Summer! Finally!

WOW!! What a long, drawn out Spring we've had here in the PNW... What is it, July, and now we're finally getting some sunshine and warm weather? I was beginning to think that we were never going to get a few days to get a tan. Well, it's here and now it's surprisingly hard to get the kids outside. How strange. Lauren is a devote Dora the Explorer fan, and I swear that kid could do nothing all day but sit in front of that TV and watch her friends Dora and Boots save the day over and over...

I pulled the sprinkler out this morning for the first time to play with Lauren, and she was definitely NOT interested in it. In fact, I think she was a little scared of it. I set the video camera up and tried to show her how to jump through it a few times, and even held her while I went through it, and no sir, she did not like it. Sad. Oh well, at least I caught my Mom Failure on video...

Now, we're back inside watching a Dora (One Dora!) and then we'll try to head back outside. On the plus side, Lauren is still in her swim suit, sans diaper and has yet to have an accident. Maybe the start of potty training? I keep asking her if she needs to use the potty and she says, "no!" I have the feeling we're in for a few accidents before we're through with the training.

Evelyn is already almost 5 months old! How the heck does that happen? She's started trying solid food, rice cereal, and doesn't really like it all that much. We'll keep trying, but I don't think she's quite there yet. It's like she doesn't really know what to do with it, once it's in her mouth. She's a happy one though. Sleeps through the night, once she's down (usually around 9:30) and sleeps until 7 or 8 am! She sometimes wakes up in the middle of the night, but is able to get herself back to sleep without us having to rock her. Which means we let her cry until she falls back to sleep, usually about 2-3 minutes. She's starting to get pretty good at bringing toys to her mouth and pushing the buttons on her excersaucer to make sounds happen. We have a little Johnny Jump Up (actually, her's is pink and called a "Jenny Jump Up") and she's getting used to hanging out in it and has even started jumping. She usually spins herself around and gets her arms stuck at her sides, inside the bucket part. It's pretty cute, because when she has her arms stuck inside, and starts jumping, she really looks like she's Riverdancing... We need to video tape her and dub in some Irish clog dancing music...

Mother's Day!!

My girls

How lucky am I to be included in this exclusive club... I look at my two beautiful, happy, sweet girls and am so thankful to share life with them. I think about their future, what they will be, how they will soar and hope they are lucky enough to one day become mothers as well...

My Mother's Day gift

Times, They've Changed...

Well...

My initial intent with this blog was to dutifully journal each milestone as they occurred in our lives as we raised our daughter. FAIL! I don't know what I was thinking. Was I still living in my "pre baby" fantasy? The one where I still think I can do everything and have as much free time as I did before we had a child? Yep. Oh well... At least I kept up with Lauren's baby book, or made it up after the fact.

Lauren on our Newport trip in February

Needless to say, she's now TWO years old, and we welcomed her little sister, Evelyn Maya in March. I know what they say about hindsight and how clearly you can see what you had at the time, but wow! If only I realized then how much easier it was with one child... nap time, shopping, car trips, Little Gym... too bad I didn't take more time to appreciate not being out-numbered. All this being said, it's wonderful to have to beautiful, healthy, happy girls! While it does take more patience, planning, patience, organization and patience, it's so much more gratifying when at the end of the day you can look back and say, "I survived the day and did it well!" Or relatively well... or just survived.

Evelyn at 6 weeks

Evelyn is just about two months old, and is behaving (and looking!) a lot like Lauren did. She's eating well, sleeping long stretches at night, and is just a peaceful, happy baby. She smiles a lot, maybe more than Lauren did, and is getting better at holding her head up. She spends time on her play mat, and like her sister, doesn't like tummy time very well. She is gaining leg strength when we hold her upright to "stand," and she's huge! We weighed her at Lauren's recent appointment and found that at 6 weeks, Evelyn was 13 pounds. Looking through Lauren's baby book, she weighed 12 pounds at 8 weeks. Oh man, we're in for a couple of big girls, but I think Lauren might have a challenger for her "Big Sister" role...

Two year old Lauren is turning into a little girl! She's running, playing, forward rolling, talking and is learning new skills by the minute. Her newest trick is putting on her own socks. She's really proud of herself and will show anyone this skill over and over. She parrots words almost all of the time, so we have to be additionally careful of what we say in her earshot. And that's another thing, the kid has incredible hearing. She'll hear an airplane seconds before any of us do, and she'll point to the sky and say, "Airpwane!" Lawnmowers, cars, motorcycles, trucks and other sound producing things are included in her running commentary. It's impressive. She also likes to make observations ad nauseam. We'll be sitting at the table having breakfast and as I'm finishing my OJ, I'll hear, "Mama all done juice!" If I stretch my arms above my head, she'll say, "Mama strech!" She'll even comment on her own actions. After catching a balloon or ball, she'll say, "Good catch!" Though, usually it sounds like, "dood catchhhh!" She's doing a really great job practicing her ever-expanding vocabulary. It's almost like she loves hearing herself say these things... She uses 3-4 or 5 word sentences and can really get her point across. We were lucky enough to stumble onto some sign language dvd's and her signing ability has taken off. It works out well, because if she's trying to say a word we don't understand, she can usually do the sign and we'll figure it out. It's great! Thank you Signing Time!

