Recent changes we've noticed since the last week of October

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

There have been so many changes in the way Ladybug has been talking from the last week of October to now! She started putting words together that week and now she is putting possession to those words. Watching the progression of this whole process of talking and learning and growing has been totally amazing!
For awhile when we would be in the car, she would say "Ready" when she was ready to get out of the car! Typically very cute! Although, sometimes when she's tired, crying and saying "Ready" with the big crocodile tears falling down her little cheeks, is heartbreaking! But this week, she started a role call. The first ready is typically for herself. During this time, she still wasn't saying her own name. "Mommy ready?", "Daddy ready?", "Monkey Ready?" although she calls her (Monkey) by her real name. Then during one of the car rides she threw out a "Mommy Daddy ready?" We looked at each other and were like, "Did you hear that?" She is figuring all of this out so quickly!

From then, getting to today, her putting 2-3 words together is nothing! New words and new phrases are rolling off of her tongue everyday. She also starting to repeat everything as well as repeating everyone's names. Even the dogs!

She loves the sucker fish in our aquarium. She also is big on the work LOOK!!! There are some things she gets so excited about and we get a "LOOK LOOK LOOK" then it's "Monkey, Monkey" because she wants her to see everything too! Which is also good! Also, if I'm feeding her, or doing something to her, giving her something, she immediately points to Monkey to make she she gets the same. It's great she thinks of her sister like she does. We can only hope the remain as close as they are now throughout their lives!

One change in a routine she has started in the last week is sometimes (almost every night) instead of falling asleep laying with me on the love seat (like we have every night forever) she wants me to take her back to the bedroom and lay down in the bed with her and let her fall asleep on her own. This is a good thing, especially if it continues to go like it did tonight! Tonight I was in and out of the bedroom in 20 min. OUR LITTLE BABY IS GROWING UP ... It makes me happy, but it makes me sad!

Monkey is still continuing to climb! She's also starting to point at everything. She is still furniture walking and walking all over the place with walking toys (I think the grocery cart may be her favorite thing to walk with). She'll walk from one side of the room to the other, walk to the other side of the grocery cart and walk back across the room. Also, on Monday November 7, 2011, she followed a command other than "Come here" which sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't... but if you tell her to "Reach for the sky" she will smile such a cute smile, scrunch up her nose and reach both hands up in the air. It is so so very cute! Last night while sleeping next to Daddy in our bed, she scooted herself up to where her head was laying on the pillow and she slept for quite awhile like that. Daddy loved it. When he was telling me about it, I told him I remember when Ladybug started doing that and she still sleeps like that quite often.
These girls are getting so big!

