
Saturday evening, Maureen gave Emma braids after her bath. She looks adorable and so big all at the same time! This is a sort of first. Rachel tried to braid her hair a long time ago, but it wasn't quite long enough.
We had pumpkin pancakes for the first time as well on Sunday. They were delicious! We will definitely be enjoying them again! Mia had her first taste of pumpkin. She was not sure what to think of it. I mixed in a little milk, so it might have been a bit of a different taste for her.
Friday evening, Mia was playing on a blanket and got up onto her hands and knees. She's been doing this for a while and desperately trying to figure out how to move her hands. I got down in front of her and told her to come to Mama...and she did! Honest to goodness crawls! It was so exciting! The rest of the weekend, she continued to crawl to me. It's only a few short movements, but exciting nonetheless. This evening, when Kurt and I picked her up, she showed her daycare teacher her moves too. Ms. Virginia told us that she hasn't crawled there before; she'd only been getting up and rocking back and forth. Tonight, I sat her in her room with a toy and was putting laundry away in her drawers. She pushed the toy out of the way and crawled over to the drawer to play with the pull. I guess the days of leaving her unattended are dwindling.
We also think that Mia might be getting her first tooth. She's been 'teething' for quite a while, poor baby. But on Saturday morning, we both felt that her right bottom gum was a little swollen. Ms. Virginia said the same thing today. Mia has been biting on everything and will do anything to get our fingers in her mouth to gnaw on. She seems to be handling it like a trooper, but we can tell she's uncomfortable.
On Saturday, we went to our community's yard sale. Emma quickly spied scooter. And not just any scooter, but a Princess scooter. She's been asking for a scooter for about a year now. (Since the fall/winter were so mild last year, all the big kids raced around on their Razor Scooters all year long.) She quickly turned on the charm: "Daddy, can I please have this scooter, please Daddy?" He tried to pass it off to me, but I quickly put the ball back in his court and of course he relented. She did great on it and was occupied the whole time we were at the yard sale! She's been out on it 3 times now and loves it!
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| Emma and her new scooter! |
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| Action shot! |
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| She's a pro! |
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Mia's first big girl bath!
Mia had her first big girl bath tonight! She and Emma got in the tub at the same time. Mia LOVED it! She looked around in awe and had fun playing a bit. Unfortunately, Emma wasn't feeling well tonight and didn't get as much enjoyment out of it that we thought she would. She's been looking forward to bathing with Mia for a while, so it was disappointing. Hopefully next time will go better.
6 month checkup
Mia had her 6 month check up yesterday.
She weighed in at 17lbs 4.5 oz and measured 26 inches long. These are 75th and 50th percentiles respectively. For comparison, at 4 months, she was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Her pediatrician showed us her chart and that she is growing in a step pattern.
Mia would not lay flat on the scale and insisted on being in a crunch position the entire time the nurse attempted to get her weight. She also impressed the doctor by trying to crawl up the examination table. The doctor exclaimed, "You know she's not supposed to be doing that yet, right?!? She's obviously developing well."
We got the go ahead to continue with solids, but be sure that Mia gets at least 20oz of breastmilk daily until she's at least 8 months old. Since she's been attempting to refuse bottles, we've started sending rice cereal with milk for her 'breakfast' at daycare. We were also encouraged to sleep train her since she's still waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours most nights. In addition to our sanity, it's important for her to get consecutive hours of sleep. The doctor said it would take at least 3 days and up to 14 and recommended starting on a Thursday so that we would have the weekend to rest as needed if the nights were really rough. I don't mind feeding her 1 time a night and then her being an early riser if need be so the goal will be for Mia to sleep at least 6 consecutive hours. Here's hoping it only takes her 3 nights!
Mia received 3 injections, including her flu shot, and an oral vaccine. She impressed the nurse by taking the oral vaccine like a champ. She was so pitiful for the injections. Poor baby. But some Mommy snuggle time immediately afterward helped.
It's crazy that our baby is 6 months old already! Time is flying!
She weighed in at 17lbs 4.5 oz and measured 26 inches long. These are 75th and 50th percentiles respectively. For comparison, at 4 months, she was in the 90th percentile for both height and weight. Her pediatrician showed us her chart and that she is growing in a step pattern.
Mia would not lay flat on the scale and insisted on being in a crunch position the entire time the nurse attempted to get her weight. She also impressed the doctor by trying to crawl up the examination table. The doctor exclaimed, "You know she's not supposed to be doing that yet, right?!? She's obviously developing well."
We got the go ahead to continue with solids, but be sure that Mia gets at least 20oz of breastmilk daily until she's at least 8 months old. Since she's been attempting to refuse bottles, we've started sending rice cereal with milk for her 'breakfast' at daycare. We were also encouraged to sleep train her since she's still waking up every 1.5 to 2 hours most nights. In addition to our sanity, it's important for her to get consecutive hours of sleep. The doctor said it would take at least 3 days and up to 14 and recommended starting on a Thursday so that we would have the weekend to rest as needed if the nights were really rough. I don't mind feeding her 1 time a night and then her being an early riser if need be so the goal will be for Mia to sleep at least 6 consecutive hours. Here's hoping it only takes her 3 nights!
Mia received 3 injections, including her flu shot, and an oral vaccine. She impressed the nurse by taking the oral vaccine like a champ. She was so pitiful for the injections. Poor baby. But some Mommy snuggle time immediately afterward helped.
It's crazy that our baby is 6 months old already! Time is flying!
Friday, September 28, 2012
3 going on 13
Tonight Emma and Natalie were playing in Emma's room. They were being especially quiet so I went to check on them. I found the door locked. I knocked and told Emma to open the door. She did. They were only playing with play jewelry. I told Emma that we never lock doors in our house and that she needed to leave the door open. As I turned to go back downstairs, she closed the door. Mumbling to myself, 'What part of leave the door open do you not understand?' I opened the door again and told her the door had to stay open. Her response, "We need the door closed and I just won't lock it anymore." I again told her the door had to stay open and compromised and pulled it 3/4 shut. She said, "But how about I just don't lock it?" WHAT?!? Who are you thirteen year old? What did you do with my three year old??
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Mia's Half Birthday!
Mia is 6 months old today!
Her check up is next week...we'll post stats then.(She still fits in 6 month clothes, but her 9 month ones are probably more comfortable!)
She has been attempting to crawl for quite some time now. She knows just what to do with her legs, but is having trouble figuring out how to move her arms. As a result she sort of scrunches up like an inchworm and then belly flops forward to move. It's quite comical. A couple times, she's tried to get one arm to move forward a bit but then just fell on her belly afterward. She also inches and scoots on her belly to get where ever she needs to go (generally she stays in the vicinity of a quilt we have on the floor). When she's on her belly, she does planks, down dog, mountain climbers and anything else she can manage to try to figure out how to crawl. Tonight, Kurt, Emma, and I all witnessed her actually crawling! She only did 1 full crawl two separate times, but they were fluid and purposeful moves. She is also working hard to figure out how to get to sitting from her belly. She's done it with my help about 3 times. She keeps getting closer and closer. Tonight, she was on her belly, playing and scooting around for about an hour. She didn't stop moving once! It was amazing.
Mia likes to try to stand, however, she still has 'sea legs' and isn't very stable at all. She rolls her ankles frequently. Emma was standing and even walking at this point, but Emma had much more one on one time with us. (And Kurt put her through baby boot camp daily!) It's exciting to see Mia figure out how to move around on her own.
Last week, she started eating a container of food for 'lunch' at daycare. Thus far, she's only had sweet potatoes at school. In the evenings, she gets rice cereal and sometimes some baby food. She love love loves her cereal and gets so excited when she sees me get the container and/or the milk out to make it. She usually squeals a bit and pulls her arms in and shakes them up and down to show me how much she wants it. After rice cereal, sweet potatoes were her 'first' food. She was a big fan! She had apples and made the funniest faces because they were so tart! She's tried squash and wasn't a big fan, although she ate it. She also had bananas and liked them. She's also had a couple cheerios. Every once in a while I put a couple on the highchair to keep her entertained while I was cooking or we were eating. The first time she was very interested and like them. Another time, she choked on it. She does like playing with them and gets very confused when they stick to her wet hand.
Mia is starting to attempt to put her nuk in her mouth. So far, I've only seen her try to put the wrong end in.
Mia loves her crawl along snail, her jumperoo, the monkey that spins around on her tummy time mat, Emma's dolls, link-a-doos. We've given her little balls and a pull toy snail. She's still working on rolling a ball but can pull the string on the pull toy. She also enjoys the mirror in her crib.
Mia continues to be incredibly patient. I told her the other day, we should have named her Mia Patience. In the evenings, she is content to sit in her carseat for a few minutes while I put things down. The only time she gets really impatient is when she's waiting for her food and even then, Emma can usually distract her while I mix her cereal.
Mia loves her sister. She tracks Emma all the time. Every time she sees Emma, Mia gives her the biggest smile. They laugh together daily. Emma likes turning Mia's highchair so that Mia can see outside while Emma describes things to her.
Mia didn't sleep well for almost the entirety of September (i.e. she was up every 1.5 to 2 hours). We think it was a combination of things: potential teething (No signs of teeth yet), Mia trying to sleep on her stomach but waking due to a startle reflex as she turned over, losing her pacifier when she rolled over, growth spurt, etc. Luckily (knock on wood), this week, she started sleeping better and only waking up 2 times a night.
Mia was saying DaDaDa and MaMaMa consistently for about a week in mid-September, however, she hasn't been talking much lately. We think it's probably due to her working on physical skills.
Mia still doesn't nap consistently. She is more of a cat napper and takes around 4 20-30 minute naps a day. Every once in a while a longer nap will creep in. She is usually ready for bed around 7 and then asleep by 730 after our routine of (sometimes bath), nursing, and story. She might start getting a bath nightly to help this routine.