Lauren's other big thing right now is to, "see" everything... Dad's empty cereal bowl, whatever I'm mixing while cooking, the product of her poopy diaper, she wants to see it all. Another parenting lesson: I didn't realize that some of the most mundane things can be huge learning experiences to growing minds...

Dad and his girls

Life continues to be challenging and wonderful, and I will try to take more time to comment on how ours changes.

Father's Day Getaway

Our first overnight trip was a huge success!! We went to Newport for the night on Father's Day, and had a great time. Lauren really didn't seem to mind being away from home, and we loved getting away for a night. There is something so relaxing and rejuvenating about the beach, the wind, the waves... I don't know, it just satisfies me completely.

We managed to get a king suite, complete with an in-room jacuzzi tub and a balcony view of the beach. We dropped Waffles off with Robin's parents for the night (we figured we would probably have enough on our hands with a baby in a hotel room) and headed for the coast, yesterday afternoon. The weather in town was pretty cloudy, so I wasn't holding much hope for the beach. But, we were pleasantly surprised when we were greeted with warm sunshine! We checked in and immediately moved enough stuff into the room to house a small army. I am shocked at all of the "essential" things needed for just a one night stay with a baby. Anyway, the hotel provided a crib, so that was one less thing we needed.

We had dinner at the hotel restaurant and Lauren slept through most of it, though she was a little fussy before falling asleep. Robin is such a champ, he's great at rocking her and putting her to sleep in public places. We headed back to the room and Lauren got her first bath in a real tub. It was so much fun getting to climb in the tub with her, I think she liked it. I was impressed at how easily her body floated in the water. I could support her head and the rest of her body just stayed at the surface of the water.

After bath time, we tucked her in and put her to bed. Luckily, the room had a little nook near the sink/bathroom that the crib fit perfectly in. It allowed us to stay up and have lights on, without disturbing her. Our room fan from home helped as well... It was so great to sit on the couch and listen to the waves crash on the beach, sip a little beer, and just relax. Such a great night!

In the morning, we headed out to breakfast and again, kiddo did great! Good food, friendly people, and very fast service... After we ate, we finally made it down to the beach and got to enjoy the weather and introduce Lauren to the beach! We had her in the Snuggli front pack, and she pretty much slept through the whole experience, but we have pictures to prove to her that she was there. It was such a perfect day to be on the beach, there was hardly any wind and it was warm enough that I didn't worry about her freezing.

It was such a great trip, I was sad that it only lasted one night. But, maybe short adventures are the best right now. Get her used to different places and experiences, and gradually increase the time spent away. Or, maybe she's just as happy anywhere, home or away... We'll find out, because we're definitely taking more trips in the future. We proved to ourselves that we can do it, so I have the feeling that this will be the first of many!

Lauren at 2 Months

This first posing is probably going to be a bit boring to read. I want to try to document as much about our routine and Lauren's current preferences as I can, so that in the future we can look back and see how much has changed. I'm sure I'll shake my head and think to myself, "Man, if you only knew how easy you had it..."

Thinking about what to write here, I can't believe she's already 9 weeks old. I know I'll probably be saying that a lot, "I can't believe she's 3 months... 6 months... a year!" but, it's amazing how quickly the time passes. Being together these past 70 days, I've learned so much about her personality, her preferences, and her temper. She definitely keeps us on our toes.

She's been sleeping about 5 to 6 hours at a time during the night, usually waking up around 3-4 am to eat. Then, she goes back to sleep for another 4-5 hours! I really can't complain about not getting enough sleep, she's definitely taken after me in that category. Her usual routine is to wake up around 7 ish, she eats, then naps while I pump. She's the most snuggly and calm in the mornings, so we usually play on her activity mat, a little tummy time, and a little back time, while I have my breakfast. This is also the best time to load her up in the car for shopping trips or errands, since she's so docile and amenable. She eats every 2-3 hours still, so I keep the trips short, to avoid meltdown.

We try to get a bath in every night, after her dinnertime feeding, then book time, and bed. This is the ideal evening schedule, but it is subject to change based on our plans. Weekends tend to be the toughest time to stay on track, due to social engagements, date night, or some other activity. She doesn't seem to mind the deviation, but I think a constant routine would eventually become meaningful to her, if only so she knows what to expect. We've been trying to get her to bed earlier than 11pm, which seemed to be what she liked initially. The past few nights, we've gotten her to bed before 10, and she's done really well. I would love to get her used to a bedtime of 8, so that we could have some time to ourselves in the evening. She really likes bath time, loves the warm water, the soapy bubbles and us singing to her as we get her clean. She's always full of smiles, even though we still need to learn the real words to "Splish Splash."