The Pumpkin Patch

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The day started with Ladybug asking over and over if we were going to the zoo and us saying over and over that we were going to the pumpkin patch! Yesterday she started saying "Pumpkin Patch" out comes out pun-kin of course and I love it!! The four of us looked back at our Shutterfly book from last fall. Unbelievable how small she was, how pregnant I was, and how cute she was in her Ladybug Halloween costume!
Daddy went to sleep for another hour and we were going to leave as soon as I woke him up and he got ready. Fifty minutes later, lunches and snack were made, babies were dressed, I was ready, I walked out of the room for less than a minute (now I don't even remember for what) When I walked back in, Monkey is holding an opened teryaki bottle Ladybug had the lid, brand new shirts were stained, a baby doll and a small part of the carpet was covered with the sauce (that I didn't even realize was left in the living room)! I abruptly woke Daddy up, 10 minutes early, with a "You have to get up RIGHT NOW!!" He's cleaning the carpet, I'm getting the stains out of the shirts. I rarely dress the girls alike, But those WERE the shirts they were going to wear!!!
Ladybug had a huge melt down when we first got to the Orchards. We were trying to get some of the same pictures that we took last year (because they are still some of our favorites). But it wasn't happening. I beat myself up for a few minutes because I forgot the oragel. I'm normally supermom when it comes to packing! But today I forgot something so important. For a minute I wanted to cry, because I was looking so forward to this day, and I was sure at that point, that it was going to be horrible. She had a melt down and her teeth were hurting and there was nothing I could do. Daddy helped make me less stressed, we took a few minutes, sat down, had lunch, played in lots of leaves, had fun taking some pictures and from that point on, the day was SO SO MUCH FUN!!
We fed some goats. Ladybug was feeding them leaves, she was loving it! Monkey was laughing, squealing and just loving the interaction with the animals! Then came the the poopy... a bird pooped on Mommy... It was PURPLE! Gross! Thank goodness for wipes and sanitizer! Ladybug ran around and around all over was having a blast. Then we got to the giant slides. I went down with Ladybug the first time, then with Daddy waiting at the bottom, I let her slide down by herself. She kept wanting to do it over and over. Daddy guesses the slide was about 50 feet, I guessed about 75 feet, so somewhere in there! I went down with Monkey, she was a little indifferent. But she'll love it next year.
Next, on to the Bamboo Maze... We got pretty lost in it last year. Believe it or not, Ladybug led the way and she got us to the end, not lost at all! Of course that's the way it goes! :)
Then to the pony rides (which was a full grown horse) but I couldn't get on with them??? I don't understand that. The sign said you havce to be 70 lbs or less??BUT IT WAS A FULL GROWN HORSE. Well at first Ladybug wouldn't get on the "pony" ... But our fearless Little Monkey sat right up there and just smiled! We got some pictures. After seeing Monkey do it, maybe Ladybug felt like she was missing out, and she sat on the horse, we did our photo shoot and moved on. I knew Ladybug wouldn't ride it. I think Monkey would have but it would have made me nervous.
On to the Pun-kin Patch we go. They were both getting sleepy at this point, but once we got off the wagon that took us out to the Pumpkin Patch, Ladybug got a second wind. She walked all over the place saying "Pun-kin" pointing to them, patting them, she hugged a couple, tried to pick some up. She was drawn to the white pumpkins for some reason. Monkey was having a lot of fun in the Pumpkin Patch too, pulling on vines, she was standing herself up next to the pumpkins, trying to walk around one of our pumpkins once she stood herself up. We got lots of awesome pics through out the day, lots of pictures picking out our pumpkins, and pictures with the pumpkins we picked.
Going in to pay for them, we got a couple of treats. These babies rarely get sweets. But Ladybug got a big chocolate chip cookie, she enjoyed ever bite. She had chocolate all over her face and all over her shirt. Mommy and Daddy got some wine from the winery to enjoy after the babies go to sleep, and for our anniversary this week!
This is by far my favorite week of each year! Daddy takes this week off work every year and I feel like we're starting some excellent traditions! It's always a special week. I tell him, I don't know why, but it feels to me liked this week is my week. I plan lots of fun fall things to do. We're carving the pumpkins tomorrow because we got home so late tonight. All four of us were exhausted!
What a great day!!!

I've been in a state of bliss, although it's tiring!

October 2011
I was taking to another mom, and she said, watching her baby grow and learn is the greatest thing she's ever done. I TOTALLY AGREE... And I've done some cool stuff (bartender on a cruise ship, I was a flight attendant, extensive traveling)  But this is by far, the greatest time of my life. I do have a great husband and 2 beautiful and amazing baby girls! Spending my time with them is all I need! It's what I want to do. Being a stay at home mom is the most wonderful "gift" my husband could have ever given me! I'm grateful every day for it!