Her check up is next week...we'll post stats then.(She still fits in 6 month clothes, but her 9 month ones are probably more comfortable!)
She has been attempting to crawl for quite some time now. She knows just what to do with her legs, but is having trouble figuring out how to move her arms. As a result she sort of scrunches up like an inchworm and then belly flops forward to move. It's quite comical. A couple times, she's tried to get one arm to move forward a bit but then just fell on her belly afterward. She also inches and scoots on her belly to get where ever she needs to go (generally she stays in the vicinity of a quilt we have on the floor). When she's on her belly, she does planks, down dog, mountain climbers and anything else she can manage to try to figure out how to crawl. Tonight, Kurt, Emma, and I all witnessed her actually crawling! She only did 1 full crawl two separate times, but they were fluid and purposeful moves. She is also working hard to figure out how to get to sitting from her belly. She's done it with my help about 3 times. She keeps getting closer and closer. Tonight, she was on her belly, playing and scooting around for about an hour. She didn't stop moving once! It was amazing.
Mia likes to try to stand, however, she still has 'sea legs' and isn't very stable at all. She rolls her ankles frequently. Emma was standing and even walking at this point, but Emma had much more one on one time with us. (And Kurt put her through baby boot camp daily!) It's exciting to see Mia figure out how to move around on her own.
Last week, she started eating a container of food for 'lunch' at daycare. Thus far, she's only had sweet potatoes at school. In the evenings, she gets rice cereal and sometimes some baby food. She love love loves her cereal and gets so excited when she sees me get the container and/or the milk out to make it. She usually squeals a bit and pulls her arms in and shakes them up and down to show me how much she wants it. After rice cereal, sweet potatoes were her 'first' food. She was a big fan! She had apples and made the funniest faces because they were so tart! She's tried squash and wasn't a big fan, although she ate it. She also had bananas and liked them. She's also had a couple cheerios. Every once in a while I put a couple on the highchair to keep her entertained while I was cooking or we were eating. The first time she was very interested and like them. Another time, she choked on it. She does like playing with them and gets very confused when they stick to her wet hand.
Mia is starting to attempt to put her nuk in her mouth. So far, I've only seen her try to put the wrong end in.
Mia loves her crawl along snail, her jumperoo, the monkey that spins around on her tummy time mat, Emma's dolls, link-a-doos. We've given her little balls and a pull toy snail. She's still working on rolling a ball but can pull the string on the pull toy. She also enjoys the mirror in her crib.
Mia continues to be incredibly patient. I told her the other day, we should have named her Mia Patience. In the evenings, she is content to sit in her carseat for a few minutes while I put things down. The only time she gets really impatient is when she's waiting for her food and even then, Emma can usually distract her while I mix her cereal.
Mia loves her sister. She tracks Emma all the time. Every time she sees Emma, Mia gives her the biggest smile. They laugh together daily. Emma likes turning Mia's highchair so that Mia can see outside while Emma describes things to her.
Mia didn't sleep well for almost the entirety of September (i.e. she was up every 1.5 to 2 hours). We think it was a combination of things: potential teething (No signs of teeth yet), Mia trying to sleep on her stomach but waking due to a startle reflex as she turned over, losing her pacifier when she rolled over, growth spurt, etc. Luckily (knock on wood), this week, she started sleeping better and only waking up 2 times a night.
Mia was saying DaDaDa and MaMaMa consistently for about a week in mid-September, however, she hasn't been talking much lately. We think it's probably due to her working on physical skills.
Mia still doesn't nap consistently. She is more of a cat napper and takes around 4 20-30 minute naps a day. Every once in a while a longer nap will creep in. She is usually ready for bed around 7 and then asleep by 730 after our routine of (sometimes bath), nursing, and story. She might start getting a bath nightly to help this routine.
Monday, September 24, 2012
She drives us crazy!
Emma has been quite the exasperating hysterical child lately. Since I've not been good about blogging the stories the days they happen, I'll copy a friend's idea and show you what we've posted on Facebook lately:
Carrie posted on 30 August: Happiest sound in the world...hearing my two girls giggle together!
In late August, Mia really started to pay attention to Emma. Almost every afternoon, Emma gets Mia to giggle on the ride home. Then once we're inside, she makes her laugh again while I put stuff away and Mia is still in the carseat. Emma is supposed to be using the bathroom and changing into a pullup at this time, but generally, she pops in and out of the powder room making funny faces and noises which Mia finds hysterical. Emma continues to entertain Mia whenever Mia is in her highchair. We are so blessed that Emma loves her sister so much. Sometimes it's frustrating that she won't leave Mia alone, but we can tell they are going to be best friends. Mia already watches Emma intently and will be trying hard to keep up with her soon!
On 6 September 6, a friend, Melissa, posted: It's great when kids can make you laugh, like adults can never do. We watched Emma tonight, and we all took a walk over to see the horses. On the way, we saw a big tree that fell over, with its roots out of the ground. Cameron asks "What happened to that tree?" I say, "It was old, and it fell down." Emma says "My Grandma is old." Cameron says "Is she going to fall down?" :)
Just a cute story that we wanted to remember.
Carrie posted on 8 September: my 3 year old has not stopped talking ALL day long...she's a broken record.
On this Saturday, Emma was up and at 'em right around 6am. Before 6:20am, I heard the phrase, "Hey Mama...." approximately 20 times. ...and my coffee hadn't even finished brewing yet! (I've been calling myself Mama a lot trying to get Mia to say it. As a result, Emma has started using it too.) We had a rough morning that day; I was exhausted because Mia didn't sleep well the night before. She kept asking me to play with her and at one point, I actually told her no. :( After I had a nap and was in better spirits, we were playing in the sun room. She asked if I wanted to have a picnic with her. I said yes and she told me I had to move 3 feet. I was nice and comfortable where I was and said, "No, I think I'll stay here." What I heard next, was my own voice coming out of a 3 year old's mouth, "Well, then I guess we can't have a picnic." My response to this should have been, "Ok, I'll move." Instead, I came out with, "I guess not." She acquiesced in about 10 seconds and we had our picnic.
Carrie posted on 14 September: This morning, Emma was disappointed that the scale said, "Three Four" instead of "Three Four FIVE" like it did last night when she stepped on it. Oh to have a toddler's outlook on life!
I think technically she's not a toddler anymore, but it's weird to say preschooler.
Kurt posted on 16 September: Today I asked Emma to pick up her toys. She told me that this was her house and she wants it messy.
A friend commented: Hey man! How's it going? Good to see from your statuses your daughter is still being awesome.
Good logic, I guess. We explained that it's Mommy and Daddy's house and she just gets to live here.
Kurt posted on 23 September: Emma: "I am eating so slow, because you are driving me crazy." There is not a phrase I use that she doesn't throw back in my face at some point.
Emma was in rare, or not so rare these days I guess, form this past weekend. The things she comes out with border on talking back, but are said with potential innocence and most of the time it's everything we can do to control ourselves from bursting out in laughter. Lunch and dinner both days this weekend took approximately 38 minutes. One night last week, we told her she could have some ice cream if she finished her dinner. (Nope, we're not above bribing.) She wanted to win so badly that she started screaming, "I don't want ice cream!" Really? My kid not want ice cream? Crazy talk! Eventually she did finish and got a bite of ice cream.
Kurt posted on 23 September: Me: "Emma, I am tired of you arguing with everything I say today."
Emma: "No I'm not."
It has been a trying morning.
Carrie commented: At least she slept until 715am...
One of the things that's been driving us nuts is that Emma asks us questions, then tells us we're wrong. She asks if it's going to storm. I say, No, the sun is out and there is blue sky. She responds with, "No it's not." Or she asks a question and we give her an answer. She follows up with a few "Whys?" then "No, it's not." GRRRRR!!!!
Kurt posted on 23 September: Emma is on a roll today: Me: "Whatcha thinking about, Emma?"
Emma after waking Mom from a nap: "I'm thinking about Mom being angry."
Me: "What is Mom doing?" E: " She said, go see your father."
Carrie commented on this: This was after I told her to be quiet and let me rest so I didn't become Mean Mommy. I sent her to her room, only to hear her come back in whispering, "Tip toe, Tip toe, quiet, Tip toe, Tip toe."
Although she was relatively good at the grocery store with me earlier in the afternoon, she kept jumping on and off the back of the cart which drove me crazy. At one point, she was sitting in the front of the cart and I thought, 'Sweet! I'll be able to speed through the rest of the store and we'll be out of her!' Emma asked to get down and I refused. Then she said she had to go potty. I didn't even realize that we had just passed the rest room. Eagle Eye Emma instantly had a plan. We use the rest room, where she insisted on telling me that she smelled something stinky several times in a loud voice. *Sigh* As we left and I grabbed the cart, she started dancing complete with arms above her head, singing, "I get to walk now! I get to walk now!" How do you not laugh at that!?! She fell asleep in the car on the way home. I tried to transfer her to her bed, but she was up before I finished putting away the groceries. I told her she could lay down with me thinking that I could coax her back to sleep. She did everything not to fall asleep. Fidget, play with my hair, stare and my face from 2 inches away. I sent her to her room and she kept sneaking back in. Finally after 30 minutes, I told her to go see her Father.
Although we've been quite frustrating lately, partly because we're tired a lot because Mia isn't sleeping and partly because Emma is 3 and this is a rite of passage, Emma is a great kid. She makes us laugh just as much as she frustrates us...often these occur at the same time. She is nothing if not persistent; while this may cause us trouble while she's a kid, it will serve her well in life. She isn't afraid to let us know how she feels, although she's still working on being able to express herself in words when she's extremely angry or tired. She is a smart, fun loving, and imaginative kid. She is fun to be around and play with. It's great to play games with her - either established games or ones she makes up by herself. Emma has a fantastic memory and continually surprises us with things she remembers. She is so loving to us, Mia, and her babies.