She's gotten pretty used to the eat-activity-nap schedule that we've worked out, and I'm starting to get tuned into her sleepy signals, so I can get her wrapped up and put to bed before she gets fussy. Though, she still has a fussy time around 7pm, sadly, right after Robin gets home and wants to spend time with her. He wondered for a while whether or not it was him that was making her fussy... I'm not sure how long this evening fussiness will last, hopefully not too much longer. She's been sleeping these past few nights in her own room, and I am impressed at how much of a non-issue it was for her to switch from the bassinet in our room, to the crib in her room. So far, she seems to be a low-stress, roll with the punches kind of kid.

We've tried to keep our lives pretty similar to how it was before she was born, within reason. Meaning, we still hang out with friends and go to parties, we just take her along with us. Our first trip to Portland to see friends was a success, even though everything went wrong. Projectile vomit in the car-seat while walking through the mall to go to dinner, blow-out poopy diaper, crying, starving baby requiring frequent walking and finally nursing in the restaurant. Luckily, we brought emergency baby clothes, had a ton of baby wipes, and brought my hooter hider. And, it all worked out. It was just a lot of work.

We’ve taken her to BBQs, friends houses, even our old weekly volleyball games. Let me tell you, there’s nothing quite like getting all hot and sweaty and then trying to nurse a squirming, crying baby. Especially when it’s 80 degrees in the sun, trying to hide under a hot, tent-like nursing cover. Oh, and did I mention the mosquitoes?

I think things are getting easier, these trips out are confidence builders, to say the least. We get to experience worst-case scenarios, and deal with them. The upshot of these mishaps is that we realize they are survivable. Sure, it takes a lot of pre-planning and work at times, but we get through it. And, the best part, is that we get some measure of our old life back. The freedom is completely worth the extra time and effort.

I’ve also realized how understanding and supportive those around us are; even total strangers. I took Lauren for her first big grocery shopping trip a few weeks ago and managed to make it most of the way through the store before she lost it and started crying her head off. I was mortified, I did NOT want to be one of those people that annoy the hell out of everyone in the store with a crying baby. So, I kept trying to shush her, talk to her, or pacify her in some way. I kept waiting for someone to walk by and give me the stink eye, but I was surprised at just how understanding and helpful everyone was. All these grandmotherly women kept coming up and talking to her or smiling at me and I began to realize that most everyone has been there at some point in their lives. It was a great experience for me, and it helped me to relax a little bit. Babies are going to cry, whether you’re at home or in public, it just happens. I have to be okay with that fact, I can’t let it stress me out. I won’t take her to movies, weddings, funerals or other places it would be rude to have a screaming baby in, but I am going to live my life. That being said, she really doesn’t scream and cry all that often. We’ve been pretty lucky…

Being the "go with the flow" kind of kid that she is, she still has her likes and dislikes. I’m sure they will change as she grows and hits different milestones, but I thought it would be fun to list a few of those preferences here:

Likes:

• She loves looking in the mirror! She will catch her own eye when she’s on her changing table or activity mat, and will stare, smile and coo. It’s pretty adorable…
• She loves being swaddled to sleep. It’s impressive how she can be so fussy and tired, and it’s not until she’s all wrapped up snug that she can relax and fall asleep.
• Along with her swaddle, she loves her pacifier to suck on while drifting off. It’s amazing to see her fight sleep, until she gets that paci in her mouth and her eyes almost immediately shut.
• She loves bath time. The warm water, the bubbles and the spraying water, definitely make her a happy baby. We have taken so many pictures and videos of her in the bath, because she is so happy.

Dislikes:

• So far, she really doesn’t like tummy-time. We put her face-down on her activity mat, and she doesn’t last more than a few minutes before she gets frustrated and cries. We’ll keep trying though…
• She absolutely hates taking her vitamins. She makes the most hilarious faces and sounds after we give her the dropper. In her defense, it really smells pretty bad.
• She’s pretty particular about when she’ll take the pacifier. If she’s not interested, she will press her lips together or stick her tongue out and lets us know she’ll have none of it.
• There are certain holds that she hates being in. The cradle hold that we used to carry her around in is not fun for her anymore. I think she prefers to either look over a shoulder or out at the world.

She’s getting better at holding her head up, though it’s not very steady yet. She makes eye contact and tracks us as we move from side to side in her field of vision. She will grasp rattles and toys that we give her, and will hold onto them for a few seconds, but then drops them and forgets all about whatever she was holding. I can place her on her activity mat, and she’s happy for 10-15 minutes (on her back) and the last few times, I’ve caught her rolled onto her left side. I notice she’s most interested in turning her head to the left, but she does look to the right, though not as often. I’m working on getting her to spend more time looking to the right.

She takes a few long naps each day, usually a couple of hours in the morning and again in the afternoon. I have to decide whether or not to get chores done, or nap myself. Usually the nap wins.

Speaking of naps, I think that’s enough for one post. More of Lauren to come…

This is a cute video of her doing this weird howling thing that she had never done before, and hasn't done since...