Right now it seems like every day that goes by Ladybug is saying a new word. I get so excited to hear her say something new! Daddy and I love the way she says EVERYTHING. She had the sweetest voice, the best expressions, the best smile, she's such a happy baby. She has a big heart. She celebrates when Monkey does something new too. She gets excited for Monkey when she walks with toys, she loves hugging and kissing her, wants to comfort her when she cries. Shares things with her (of course she needs to be reminded sometimes). I'm a little unrealistic, because I want to capture every new thing on video, when she says something new I want her to repeat it 20 times so I can get it on camera.
Monkey is going to be walking before the year is over. Her smile has changed twice in the last month. The end of last week she started scrunching up her noise just like I always do. It is actually really endearing for me to see. She smiles at everyone! Has the sweetest look when she looks at me. I would swear both babies can see right into my soul.
Funny thing, when Ladybug was born, I didn't want to be called Mommy, I wanted to be called Mama. I don't know why, just personal preference. I made sure everyone knew too!  I told my mom, if L decides that she wants to call me Mommy, then that's ok, but if I had my choice, I would choose Mama. About 5 weeks ago, I told Daddy, "I think she's been trying to say Mommy".The strange thing is, when she says it, it sounds like she has a British accent. Then it turned into the most perfect little, sweet sounding, anything I've ever heard! I love when she says it and now she says it all of the time.
From words from Ladybug to looks and gestures from Monkey, I feel like my heart melts a million times  every day.

Three words in a row and a climber!

October 18, 2011

We'll first I have to say that last week, I  made cookies with my girls for the first time and we had a lot of fun. I have so many memories of doing things like this with my mom. I want the same memories for my girls! We made Oatmeal cookies. Now Ladybug will say, "too-ties", I wish I could record every new word she says! I just love how they all come out! Now she's saying M's name. Today we were folding laundry and she kept holding up different pieces of her sisters clothes and saying her sisters name. She knows what belongs to who!! She's so smart.
Okay, I started writing this on Monday October 17, 2011. So M... Our Little Monkey, started climbing on Saturday. She's been climbing on the bricks in front of our fireplace (those bricks are padded very well, have been for quite awhile now!) On Monday I was changing Ladybug's diaper and I looked up when I was finished with the huge, very poopy diaper and our Monkey had one leg on her activity table and one leg on the coffee table. I do believe I got about 40 grey hairs that day!
My favorite things right now are hearing Ladybug's speech develop. Daddy and I both absolutely love hearing her talk! Also When Ladybug is falling asleep, she will rub and rub my arm in such a sweet way! Did she get this from me rubbing her face or back while she's falling asleep? I'm not sure. Speaking of that, she will take my hand sometimes when she is falling asleep and put it on her face for me to rub it. When Monkey is falling asleep with Daddy, she opens and closes her hands over Daddy's chest hair (although at times pulling it)... this is one of Daddy's favorite things!  As for Monkey, some of my favorite things are watching her explore, crawling, cruising (furniture walking),  and of course the climbing. Actually it's her facial expressions when she sees that I see her, after she climbed on something. She has the cutest smile and she just LOOKS SO PROUD about what she had just done.
Seriously, I don't want to forget any of these times! I wish I would've started blogging many many months ago!!
One more thing... Ladybug has naturally curly hair and with the curls it's not really long but long enough to need something in her hair (it's a bit unruly right now) we're working on keeping barrettes and bows in her hair. On Sunday I bought some small pony tail holders and she is the cutest with those pig tails in her hair!!! THE CUTEST!!

We got our new side-by-side stroller!!

We got our new side by side stroller today!!!