Emma is a good kid...we think we'll keep her!
Here are a couple pictures from tonight. She's just shy of 3 years and 4 months.
Carrie posted on 30 August: Happiest sound in the world...hearing my two girls giggle together!
In late August, Mia really started to pay attention to Emma. Almost every afternoon, Emma gets Mia to giggle on the ride home. Then once we're inside, she makes her laugh again while I put stuff away and Mia is still in the carseat. Emma is supposed to be using the bathroom and changing into a pullup at this time, but generally, she pops in and out of the powder room making funny faces and noises which Mia finds hysterical. Emma continues to entertain Mia whenever Mia is in her highchair. We are so blessed that Emma loves her sister so much. Sometimes it's frustrating that she won't leave Mia alone, but we can tell they are going to be best friends. Mia already watches Emma intently and will be trying hard to keep up with her soon!
On 6 September 6, a friend, Melissa, posted: It's great when kids can make you laugh, like adults can never do. We watched Emma tonight, and we all took a walk over to see the horses. On the way, we saw a big tree that fell over, with its roots out of the ground. Cameron asks "What happened to that tree?" I say, "It was old, and it fell down." Emma says "My Grandma is old." Cameron says "Is she going to fall down?" :)
Just a cute story that we wanted to remember.
Carrie posted on 8 September: my 3 year old has not stopped talking ALL day long...she's a broken record.
On this Saturday, Emma was up and at 'em right around 6am. Before 6:20am, I heard the phrase, "Hey Mama...." approximately 20 times. ...and my coffee hadn't even finished brewing yet! (I've been calling myself Mama a lot trying to get Mia to say it. As a result, Emma has started using it too.) We had a rough morning that day; I was exhausted because Mia didn't sleep well the night before. She kept asking me to play with her and at one point, I actually told her no. :( After I had a nap and was in better spirits, we were playing in the sun room. She asked if I wanted to have a picnic with her. I said yes and she told me I had to move 3 feet. I was nice and comfortable where I was and said, "No, I think I'll stay here." What I heard next, was my own voice coming out of a 3 year old's mouth, "Well, then I guess we can't have a picnic." My response to this should have been, "Ok, I'll move." Instead, I came out with, "I guess not." She acquiesced in about 10 seconds and we had our picnic.
Carrie posted on 14 September: This morning, Emma was disappointed that the scale said, "Three Four" instead of "Three Four FIVE" like it did last night when she stepped on it. Oh to have a toddler's outlook on life!
I think technically she's not a toddler anymore, but it's weird to say preschooler.
Kurt posted on 16 September: Today I asked Emma to pick up her toys. She told me that this was her house and she wants it messy.
A friend commented: Hey man! How's it going? Good to see from your statuses your daughter is still being awesome.
Good logic, I guess. We explained that it's Mommy and Daddy's house and she just gets to live here.
Kurt posted on 23 September: Emma: "I am eating so slow, because you are driving me crazy." There is not a phrase I use that she doesn't throw back in my face at some point.
Emma was in rare, or not so rare these days I guess, form this past weekend. The things she comes out with border on talking back, but are said with potential innocence and most of the time it's everything we can do to control ourselves from bursting out in laughter. Lunch and dinner both days this weekend took approximately 38 minutes. One night last week, we told her she could have some ice cream if she finished her dinner. (Nope, we're not above bribing.) She wanted to win so badly that she started screaming, "I don't want ice cream!" Really? My kid not want ice cream? Crazy talk! Eventually she did finish and got a bite of ice cream.
Kurt posted on 23 September: Me: "Emma, I am tired of you arguing with everything I say today."
Emma: "No I'm not."
It has been a trying morning.
Carrie commented: At least she slept until 715am...
One of the things that's been driving us nuts is that Emma asks us questions, then tells us we're wrong. She asks if it's going to storm. I say, No, the sun is out and there is blue sky. She responds with, "No it's not." Or she asks a question and we give her an answer. She follows up with a few "Whys?" then "No, it's not." GRRRRR!!!!
Kurt posted on 23 September: Emma is on a roll today: Me: "Whatcha thinking about, Emma?"
Emma after waking Mom from a nap: "I'm thinking about Mom being angry."
Me: "What is Mom doing?" E: " She said, go see your father."
Carrie commented on this: This was after I told her to be quiet and let me rest so I didn't become Mean Mommy. I sent her to her room, only to hear her come back in whispering, "Tip toe, Tip toe, quiet, Tip toe, Tip toe."
Although she was relatively good at the grocery store with me earlier in the afternoon, she kept jumping on and off the back of the cart which drove me crazy. At one point, she was sitting in the front of the cart and I thought, 'Sweet! I'll be able to speed through the rest of the store and we'll be out of her!' Emma asked to get down and I refused. Then she said she had to go potty. I didn't even realize that we had just passed the rest room. Eagle Eye Emma instantly had a plan. We use the rest room, where she insisted on telling me that she smelled something stinky several times in a loud voice. *Sigh* As we left and I grabbed the cart, she started dancing complete with arms above her head, singing, "I get to walk now! I get to walk now!" How do you not laugh at that!?! She fell asleep in the car on the way home. I tried to transfer her to her bed, but she was up before I finished putting away the groceries. I told her she could lay down with me thinking that I could coax her back to sleep. She did everything not to fall asleep. Fidget, play with my hair, stare and my face from 2 inches away. I sent her to her room and she kept sneaking back in. Finally after 30 minutes, I told her to go see her Father.
Although we've been quite frustrating lately, partly because we're tired a lot because Mia isn't sleeping and partly because Emma is 3 and this is a rite of passage, Emma is a great kid. She makes us laugh just as much as she frustrates us...often these occur at the same time. She is nothing if not persistent; while this may cause us trouble while she's a kid, it will serve her well in life. She isn't afraid to let us know how she feels, although she's still working on being able to express herself in words when she's extremely angry or tired. She is a smart, fun loving, and imaginative kid. She is fun to be around and play with. It's great to play games with her - either established games or ones she makes up by herself. Emma has a fantastic memory and continually surprises us with things she remembers. She is so loving to us, Mia, and her babies.
Emma is a good kid...we think we'll keep her!
Here are a couple pictures from tonight. She's just shy of 3 years and 4 months.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
6 years!
Kurt and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary over Labor Day weekend! It's hard to believe that it's been so long! It seems like just last year we got married! We always say to each other, 6 years down, forever to go! =)
We had a good but long weekend. We headed up to his parents on Friday afternoon and spent the night there. Emma got to camp out that evening with Grandma in the backyard! She did great and slept the whole night in the tent. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before she was that night! On Saturday, Kurt, Mia and I packed up and drove to Allentown to the Allentown Museum of Art to view the Edge of Art: Art of the Fantastic exhibit. Mia did great during the car trip and the entire time we were at the museum. That evening we went to the Allentown Fair for dinner. Mia did great here too, but may have had an allergic reaction to pollen in the air. Poor baby. We indulged on Amish made pretzels, Gyro, lemonade, and funnel cake. Mia had a very rough night that night. We thought she had a cold, but maybe it was allergies. At any rate, we watched a lot of cable and spent a lot of time holding the baby.
After breakfast on Sunday, we drove to Bethlehem to look at the Steel Stacks. It was an overcast morning and threatened to rain, so we didn't stay long. On the way back to Kurt's parents, we stopped at the biggest Cabella's we'd ever seen. Mia saw her first fish and was quite amazed. That evening, we left Mia at home and went out for Thai food. Kurt's Mom watch Mia for us all night so we could get a good night's sleep.
After a slow Monday morning, we stopped at Kurt's Grandma's house where a family picnic was taking place. After saying hi to everyone, we had to get on the road so we could get home, unpacked and ready for the week!
We did quite a lot over the weekend and had a lot of fun!
We had a good but long weekend. We headed up to his parents on Friday afternoon and spent the night there. Emma got to camp out that evening with Grandma in the backyard! She did great and slept the whole night in the tent. I'm pretty sure I was asleep before she was that night! On Saturday, Kurt, Mia and I packed up and drove to Allentown to the Allentown Museum of Art to view the Edge of Art: Art of the Fantastic exhibit. Mia did great during the car trip and the entire time we were at the museum. That evening we went to the Allentown Fair for dinner. Mia did great here too, but may have had an allergic reaction to pollen in the air. Poor baby. We indulged on Amish made pretzels, Gyro, lemonade, and funnel cake. Mia had a very rough night that night. We thought she had a cold, but maybe it was allergies. At any rate, we watched a lot of cable and spent a lot of time holding the baby.
After breakfast on Sunday, we drove to Bethlehem to look at the Steel Stacks. It was an overcast morning and threatened to rain, so we didn't stay long. On the way back to Kurt's parents, we stopped at the biggest Cabella's we'd ever seen. Mia saw her first fish and was quite amazed. That evening, we left Mia at home and went out for Thai food. Kurt's Mom watch Mia for us all night so we could get a good night's sleep.
After a slow Monday morning, we stopped at Kurt's Grandma's house where a family picnic was taking place. After saying hi to everyone, we had to get on the road so we could get home, unpacked and ready for the week!
We did quite a lot over the weekend and had a lot of fun!
Mia is 5 months!
How is it that Mia is 5 months already?!? Well, really at the time I'm writing this, she's almost 5.5 months!
She's been busy this month!
Mia still greats us with a great big smile every time she wakes up. It makes our hearts melt.
She's been a bit more difficult to put to bed at night. I used to be able to just lay her down after feeding her and reading to her. But since she's started daycare, she likes to be rocked/held until she falls asleep.
Mia has been eating rice cereal almost every night since she turned four months old. She loves it! She even wants more food! She whines whenever Kurt, Emma, and I are at the the table and she isn't getting anything. This past Sunday (9 Sept) we gave her sweet potatoes. She loved them. I only gave her half a container but she gladly would have eaten the entire thing if I let her.
We bought Mia her own sippy cup this past weekend. She's been very interested in all our cups/glasses lately and all of Emma's old ones have broken spouts which make them not so sippy any more. Mia still has some work to do to figure out how to hold the cup and get it to her mouth and then figure out how to drink from it.
Mia figured out about a week ago that she can sleep on her belly. At first, this was great. She got some nice long stretches in. Lately, she's been knocking her pacifier out when she turns over which wakes her up.
Just yesterday on the way home from daycare, Mia started saying "Da Da Da" I didn't even hear it at first. Emma excited exclaimed, "Mom!! Mia said Da Da" and sure enough Mia responded with Da Da Da. She said it this morning as well and through out the day her daycare provider told me.
(On a side note, I've been saying Ma Ma Ma to Mia lately and as a result, Emma has taken to calling me Mama. :) )
Mia is getting to be a sitting pro. Ms. Virginia told Kurt that they don't even track tummy time anymore for Mia because all she wants to do is sit.
Mia is getting so very close to crawling. Over Labor Day weekend, she really worked on getting up on all fours. This past weekend, she worked on rocking back and forth. One time, I could see the wheels turning in her head while she was on her hands and knees. She was intently trying to figure out what to do next. Slowly but surely, she's figuring out how to move herself forward instead of backward when she's on her belly.
I showed her the stacking ring set this weekend. Relatively quickly, she figured out that she could take the rings off. She can really only get the first 2 off currently.
Mia, although she drools constantly and loves to bite on her whole fist, doesn't seem to have any teeth ready to pop through yet.
On Saturday, Kurt and Emma were eating freeze pops after dinner. Mia was extremely jealous. Kurt got her some chipped ice from the freezer to give her. She was so proud that she could partake too!
Mia loves the jumperoo. She's just starting to figure out how to jump, but she loves standing and can turn herself around to play with all the toys. She studies the toys very intently, seemingly to figure out how they work.
Mia might have some pollen allergies. On Labor Day, we walked to the park after dinner. Within 3 minutes of us being outside, her eyes were red and watery and she was rubbing them like crazy and her nose started running like a faucet. Just prior to that on Saturday, we were at the Allentown fair and her eyes got red and watery. We thought we had inadvertently sat her in a smoke path while we were eating...in hindsight, it may have been allergies.
It's amazing how quickly Mia is growing and changing. It's exciting but a little sad too...I don't want my baby to grow up too fast!!
She's been busy this month!
Mia still greats us with a great big smile every time she wakes up. It makes our hearts melt.
She's been a bit more difficult to put to bed at night. I used to be able to just lay her down after feeding her and reading to her. But since she's started daycare, she likes to be rocked/held until she falls asleep.
Mia has been eating rice cereal almost every night since she turned four months old. She loves it! She even wants more food! She whines whenever Kurt, Emma, and I are at the the table and she isn't getting anything. This past Sunday (9 Sept) we gave her sweet potatoes. She loved them. I only gave her half a container but she gladly would have eaten the entire thing if I let her.
We bought Mia her own sippy cup this past weekend. She's been very interested in all our cups/glasses lately and all of Emma's old ones have broken spouts which make them not so sippy any more. Mia still has some work to do to figure out how to hold the cup and get it to her mouth and then figure out how to drink from it.
Mia figured out about a week ago that she can sleep on her belly. At first, this was great. She got some nice long stretches in. Lately, she's been knocking her pacifier out when she turns over which wakes her up.
Just yesterday on the way home from daycare, Mia started saying "Da Da Da" I didn't even hear it at first. Emma excited exclaimed, "Mom!! Mia said Da Da" and sure enough Mia responded with Da Da Da. She said it this morning as well and through out the day her daycare provider told me.
(On a side note, I've been saying Ma Ma Ma to Mia lately and as a result, Emma has taken to calling me Mama. :) )
Mia is getting to be a sitting pro. Ms. Virginia told Kurt that they don't even track tummy time anymore for Mia because all she wants to do is sit.
Mia is getting so very close to crawling. Over Labor Day weekend, she really worked on getting up on all fours. This past weekend, she worked on rocking back and forth. One time, I could see the wheels turning in her head while she was on her hands and knees. She was intently trying to figure out what to do next. Slowly but surely, she's figuring out how to move herself forward instead of backward when she's on her belly.
I showed her the stacking ring set this weekend. Relatively quickly, she figured out that she could take the rings off. She can really only get the first 2 off currently.
Mia, although she drools constantly and loves to bite on her whole fist, doesn't seem to have any teeth ready to pop through yet.
On Saturday, Kurt and Emma were eating freeze pops after dinner. Mia was extremely jealous. Kurt got her some chipped ice from the freezer to give her. She was so proud that she could partake too!
Mia loves the jumperoo. She's just starting to figure out how to jump, but she loves standing and can turn herself around to play with all the toys. She studies the toys very intently, seemingly to figure out how they work.
Mia might have some pollen allergies. On Labor Day, we walked to the park after dinner. Within 3 minutes of us being outside, her eyes were red and watery and she was rubbing them like crazy and her nose started running like a faucet. Just prior to that on Saturday, we were at the Allentown fair and her eyes got red and watery. We thought we had inadvertently sat her in a smoke path while we were eating...in hindsight, it may have been allergies.
It's amazing how quickly Mia is growing and changing. It's exciting but a little sad too...I don't want my baby to grow up too fast!!
Funny Story
Emma had a play date on Thursday afternoon/evening at Cameron and Claire's house. Their Mom, Melissa, posted this on Facebook that night:
It's
great when kids can make you laugh, like adults can never do. We
watched Emma tonight, and we all took a walk over to see the horses. On
the way, we saw a big tree that fell over, with its roots out of the
ground. Cameron asks "What happened to that tree?" I say, "It was old,
and it fell down." Emma says "My Grandma is old." Cameron says "Is
she going to fall down?" :)
Skill Builder Room
At the beginning of the month, we received a note from daycare titled, I am Growing! We generally receive these when Emma has transitioned to a new classroom. Since she's no where close to turning 4, I pretty much disregarded it. Later that week, I found out that her whole class did in fact move up to the 4 year old room or Skill Builder room. I was shocked. Generally, the transitions are 2 weeks or so and fall close to the child's birthday. I found out that this year (they operate on a school schedule) they moved the entire class up together. One of her teachers, Ms. Kim stayed with them and joined the Skill Builder teacher, Ms. Renee. Of course this type of transition has pros and cons. One thing that disappoints us about this is that we look forward to Emma transitioning to rooms with older kids. In the two weeks that she is with them she develops in leaps and bounds. On the plus side, aside from getting used to a new physical room, the kids don't have any stress about being separated from their teacher and friends.
At any rate, it's crazy that we have a kid in the 4 year old room!
At any rate, it's crazy that we have a kid in the 4 year old room!
Dutch Wonderland
Colin and Melissa invited us to go to Dutch Wonderland with them and their two kids, Cameron and Claire. I've been wanting to take Emma all summer and really wanted to go, but was too exhausted and knew it would be a bad idea so we declined their invite. Their response, was something akin to, well, you're sticks in the mud anyway, all we really want is the cool kid, Emma. (Ok that's completely an exaggeration and completely out of character for them, but funny in my mind.) In all seriousness, they offered to take Emma with them. Kurt and I went back and forth. This was a HUGE thing. Emma's first amusement park (Kurt says I have to get over not being around for all the firsts). Emma traveling with another family to a destination 2 hours away. Emma being away from us for approximately 12 hours (Not including daycare, she's really only spent that kind of time away from us with family members and even that is rare). What if she has a tantrum?
In the end, we decided that she shouldn't be punished because her parents are sticks in the mud and sent her on her way. She did ask us a couple times if we were going with her and we reassured her that she would have fun with Cameron, Claire and their Mommy and Daddy. Also before we left the house to drop her off, we drilled her on who she was traveling with. We didn't want to stress her out with getting lost/separated, so we just told her that if someone asks who she came with she should say Colin or Melissa Rxxxxxxx. Luckily, she didn't need to divulge this info to anyone.
She had a great time! She got to ride the Merry go round, cars, trucks, and numerous other rides. I'll transfer pictures over at some point. When they dropped Emma off that evening, she was crying. We think she was exhausted and over stimulated. She said her feet hurt, which makes sense for the amount of walking they did. It took us almost an hour to get her calmed down, bathed, and give her a snack before she was ready for bed. She passed out almost instantly.
She has a map of the park and enjoys 'reading' it to us and showing us different spots on it.
In the end, we decided that she shouldn't be punished because her parents are sticks in the mud and sent her on her way. She did ask us a couple times if we were going with her and we reassured her that she would have fun with Cameron, Claire and their Mommy and Daddy. Also before we left the house to drop her off, we drilled her on who she was traveling with. We didn't want to stress her out with getting lost/separated, so we just told her that if someone asks who she came with she should say Colin or Melissa Rxxxxxxx. Luckily, she didn't need to divulge this info to anyone.
She had a great time! She got to ride the Merry go round, cars, trucks, and numerous other rides. I'll transfer pictures over at some point. When they dropped Emma off that evening, she was crying. We think she was exhausted and over stimulated. She said her feet hurt, which makes sense for the amount of walking they did. It took us almost an hour to get her calmed down, bathed, and give her a snack before she was ready for bed. She passed out almost instantly.
She has a map of the park and enjoys 'reading' it to us and showing us different spots on it.