First I have to tell you that Ladybug just started saying "Zoo" this week. We go to the zoo multiple times a week and, it was either Monday or Tuesday, she said "bye byes, zoo" (meaning she wanted to go to the zoo). So we went.
Last week I knew we needed to get a side by side stroller because M is getting too big to want to stay in the back (she can't see that great back there) of our tandem stroller. But if I put Ladybug back there, she's so tall, that she has to put her feet out to the side to sit some what comfortably. I ordered a new stroller Saturday night...
After lots of research and reading lots of reviews!!! I was looking for very specific things. A side by side double stroller that was easy to load and unload, something that folded small enough to fit in my compact car (that I had at the time), I wanted cup holders for Daddy and myself, as well as for the kids. I was hoping for a tray table for the littles. I needed ample storage space. This stroller didn't fit  all of the criteria I was looking for BUT from everything I looked at, I was very excited about this one. The Joovy Scooter X2 Double side by side stroller! Oh and the sun shade is huge. I love it!
Back to my story, So this morning (in October 2011),  we look up UPS tracking and discovered the stroller was on a UPS truck and would be delivered today. I couldn't wait to take it out for a spin! I just wanted to see how the girls reacted to sitting next to each other... I knew they were going to love it!
Before Daddy even left for work, Ladybug was already saying, "bye byes, zoo" I said, "yes baby, we'll go to the zoo later. But when Daddy left for wk, it was pouring down rain! Late afternoon it was here, the Joovy Scooter X2 Double Side by Side Stroller. It was like someone delivered gold to my house. I was so excited about it!
We  began putting it together, I say we... I think it would have went faster if it would've been, just me, but the girls were so cute. I texted pictures to Daddy at wk of them holding wheels, etc Later he told me how much those pictures were making him laugh... There's no way he would have made it through assembling that stroller in the same room as them (the wheel thieves). I had no choice though because I wanted it done right then!! As soon as I was finished, I asked Ladybug if she wanted to sit in her new stroller, she said yes. I let her pick what side she wanted. I sat her in it and she said, "nite nite" So cute. Oh, and the seats lay down flat!
I started to get them dressed and ready to leave. It wasn't that pretty of a day, but we were dress for the weather and off we went. In the car, we were talking about the animals we were going to see at the zoo. Her favorite at the moment is the "affe" (giraffe) then the "Ion" (lion) when she was M's age, it was the monkeys and the elephants. M's favorite animal right now is the bears, and I believe it's because they remind her of our dogs.
They both fell asleep in the car.
I got Ladybug out of the car first, she actually stayed asleep through me taking her out of the car and putting her in the new stroller... My favorite part is when she did wake up, we were still in the parking lot of the zoo, and her reaction was, "oooooooooooohhhhh, zooooooo". This is so much better if you could actually hear it!!!! She was so excited, then she looked next to her and there sat M. I think at that point, they interacted with each other more than they paid attention to the fact that they were at the, zooooooooooo!
The stroller, great success!! Oh, and the biggest thing, is that it fit in my car so easy!!!

L is 19 months old, M is 9 months ...

October 2011 
Little One has been furniture walking (cruising is the technical term) for about 2 1/2 months now. Two nights ago, Daddy came home from work and the 4 of us played in the floor. Rolling around, laughing, playing in the floor. Next thing you know, M is standing in top of a toy holding onto the TV stand looking at (i think it's a 58 inch) TV... CLIMBING ALREADY? 
I thought that came after walking! L was never a climber, so this is all new to me!!  Daddy ran out to get Chinese food for dinner. As I was changing Ladybugs diaper, I glance up to make sure my mischievous one wasn't doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing, and I couldn't believe what I saw.  She had one leg on the ground and one leg up on the brick in front of the fireplace!!! I got her down and she made her way over to her rocking caterpillar, (that I've always had to sit her on), she put her leg right across it and sat down! This is when I realized that I am going to be in some serious trouble when she actually starts walking!

Ladybug is talking more and more everyday. This is awesome, because when she first started talking, she had about 7 words that she said really well. To backtrack a little, L took her first step the day after her first birthday. The following Saturday, she took 12 steps in a row, then she just never stopped, she was all over the place. When she started walking, her talking slowed down greatly! The pediatrician said this was a normal thing, that they stop concentrating on one skill and focus on another one! On October 1, 2011 she started putting words together. Well, she had done it before, one day she said "Bye Bye Pee Pee". But on October 1st, while we were getting ready to go to an art fair, she was wondering where Daddy was. I told her Daddy was going potty, she said "Daddy pee pee". I told her yes. Later that day, we went to a hibachi grill for dinner and the whole time over and over, she repeated, "Daddy pee pee". I thought it was hilarious. We love hearing her sweet voice! We were eating at a table with strangers, Daddy didn't think (at the time) that this was as funny as I did.
Ladybug comes up with the funniest things! She's always made us laugh, but with the constant new words she is discovering, we just never know what's going to come out of her mouth next!!