Too big for her britches
As you know, or may have inferred from blog and facebook posts, Emma is a little bossy and very strong willed. She's also three and apparently with that comes incessant talking. This past weekend, she was up early and I swear I heard the phrase, "Hey Mama..." 20 times before 6:20 in the morning! While I normally find it cute, by 6:30am she was grating on my last nerve. My fuse was already pretty short after not sleeping well all week since Mia had a rough week sleep-wise. As a result, Emma heard a lot of, "Mommy needs 2 minutes" and "Mommy just wants her coffee" and "Don't you want to play with Daddy?" I did feel bad for brushing her off so much and knowing it was in everyone's best interest, took a quick nap before lunch. I am so grateful that she enjoys playing with me and wants me to do things with her. I realize that these times won't be here forever and try to treasure them.
In the afternoon, I was sitting on the floor in the sun room and Emma packed her lunchbox with play food for a picnic. She then said that the picnic was to be held 3 feet away from where I was sitting. I told her that I was comfortable and didn't want to move. What I heard next was my voice coming out of my three-year old's mouth, "Well, then I guess we can't have a picnic," complete with a head tilt and little shrug. My response, probably not the best one I could have picked, was "I guess not." I was cracking up laughing so hard on the inside. After a couple moments, she decided the picnic could in fact take place where I was seated and it did happen after all.
In the afternoon, I was sitting on the floor in the sun room and Emma packed her lunchbox with play food for a picnic. She then said that the picnic was to be held 3 feet away from where I was sitting. I told her that I was comfortable and didn't want to move. What I heard next was my voice coming out of my three-year old's mouth, "Well, then I guess we can't have a picnic," complete with a head tilt and little shrug. My response, probably not the best one I could have picked, was "I guess not." I was cracking up laughing so hard on the inside. After a couple moments, she decided the picnic could in fact take place where I was seated and it did happen after all.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Cheerios!
We were getting lunch ready today and Mia was a fussy little monster. She kept looking at us like, where's my plate? Since we've been giving her cereal at dinner time, I wanted to stick to that routine. I decided that I would put 3 cheerios on her highchair for her to play with. (I think at this stage in her life, it's a developmental thing if she even pays attention to them.) As we all sat down, Kurt asked her if she wanted one. She promptly opened her mouth and he popped one in. She immediately started chewing. She had a funny look on her face as she figured out what to do, but she definitely liked it! She gobbled all three of them up pretty quickly!
As I said earlier, she eats rice cereal every evening. I usually just eyeball the amounts of cereal and milk as I make it. On Friday, I decided to measure out a full serving and pay attention to the milk I used so that I can start sending some to daycare for her soon. Turns out she ate a full tablespoon of dry cereal with about 1.5 oz of milk...and still wanted more!
Looks like we should probably get her some 1st stage fruits and veggies here pretty soon!
As I said earlier, she eats rice cereal every evening. I usually just eyeball the amounts of cereal and milk as I make it. On Friday, I decided to measure out a full serving and pay attention to the milk I used so that I can start sending some to daycare for her soon. Turns out she ate a full tablespoon of dry cereal with about 1.5 oz of milk...and still wanted more!
Looks like we should probably get her some 1st stage fruits and veggies here pretty soon!
Playing when she should be asleep!
Mia has a crib mirror similar to this one. It held her attention whenever she was in her crib after diaper changes even before she started sleeping in her crib at 3 months. I noticed last week, that as she falls asleep she likes holding onto little curlycue pieces that hang down off of it. So sweet.
On Thursday evening, I was in the hallway, when I heard something crinkling. I couldn't place it since both Emma and Mia were both in bed. As I went back into Mia's room to get her laundry basket, I realized, she was laying on her side, playing with the crinkle wings of a butterfly that is on the mirror. Too cute!
On Thursday evening, I was in the hallway, when I heard something crinkling. I couldn't place it since both Emma and Mia were both in bed. As I went back into Mia's room to get her laundry basket, I realized, she was laying on her side, playing with the crinkle wings of a butterfly that is on the mirror. Too cute!
Moving and Shaking
On Monday, August 13th, Mia rolled from her back to her belly for the first time (that we know of). She had been trying to for quite some time and either got stuck half way there or was too hesitant to go all the way. Kurt, Emma, and I all saw her roll and all gave her loud cheers. Emma was the most excited. Mia was pretty proud of herself. On Tuesday, I asked Ms. Virginia at daycare if she'd seen Mia roll, and she said she had, but she couldn't remember which way she rolled (back to tummy or vice versa). Around 3 months, Mia rolled from her tummy to her back consistently for 3 days....then promptly stopped. Currently, it took her a while to gain confidence, I suspect she wasn't a fan of the falling sensation and that's why she wouldn't do it.
On Monday, August 20th, I put Mia on a play mat while I helped Emma with something in another room. When I walked back into the living room, Mia was in the middle of the floor...about 2 full rolls away from where I left her. I exclaimed, "Mia, that's not where I put you!" She responded with the biggest, gummiest, proudest grin you can imagine. It was adorable! We've not broken out the baby gate yet, but we're also careful to leave her on the far side of the living room if we have to step out of the room for anything.
Mia is trying so hard to get to places. If she were home with us, like Emma was, there is no doubt in my mind, she would be walking between 6 and 7 months just like her sister. Since she's at daycare and sees other kids and doesn't have constant 1 on 1 attention, she's determined to figure out how to crawl. Currently, she scooches herself on her belly...backward. I think this really frustrates her because instead of getting closer and closer to toys, she pushes herself farther away. That said, last week, I saw the beginning of an army crawl and just yesterday, she was able to push herself up onto her knees. She has a long way to go in terms of coordination, but I think she's going to figure out how to move sooner rather than later.
Earlier today, I was holding her in a standing position at her tummy time mat. She was holding on to the arches with her hands and was balanced enough that I was able to let go of her and count to "3 Mississippis" before she started to fall. For quite a while now, when she is in a sitting position, she will hold our hands and push up with her feet into a standing position. She then looks around all proud of herself.
Also this evening, I was helping her practice sitting up. Prior to the past few days, she was still not balancing very well and although she put her arms out to prop herself up, she was still pretty hunched over. Tonight she was in that position, albeit not so hunched over, when she looked up at me, channeled the Hulk, grunted and pulled in her core and sat straight up, her hands no where near the floor. I was amazed! She got tired pretty quickly, but she did a great job!
All this and she's not officially 5 months until tomorrow!
On Monday, August 20th, I put Mia on a play mat while I helped Emma with something in another room. When I walked back into the living room, Mia was in the middle of the floor...about 2 full rolls away from where I left her. I exclaimed, "Mia, that's not where I put you!" She responded with the biggest, gummiest, proudest grin you can imagine. It was adorable! We've not broken out the baby gate yet, but we're also careful to leave her on the far side of the living room if we have to step out of the room for anything.
Mia is trying so hard to get to places. If she were home with us, like Emma was, there is no doubt in my mind, she would be walking between 6 and 7 months just like her sister. Since she's at daycare and sees other kids and doesn't have constant 1 on 1 attention, she's determined to figure out how to crawl. Currently, she scooches herself on her belly...backward. I think this really frustrates her because instead of getting closer and closer to toys, she pushes herself farther away. That said, last week, I saw the beginning of an army crawl and just yesterday, she was able to push herself up onto her knees. She has a long way to go in terms of coordination, but I think she's going to figure out how to move sooner rather than later.
Earlier today, I was holding her in a standing position at her tummy time mat. She was holding on to the arches with her hands and was balanced enough that I was able to let go of her and count to "3 Mississippis" before she started to fall. For quite a while now, when she is in a sitting position, she will hold our hands and push up with her feet into a standing position. She then looks around all proud of herself.
Also this evening, I was helping her practice sitting up. Prior to the past few days, she was still not balancing very well and although she put her arms out to prop herself up, she was still pretty hunched over. Tonight she was in that position, albeit not so hunched over, when she looked up at me, channeled the Hulk, grunted and pulled in her core and sat straight up, her hands no where near the floor. I was amazed! She got tired pretty quickly, but she did a great job!
All this and she's not officially 5 months until tomorrow!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Missing being an only child
Last night, Emma asked why I had to go to work. I responded that I ask Kurt that daily ;) Then she said, "Someday, I stay home with you?" I explained that both Daddy and I stayed home with her for a long time when she was a baby. She responded, "Oh. Well, someday Mia can go to school and you, me, and Daddy can stay home?" It was adorable and sort of heart breaking. It was her way of telling us she wants some undivided attention. We promised her that we'd hang out just the three of us soon.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Jam Packed Sunday...and Fun Monday!
We had a busy but very fun Sunday!
Carrie met up with Melissa for a delicious brunch at The Hill in Federal Hill. It was a nice morning and we were able to sit outside and catch up over fantastic omelets.
While Carrie was out, Kurt's college friends, Kevin and Tracy and their girls, Jocelyn and Juliet, were in town and stopped by for lunch. Emma and Jocelyn about the same age and had a great time playing together. Mia and Juliet also are about the same age; but currently, probably didn't even notice each other. :) I heard it was kind of chaotic but everyone had a nice time catching up. I got home just in time to say hello to them.
As they were leaving, Kurt's Mom arrived. We hadn't told Emma that she was coming. When she called to tell Kurt she was half way here, Emma got so excited and started jumping up and down yelling "Awesome!" Emma didn't let her out of her sight all afternoon. All we heard was "Gramma!" "Gram" "Look at this Gramma!"
On Monday, Emma went to school and Mia got to have a day at home with Grandma! Mia hasn't had a lot of grandparent time, because Emma usually monopolizes all of her grandparents whenever we see them. I was thankful that Mia got to stay home and rest toady since she was still congested when she woke up this morning. They had a good day together. Mia drank her bottles and ate some cereal (a couple tablespoons) and played and had naked baby time. Mia and Grandma were busy girls! She got to help Grandma fix Emma's dress, straighten up, rearrange the sunroom, and of course get lots of snuggles from Grandma!
Emma loved coming home to see Grandma. They played with her airplane, had a tea party, and went to the park before Grandma had to get on the road this evening.
We wish we lived closer to both sets of our families and treasure the times that we visit them and they are able to visit us!
Carrie met up with Melissa for a delicious brunch at The Hill in Federal Hill. It was a nice morning and we were able to sit outside and catch up over fantastic omelets.
While Carrie was out, Kurt's college friends, Kevin and Tracy and their girls, Jocelyn and Juliet, were in town and stopped by for lunch. Emma and Jocelyn about the same age and had a great time playing together. Mia and Juliet also are about the same age; but currently, probably didn't even notice each other. :) I heard it was kind of chaotic but everyone had a nice time catching up. I got home just in time to say hello to them.
As they were leaving, Kurt's Mom arrived. We hadn't told Emma that she was coming. When she called to tell Kurt she was half way here, Emma got so excited and started jumping up and down yelling "Awesome!" Emma didn't let her out of her sight all afternoon. All we heard was "Gramma!" "Gram" "Look at this Gramma!"
On Monday, Emma went to school and Mia got to have a day at home with Grandma! Mia hasn't had a lot of grandparent time, because Emma usually monopolizes all of her grandparents whenever we see them. I was thankful that Mia got to stay home and rest toady since she was still congested when she woke up this morning. They had a good day together. Mia drank her bottles and ate some cereal (a couple tablespoons) and played and had naked baby time. Mia and Grandma were busy girls! She got to help Grandma fix Emma's dress, straighten up, rearrange the sunroom, and of course get lots of snuggles from Grandma!
Emma loved coming home to see Grandma. They played with her airplane, had a tea party, and went to the park before Grandma had to get on the road this evening.
We wish we lived closer to both sets of our families and treasure the times that we visit them and they are able to visit us!
What Mia has been up to lately
A couple random notes as Mia turns 19 weeks tomorrow.
Time is flying and our little girl is getting so big!
She is very close to rolling from her back to her belly. She gets just about there and stops. I'm not sure if she gets stuck, gets scared, or just plain doesn't want to end up on her belly. That said, she does enjoy tummy time much more than her sister ever did. As she gets stronger, she enjoys it more. She's scooching a bit on her tummy and is working toward figuring out how to army crawl.
This afternoon, I had her sitting up and let go once she had found her balance. She still doesn't really sit up by herself and still hunches forward leaning on her hands. This afternoon, she actually scooted forward a tiny bit toward a toy! It was so cute!
Also this afternoon, I put the string of a pull toy in her hand and showed her how to pull it toward herself. (Grandma may have done this earlier today too - not sure). She seemed to grasp the concept. We'll have to work on picking up the string next!
Mia has been interested in the jumperoo since the first time I put her in it. As she gets bigger, she is even more interested. Emma still loves the jumperoo and constantly asks if Mia can go in it. Emma loves showing Mia how the toys work and gets very excited when Mia spins the barrel-like toy or turns the wheel. Emma exclaimed the other day, "Mom! She's spinning it! She's spinning it!" It was adorable! Tonight Mia amused herself in the jumperoo while I got dinner on the table and for almost the entire time we were eating!
She is becoming slightly more proficient at eating cereal. Grandma said she ate a couple tablespoons today before she got tired and started pushing it out of her mouth. Perhaps, we'll send some to daycare to help stretch out the time between bottles.
When Mia and I are together, Mia eats on demand which sometimes is every hour or hour and a half. When we're not together, she makes it to about 2 hours on the nose. She takes her bottles easily and wolfs them down. Kurt's Mom said she noticed this afternoon when Mia got tired of her and wanted me...and therefore a bottle, because that was Mommy. I kidded that she is already an emotional eater.
Time is flying and our little girl is getting so big!
She is very close to rolling from her back to her belly. She gets just about there and stops. I'm not sure if she gets stuck, gets scared, or just plain doesn't want to end up on her belly. That said, she does enjoy tummy time much more than her sister ever did. As she gets stronger, she enjoys it more. She's scooching a bit on her tummy and is working toward figuring out how to army crawl.
This afternoon, I had her sitting up and let go once she had found her balance. She still doesn't really sit up by herself and still hunches forward leaning on her hands. This afternoon, she actually scooted forward a tiny bit toward a toy! It was so cute!
Also this afternoon, I put the string of a pull toy in her hand and showed her how to pull it toward herself. (Grandma may have done this earlier today too - not sure). She seemed to grasp the concept. We'll have to work on picking up the string next!
Mia has been interested in the jumperoo since the first time I put her in it. As she gets bigger, she is even more interested. Emma still loves the jumperoo and constantly asks if Mia can go in it. Emma loves showing Mia how the toys work and gets very excited when Mia spins the barrel-like toy or turns the wheel. Emma exclaimed the other day, "Mom! She's spinning it! She's spinning it!" It was adorable! Tonight Mia amused herself in the jumperoo while I got dinner on the table and for almost the entire time we were eating!
She is becoming slightly more proficient at eating cereal. Grandma said she ate a couple tablespoons today before she got tired and started pushing it out of her mouth. Perhaps, we'll send some to daycare to help stretch out the time between bottles.
When Mia and I are together, Mia eats on demand which sometimes is every hour or hour and a half. When we're not together, she makes it to about 2 hours on the nose. She takes her bottles easily and wolfs them down. Kurt's Mom said she noticed this afternoon when Mia got tired of her and wanted me...and therefore a bottle, because that was Mommy. I kidded that she is already an emotional eater.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Pool time!
Emma has been asking to go to the pool since about February. Unfortunately, earlier this summer, things were chaotic in our house and then with the intense heat, we didn't want to have Mia out very much and so we never got to the pool. We FINALLY went tonight! Emma was SO excited! She looked forward to it all day and didn't disappoint us when we got there. Last year she was very timid, especially at the beginning of the season. This year, she got right into the kiddie pool by herself and started splashing around and 'swimming.' After being in the kiddie pool for a while, she finally told Kurt she was ready to go to the big pool. She clung to him as he walked her the length of the pool. He did get her to jump into the pool into his arms (without her going under at all) several times.
Mia had a good time watching everything from the stroller sans baby seat.
Hopefully, we'll get to the pool a few more times this season!
Mia had a good time watching everything from the stroller sans baby seat.
Hopefully, we'll get to the pool a few more times this season!
Mia's first cold
It was bound to happen sooner or later. Either Emma was going to bring
home germs from daycare, or Mia was going to pick some up herself. Last evening, Kurt mentioned that Mia had a little runny nose. We didn't think much of it. Through the night, we each heard a little cough from her room a few times. This morning, we found our little girl all congested with a runny nose and post nasal drip cough. It's not too bad; she's a pretty happy girl and gave us lots of smiles all day. She was relatively content just to be held though and rested for a lot of the day when usually, she's up for play time on the floor.
I'm thankful that it's the summer and not 'cold and flu season' and that this appears just to be a minor cold. Nothing like strengthening her immune system early! Can't wait for 7 to 10 days to be up so she'll be back to her healthy self!
I'm thankful that it's the summer and not 'cold and flu season' and that this appears just to be a minor cold. Nothing like strengthening her immune system early! Can't wait for 7 to 10 days to be up so she'll be back to her healthy self!
Friday, August 3, 2012
First Day at Work
Today was my first day back to work. This morning went pretty smoothly. Mia woke up just before my alarm, so I fed her and put her back down. While I was in the shower, Kurt said he had to get up and give her her nuk again. After I got ready, I heard her stirring again and changed her and tried to feed her but she didn't want to eat and was wide awake...a full hour before she has been! She must have known today was different. I got her dressed for the day and we came downstairs to get bottles, breakfast, and lunch together. Emma woke up and ate while I pumped. She dilly-dallied a while with her breakfast but I was able to help her finish and get her changed while Kurt showered. I left before they did, but forgot something and had to come back *sigh*
It was nice to be at work and see everyone. Unfortunately, I had computer issues and didn't get much actual work done. I was a few minutes late leaving for the day and as I walked into daycare, the director said she just left a message wondering when I'd be in because Mia was hungry. I nursed Mia and talked to her caregiver, Miss Virginia, and we decided that in addition to the 2 3oz bottles and 2 4oz bottles, I would send a 2oz bottle to give her later in the afternoon to hold her over until I got there.
After rounding up Emma and getting everything (bottles, sheets, blankets, papers) we made our way to the car and headed home. We had already planned on pizza tonight, so all I had to do was turn on the oven. The girls were both very good which was a relief. I got some snuggles and play time in with Mia and chatted with Emma (poor kid had an in grown hair on her knee and spent about 30 minutes holding a hot compress on it.). At dinner time, Mia was grunting and talking up a storm...I think she was telling us she wanted food, so I made her some rice cereal. I made it thinner tonight. She makes a mess and doesn't get much down yet, but she definitely wants it. Maybe we'll try to give her some cereal most nights. I think she'd like to sit at the table with us in her highchair.
Days are going to be cram packed when we get home between getting dinner started, unpacking, giving the girls some attention, and getting them ready for bed and dinner cleaned up, we're going to be exhausted, but I'm hoping the majority of nights are like tonight when most things go smoothly. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
It was nice to be at work and see everyone. Unfortunately, I had computer issues and didn't get much actual work done. I was a few minutes late leaving for the day and as I walked into daycare, the director said she just left a message wondering when I'd be in because Mia was hungry. I nursed Mia and talked to her caregiver, Miss Virginia, and we decided that in addition to the 2 3oz bottles and 2 4oz bottles, I would send a 2oz bottle to give her later in the afternoon to hold her over until I got there.