From The Beginning...

I wish I would've started blogging prior to having my first baby. L was born February 22, 2010 and I started blogging September 2011. I wondered, do I start with the labor or even we brought her home? There was just too much that I missed documenting! I do remember those first days. There was one night I was about to lay her down. I had turned on the Rascal Flatts Lullaby cd we has bought, and the sweet version of "Bless This Broken Road" was on. I was standing in the middle of the dark nursery, swaying back and forth holding my baby so close to me every now and again kissing her forehead with tears in my eyes. There weren't any thoughts going through my head, I was just so happy. Soon enough my husband came into the room. He asked if I was alright. Looking at him, I couldn't speak. He said "Are those happy tears?" I shook my head yes and the three of us stood in the middle of the room, in the dark swaying to music, it was truly like time was standing still and we were the only people in the world. What a cool feeling. Everything felt so perfect. 

Then there was Colic,  this started  at 3 1/2 weeks old and  lasted until 4 months. We tried multiple things to calm and soothe Ladybug, but the only thing that worked was running the vacuum cleaner! We actually found a 30 second clip of the vacuum running on the computer and we looped it to make an hour long cd to run while she was sleeping. Lots of bad habits formed during this time. I held her a lot... When she wasn't crying, I just wanted to keep her from crying. If she was asleep, I didn't want to lay her down because every time I would, she would just start crying again. 
I don't know if you've every been around a colicky baby, but it's horrible. I did get lots of compliments though about how I never got stressed and I was always able to remain calm. But I always said, if I let myself get stressed then Ladybug would feel it and she would get stressed too; and I didn't want that at all!! 
This time wasn't all bad, the screaming of a colicky baby IS really bad. But she did play a bit and during this time she changed so much. We noticed every milestone, every new sound and every new movement. 
During this time of colic we talked about wanting another baby. I know, that sounds crazy to think when your dealing with colic! But I was high risk with Ladybug and was going to turn 35 the following year, which would make me either higher risk. We had talked about 2 kids, but during my pregnancy with L, and different things that happened, I said multiple times that I didn't think I would be able to do it again! But once I saw my Ladybug, I knew she needed someone! I knew I was ready, didn't talk to Daddy about it until Easter that year. Soon enough it was time for my post partum appointment and I told my OB we wanted to do it again. They didn't want to give me the medicine I needed. (my body didn't make enough of the hormone that your body needs to support a pregnancy. They gave me the oral form of progesterone). Three weeks later I was pregnant... AGAIN!!! 

I'M PREGNANT AGAIN

Ladybug was less than 3 months old. We went to a Derby Eve Concert. I didn't want to go!!! Didn't want to leave Ladybug... But I got her to sleep and off we went. We were having a great time. There was a family next to us, with alot of kids!! One little girl looked up at me and asked if I would pick her up. After asking her parents, I picked her up and we danced to the music. I asked her what her name was, and when she told me, I turned around to look at my husband with teary eyes and said, "I'm pregnant". I said, "I know I am. Do you know what her name is?" It was the name we were going to name our next little one (well if it was a girl)! That was on a Friday. The Wednesday after Mother's Day I took a test, and I was pregnant. What we think is cool is that essentially on my First Mother's Day, I had both of my babies with me!
When I was pregnant with Ladybug, I wanted a girl so bad. Because of all of my kidney stones and everything, I kept saying, I didn't know if I could go through another pregnancy, I just wanted a girl so bad. Healthy of course, but I wanted a girl!  More than once, I told my husband if I just had a girl, I didn't care what the next one would be if we did do it again. Well, once I was pregnant, all I could think was that Ladybug needed a sister!!!