After rounding up Emma and getting everything (bottles, sheets, blankets, papers) we made our way to the car and headed home. We had already planned on pizza tonight, so all I had to do was turn on the oven. The girls were both very good which was a relief. I got some snuggles and play time in with Mia and chatted with Emma (poor kid had an in grown hair on her knee and spent about 30 minutes holding a hot compress on it.). At dinner time, Mia was grunting and talking up a storm...I think she was telling us she wanted food, so I made her some rice cereal. I made it thinner tonight. She makes a mess and doesn't get much down yet, but she definitely wants it. Maybe we'll try to give her some cereal most nights. I think she'd like to sit at the table with us in her highchair.
Days are going to be cram packed when we get home between getting dinner started, unpacking, giving the girls some attention, and getting them ready for bed and dinner cleaned up, we're going to be exhausted, but I'm hoping the majority of nights are like tonight when most things go smoothly. Keep your fingers crossed for us!
"I'm harrious"
Tonight at dinner, Emma spouted off the funniest things. First she said, "I'm harrious." After getting her to repeat it a couple times, we finally figured out she was saying hilarious. Then she said something about "two pirates," as well as something about Daddy helping her clear away the snow with the penguins and polar bears at the North Pole.
We asked if she heard this at school and what books she read at school. She said Cat and the Hat. We're pretty sure there aren't any pirates in The Cat and the Hat. She clarified for us that she heard this stuff on the show Cat and the Hat which she found on Netflix and has been watching.
Dinner was harrious to say the least!
We asked if she heard this at school and what books she read at school. She said Cat and the Hat. We're pretty sure there aren't any pirates in The Cat and the Hat. She clarified for us that she heard this stuff on the show Cat and the Hat which she found on Netflix and has been watching.
Dinner was harrious to say the least!
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A few recent pictures
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| My sleeping beauty |
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| Big girl! |
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| All set for school! |
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| Emma isn't a fan of pictures these days.... |
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| As you can see here.... |
Mia's first taste of cereal
Mia has been eyeing up food and watching people eat for a few weeks now. Tonight she had some milk leftover in a bottle so we decided to try giving her rice cereal. I may have made it a bit too thick for her first time, but she knew just what to do! She cried a bit because she was very hungry and couldn't really swallow the cereal very well so after every bite, she washed it down with some milk from a bottle. She ate approximately a tablespoon of cereal.
This was also the first time she sat in the highchair.
We planned on waiting until Mia was 6 months old to give her food, like we did with Emma, but Mia has shown such interest that we thought it was worth a try. Her pediatrician said she recommends waiting until 6 months, but that some kids want it earlier, her son included.
This was also the first time she sat in the highchair.
We planned on waiting until Mia was 6 months old to give her food, like we did with Emma, but Mia has shown such interest that we thought it was worth a try. Her pediatrician said she recommends waiting until 6 months, but that some kids want it earlier, her son included.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Mia's 1st slide!
After dinner tonight we all walked to the park. Emma held Mia on her lap and the two of them slid down the 'big' slide together. (I held on to Mia as well.) Emma LOVED it...not sure how Mia felt about it. They did it three times...by the third time Mia smiled a bit at the end!
Some current Emma-isms
- Thumbs up Dude! (Michelle Tanner style ((you got it dude!)))
-You got that right!
-When she is being serious, she gets a very matter-of-fact face and nods her head. We'll have to try to get a picture.
-You got that right!
-When she is being serious, she gets a very matter-of-fact face and nods her head. We'll have to try to get a picture.
Roach Motel Annual Reunion
This past weekend we went to Virginia to my college friend Kim's house. Each year my college roommates and I get together with our families in the summer. It started out as just the 5 of us in college, gradually doubled as we all got married and has increased greatly in the past 4 years as we've had children. This year there were 9 kids under the age of 4! Another good friend and her boyfriend joined us as well for a grand total of 12 adults and 9 kids (not 22 adults as I spouted off all week leading up to our get together ha!)
The kids all played really well together. Of course there were a couple breakdowns, but that's to be expected when the majority went without naps and played hard all day long! It was wonderful to get together and chat...it became even more wonderful after we got all the kids down and actually had some quiet time before we all fell asleep ourselves!
On Sunday morning, I told Emma to go potty because it was almost time to 'roll out.' She responded, "But I don't want to roll out!" Too cute! I promised that we would see everyone again soon. She had a great time playing with everyone. At one point, I saw her stroking Chloe's long hair. It was adorable!
I can't wait until we can all get together again...hopefully for a girls' day this winter sometime! Thanks for hosting Kim!!
The kids all played really well together. Of course there were a couple breakdowns, but that's to be expected when the majority went without naps and played hard all day long! It was wonderful to get together and chat...it became even more wonderful after we got all the kids down and actually had some quiet time before we all fell asleep ourselves!
On Sunday morning, I told Emma to go potty because it was almost time to 'roll out.' She responded, "But I don't want to roll out!" Too cute! I promised that we would see everyone again soon. She had a great time playing with everyone. At one point, I saw her stroking Chloe's long hair. It was adorable!
I can't wait until we can all get together again...hopefully for a girls' day this winter sometime! Thanks for hosting Kim!!
I'm not gonna lie....I'm pretty proud....
of myself!
Just like before I started back to work full time when Emma was born, I'm freaking out. Truth be told, I might be even more apprehensive/nervous/sad/scared. It's going to be rough being away from Mia all day and then even rougher to have to come home, get Emma and Mia settled and get dinner started and on the table in a timely fashion. All while making sure Emma doesn't fill up on snacks and making sure she doesn't have any accidents and feeding Mia and making sure she knows I haven't forgotten about her.
Back to being proud...I have dinners for the entire month of August planned out! AND I even have a grocery list for the rest of this week, next week and maybe a day or two of the following! Here's hoping that planning and being a grown-up helps things go a bit more smoothly in the coming weeks!
*patting self on shoulder*
Just like before I started back to work full time when Emma was born, I'm freaking out. Truth be told, I might be even more apprehensive/nervous/sad/scared. It's going to be rough being away from Mia all day and then even rougher to have to come home, get Emma and Mia settled and get dinner started and on the table in a timely fashion. All while making sure Emma doesn't fill up on snacks and making sure she doesn't have any accidents and feeding Mia and making sure she knows I haven't forgotten about her.
Back to being proud...I have dinners for the entire month of August planned out! AND I even have a grocery list for the rest of this week, next week and maybe a day or two of the following! Here's hoping that planning and being a grown-up helps things go a bit more smoothly in the coming weeks!
*patting self on shoulder*
Mia's Big Monday!
Monday was Mia's first day at daycare without Mommy. (Last week, I took her into the baby room each day, on days that she didn't fall asleep in the car, we went twice at Emma's dropoff and pickup.) She did ok for 4 hours. She was a little fussy getting used to the room her teachers told us. She drank both her bottles without problem though which is a huge relief! I know the teachers won't tell us if she cries a lot (I asked yesterday after her 2nd day and they said she gets a little fussy and they just redirect with a new toy), but I just have my fingers crossed that she will adjust well. Tuesday, she went for 5 hours and drank three bottles. The teachers told me that they don't think she'll let food go to waste, so on Wednesday we sent 3oz bottles instead of the 2oz bottles she had been getting. They said it was good we're doing an adjustment period and gradually increasing her days there. They told me yesterday, they might move her crib to a back corner so it's a bit quieter since she doesn't like to hear crying and her current crib is sort of in the middle of the room. *Sigh. Breaks my heart to think she's not adjusting well.* At the same time I know that at 4 months, this is probably one of the easier times to transition to daycare...before separation anxiety sets in and while Mia doesn't really have a concept of time. I still wish I could keep her at home with me!
On Monday, Mia also had her 4 month checkup. She is a big, healthy girl weighing in at 15 lbs 6 oz and measuring at 25.5 inches long. Both are 90th percentile. Her head circumference continued to measure at the 50th percentile. The doctor was impressed with Mia's head control and how she was doing pilates crunches and 'superman' when held up high. She commented that all these were 6 month things. We remember Emma doing similar things at this age. Mia got an oral vaccine which she drank like a champ as well as 2 injections. She cried but seemed to get over it quickly and didn't even want to nurse for comfort. Our little pioneer baby trooper!
For comparison, I dug out Emma's baby book. She had a 3 month appointment, instead of a 4 month appointment. At 3 months, Emma measured 13 lbs 6 oz and is 24.4 inches long
On Monday, Mia also had her 4 month checkup. She is a big, healthy girl weighing in at 15 lbs 6 oz and measuring at 25.5 inches long. Both are 90th percentile. Her head circumference continued to measure at the 50th percentile. The doctor was impressed with Mia's head control and how she was doing pilates crunches and 'superman' when held up high. She commented that all these were 6 month things. We remember Emma doing similar things at this age. Mia got an oral vaccine which she drank like a champ as well as 2 injections. She cried but seemed to get over it quickly and didn't even want to nurse for comfort. Our little pioneer baby trooper!
For comparison, I dug out Emma's baby book. She had a 3 month appointment, instead of a 4 month appointment. At 3 months, Emma measured 13 lbs 6 oz and is 24.4 inches long
Friday, July 27, 2012
4 months old!
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| Happy girl at 4 months old only wants to sit or stand! |
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| She found her toes back in mid-June...but has been enthralled with them over the past week |
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| Happy girl! |
Cause and Effect
I've been meaning to write about this for about 2 weeks now.
Mia understands cause and effect. One afternoon, we were giggling together and I was making funny faces at her. She was wriggling around and startled all of a sudden. Her startle face and arms are so cute and I laughed even harder. She thought this was funny and laughed too. Then she startled again...but I could tell it wasn't a 'real' startle, she was just mimicking the face and arm positions to make me laugh, which it did which made her so proud and made her laugh again. She continued to do this for the better part of 10 minutes. Since then we've done the routine a few more times. It's amazing that at 3.5 to 4 months she already realizes that her actions cause reactions (other than crying = changing/feeding/holding.)
Mia understands cause and effect. One afternoon, we were giggling together and I was making funny faces at her. She was wriggling around and startled all of a sudden. Her startle face and arms are so cute and I laughed even harder. She thought this was funny and laughed too. Then she startled again...but I could tell it wasn't a 'real' startle, she was just mimicking the face and arm positions to make me laugh, which it did which made her so proud and made her laugh again. She continued to do this for the better part of 10 minutes. Since then we've done the routine a few more times. It's amazing that at 3.5 to 4 months she already realizes that her actions cause reactions (other than crying = changing/feeding/holding.)
Growing up!
Last night, Emma wanted to go outside and blow bubbles. It was 100 degrees so needless to say neither Kurt nor I were very excited to go outside. She kept asking us but Kurt was busy feeding Mia a bottle and I was cleaning up the kitchen, so I told her that she could go out on the deck and play by herself. (She usually plays on the front stoop but isn't allowed out there alone.) She sort of whined a bit and went back to watching TV. About 5 minutes later, she came out to the kitchen bubbles and bubble gun in hand and said, "It's still ok if I go to play by myself?" Such a big girl! She played for a few minutes but had some issues with the bubble gun, i.e. it wasn't blowing bubbles. We didn't figure it out but she did play with a wand by herself for a bit. After I finished in the kitchen I went out for a bit to blow and catch bubbles with her.
This morning, Kurt left for work and I went to change Mia and get ready for the day. When I left the living room, Emma was watching the Fresh Beat Band. When I got out of the shower, I didn't hear it. Instead I heard, "Let's a-go!" When I came downstairs, Emma had backed all the way out of Netflix and started Mariocart. She somehow got into the online version and was racing against other people, not just the computer and we couldn't get out of that for a while, but she did it all by herself!
When we got to school this morning, Emma ran ahead of me (I move slowly with Mia's car seat!) and ran inside. Usually, she waits for me to get there to help sign her in on the computer. As I walked through the door, I saw the screen flash back to Welcome! and Emma looked at me with a HUGE smile and said I DID IT MOMMY! That is, she remembered the signin code for me and then used the mouse to check herself in and click "finish." Kurt said that he lets her sign in and I have been too, but for me this is the first day she's remembered the sign in code and didn't need help finding the correct keys!
This morning, Kurt left for work and I went to change Mia and get ready for the day. When I left the living room, Emma was watching the Fresh Beat Band. When I got out of the shower, I didn't hear it. Instead I heard, "Let's a-go!" When I came downstairs, Emma had backed all the way out of Netflix and started Mariocart. She somehow got into the online version and was racing against other people, not just the computer and we couldn't get out of that for a while, but she did it all by herself!
When we got to school this morning, Emma ran ahead of me (I move slowly with Mia's car seat!) and ran inside. Usually, she waits for me to get there to help sign her in on the computer. As I walked through the door, I saw the screen flash back to Welcome! and Emma looked at me with a HUGE smile and said I DID IT MOMMY! That is, she remembered the signin code for me and then used the mouse to check herself in and click "finish." Kurt said that he lets her sign in and I have been too, but for me this is the first day she's remembered the sign in code and didn't need help finding the correct keys!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Laughs and Screeches!
This past weekend at Carrie's parents' was the first time that Emma got Mia to laugh all by herself! Mia has smiled at Emma before but it was at lunch on Sunday, that Emma got Mia to laugh. As posted earlier, Mia things the word disgusting is hysterical. Emma started telling it to Mia and got some giggles out of her. Sunday evening, Mia was in her bumbo seat in the bathroom with us during Emma's bath and Emma had fun saying disgusting to Mia and getting giggles in return. I told Emma to tell Mia she was pretty and we got the same reaction!
Mia's laughs are infectious and instantly make us all happy!
On another note, Mia is discovering different sounds and spent most of today screeching in what we call the baby pterodactyl imitation. It's ear piercing!
Mia's laughs are infectious and instantly make us all happy!
On another note, Mia is discovering different sounds and spent most of today screeching in what we call the baby pterodactyl imitation. It's ear piercing!
Daycare and visit with Gigi
This week, I am taking Mia into the baby room for a bit after I drop Emma off in the morning and before I pick Emma up in the evening in an attempt to acclimate her to the room a bit before she starts next week. So far she really likes looking around at the new surroundings and at the babies. (There will be 6 babies on her side of the room.) She gets upset when she hears someone else crying, so I'm sure that will take a bit for her to get used to.
Today, after daycare, Mia and I headed down to see Gigi for a few hours. Mia was a little fussy during the visit, but enjoyed getting snuggles and kisses from Gigi. She made Gigi's day when she smiled and laughed for her. =)
Today, after daycare, Mia and I headed down to see Gigi for a few hours. Mia was a little fussy during the visit, but enjoyed getting snuggles and kisses from Gigi. She made Gigi's day when she smiled and laughed for her. =)
Blueberry Picnic
Every year, Carrie's parents host a Blueberry Family Picnic at their house in northeast Pennsylvania. Extended family and friends all gather together for good food, blueberry picking, and catching up. The annual event was held last weekend.
On Friday, we drove to Kurt's parents' house for the day to hang out and visit with his sister, Katie, who is moving to California! Mia, the kiddo who is not a carseat fan, did great and let us drive the whole way there with out having to stop, thanks to Enya who put both girls to sleep! The girls let us sleep in a bit on Saturday morning, and we were on the road and at Carrie's parents' by lunch time. Kurt's parents and siblings all joined us later that day. The day was gorgeous! It was sunny and very temperate. Emma had a great time running around in her bare feet, petting the dogs, picking and more importantly eating blueberries. At one point her tongue was purple-bluish! Mia got lots of attention, snuggles, and kisses.
In the evening, we had a campfire and Emma asked me to play hide and seek with her in the berry bushes. This is a beloved past time of my brothers and me so of course I said yes. I did feel like I had the unfair advantage over the 3 year old though. I was dressed in black pants and navy sweatshirt while she had on a bright white t-shirt. :)
After lunch and shopping with Carrie's Mom, we got on the road. We made really good time and stopped for a quick dinner right before the Maryland border. Emma had a good time playing in the McDonald's Playplace but didn't want to leave and got in trouble for not listening. After we got back in the car, Mia started getting fussy since she had had enough car seat time for the day. We had less than an hour to go, when Emma asked if she could watch Sesame Street when we got home. We reminded her that she didn't listen well and probably wouldn't get to watch TV. She got upset....really upset....so upset that she got carsick. *sigh* We detoured off an exit to get her cleaned up. When the car stopped, Mia got really quiet and smiley as we got Emma and the car as clean as possible. Once we started up again, she go even fussier than before we stopped....poor thing, thought we were home and that she was going to get out of the car!
When we finally got home we were greeted with a house full of ants. Apparently after Friday's heavy rain they sought refuge...in our house. *Double SIGH* Needless to say, we were frustrated! By this point, it was late, so I got both girls baths and put to bed while Kurt did all the dirty work of bringing everything in from the car, cleaning the car and carseat, and cleaning up the ants. Once we were all finished, we each had a big bowl of icecream!
All in all though, it was a very good weekend! I'm not sure about Kurt yet, but I'm already at least smiling (not quite laughing) about the last part of the trip and getting home!
On Friday, we drove to Kurt's parents' house for the day to hang out and visit with his sister, Katie, who is moving to California! Mia, the kiddo who is not a carseat fan, did great and let us drive the whole way there with out having to stop, thanks to Enya who put both girls to sleep! The girls let us sleep in a bit on Saturday morning, and we were on the road and at Carrie's parents' by lunch time. Kurt's parents and siblings all joined us later that day. The day was gorgeous! It was sunny and very temperate. Emma had a great time running around in her bare feet, petting the dogs, picking and more importantly eating blueberries. At one point her tongue was purple-bluish! Mia got lots of attention, snuggles, and kisses.
In the evening, we had a campfire and Emma asked me to play hide and seek with her in the berry bushes. This is a beloved past time of my brothers and me so of course I said yes. I did feel like I had the unfair advantage over the 3 year old though. I was dressed in black pants and navy sweatshirt while she had on a bright white t-shirt. :)
After lunch and shopping with Carrie's Mom, we got on the road. We made really good time and stopped for a quick dinner right before the Maryland border. Emma had a good time playing in the McDonald's Playplace but didn't want to leave and got in trouble for not listening. After we got back in the car, Mia started getting fussy since she had had enough car seat time for the day. We had less than an hour to go, when Emma asked if she could watch Sesame Street when we got home. We reminded her that she didn't listen well and probably wouldn't get to watch TV. She got upset....really upset....so upset that she got carsick. *sigh* We detoured off an exit to get her cleaned up. When the car stopped, Mia got really quiet and smiley as we got Emma and the car as clean as possible. Once we started up again, she go even fussier than before we stopped....poor thing, thought we were home and that she was going to get out of the car!
When we finally got home we were greeted with a house full of ants. Apparently after Friday's heavy rain they sought refuge...in our house. *Double SIGH* Needless to say, we were frustrated! By this point, it was late, so I got both girls baths and put to bed while Kurt did all the dirty work of bringing everything in from the car, cleaning the car and carseat, and cleaning up the ants. Once we were all finished, we each had a big bowl of icecream!
All in all though, it was a very good weekend! I'm not sure about Kurt yet, but I'm already at least smiling (not quite laughing) about the last part of the trip and getting home!
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