Playing catch up

I've been a bit MIA in the blog world, but it's because life is So Much Busier with 2!  Seriously, life is busy with one child, but when #2 comes along, it's a whole new world!  We are no longer able to get as much done, because when Jesse has Adam, I still have Olivia and vice versa. 

We're trying to do more family things, because Adam's at the age where he loves to go out and do things.  It's a bit difficult with Olivia, but we're managing.

The second child truly gets the shaft on strict schedules, because we're more on the go with Adam being 2.5.

We checked out the Iowa City Children's museum a few weekends back and Adam LOVED it!  That was also our first day of no nap and let's just say that night was not fun.

I took a part time position with a local non-profit and I am so excited!  It gets me out of the house without the kids and it gives the kids sometime at "school" to socialize with other children and Adam loves it.

It looks as though another trip to China is in Jesse's future for July and I am none too excited about it.

I cannot believe it's almost July!  Where has this year gone??? Um, I have a 7 month old and a 2 & 1/2 year old, how did that happen??

We headed to an out of town wedding yesterday (1.5h away) and at one point, both kids were crying and I couldn't help but hysterically laugh.  I mean, what else can you do?  Jesse contemplated turning around and heading home, but we figured we were only 20 minutes away so we might as well go. The wedding ended up being at a fairgrounds and the building didn't have air and it was HOT and HUMID!  We all made it through and got home at about 8pm.  About 30 minutes past Adam's bedtime and about 1.5h past Olivia's bedtime.  This made for an awful night for Olivia, so we're a bit tired today.

That's all for now, but I hope to check back in more often! 

Olivia 6 Months

Olivia 6 Months

5/23/13

Ms. Olivia! 6 months old, how is this possible?  I think I say it every month, but my goodness time is moving fast! 

You’re sleeping better, though you still like to be swaddled or in your swing.  You fought yet another ear infection this month L  I fear tubes is in your future.  You’re very nosey and we cannot feed you if there is anything going on around you!  

Your routine is starting to straighten out.  You are eating a 4-6oz in your bottles at approximately 7am, then a bottle at 10am, 12:00pm you get some fruit, followed by a bottle at 1pm, 4pm, then a dinner of veggies at 5:30, bath at 6:15 followed by your 8oz bottle.  You sleep from 7pm-1am, eat about 3oz and then sleep until about 7am most nights.

We’ve started feeding you solids this month.  You’ve hated everything you’ve tried but veggies.  We’ve attempted a sippy cup, but you don’t care for that either.

You LOVE your brother with everything you have, and you love to watch him and be entertained.  You have 24 hour entertainment while you’re awake and you love it! You get quite bored when he’s not around.

Stats for this month are: 16lbs 8oz  24.50" Long & 41.5cm for head You're a short little girl and I'm afraid you'll be taking after Mama in that department your entire life! We love you baby girl!!

Olivia 5 Months

Olivia- 5 Months

4/23/13

This month has been a difficult one, my dear…. With Daddy in China for 2 full weeks, while you and I both got pink eye and you got ear infection, it was to say the least; a VERY long month.

You did however start rolling from back to belly, every time we put you down, so that’s been fun. Especially since you hate being on your belly.  You don’t roll in your crib, so that’s a plus. 

You finally got a schedule down of eating and sleeping, though it’s not the schedule Mommy wants you on, it’ll have to do.

Just for documentation, here is what your schedule looks like at 5 months:

7:15-wake

8:00am-eat 6oz

9:30am- 10:30am nap

11:00-eat 6oz

1:00 eat 6oz

1:30-2:30pm Nap

3:30-4ish eat 6oz

4:30ish- 5:00 nap

6:15 bath

6:30 bottle and bed.

12:30am- bottle 6 oz

4:00am wake, put back to sleep.

You’re wearing size 3-6m and 6m clothing.  You haven’t had solids yet, though we will try in a week or two.  You’re wearing size 3 diapers and you weigh about 15lbs 8oz.

You have been teething for a couple months now with no sign of teeth coming in, which is no fun.

You had two teeth poke through one right after another this month.  Your bottom front two.  No sign of other teeth though.

You’re very smiley and any time we talk to you, you give us that big toothless grin.  You LOVE watching Adam and he can make you giggle better than any of us.

You’re an awful napper & sleeper, but we’re working on it…. You just want to be held all of the time.  I’m not quite sure what to do about this, but we’ll work through it.

Ms. Olivia- 4 Months

Olivia was 4 months on 3/23/13

Ms Olivia!  My how the past 4 months have flown by!  It's hard to think about what life was like before you, because you fit so well into our family!

You adore your big brother and you watch his every move! He loves to lay next to you and you're ok with it for now.

You're still not sleeping very well.  Actually, your sleeping habits have gotten worse.  You're sleeping 7-12:30ish but very lightly.... Then you eat about 4-5oz and go back to sleep for an hour or two, fuss and then go back to sleep for another 2 hours before eating another 4 oz.  Then you usually sleep until 7:30am.

You're a terrible eater during the day, you'll eat anywhere from 2-6oz at a time and usually eat every 3 hours.  We've got you on somewhat of a schedule but we're hoping you drop one of your nighttime bottles SOON!

You're so used to sleeping in your swing that you're hating your crib these days, but we're trying to enforce more time in your crib, though at 2:00am it's hard to enforce much of anything because all we want is sleep.

You're starting to sit up on your own, but then lean forward and usually tip over.  You love to sit up so you can see what's going on around you.  Your smile is contagious and your giggle is so adorable.  You still hate belly time, but you're getting more tolerant of it. 

We tried cereal once, but you weren't too fond of it, so we will try again in another week or so.  You've been sick for most of your entire life, stuffy nose, cough, etc... but this month you're finally healthy and I am so thankful for that.

You're wearing size 3-6m (which is getting tight) and 6 month.  Your stats this month were:  14.4lbs, 23" and 39.5cm head circumference.  You're definitely a short little girl, but that's ok, you take after your mama!

I'm excited for what is to come this next month for you baby girl!  I am so proud to be your mama!

Love you  now, forever & always,
Mama

Olivia 3 Months

2/23/13

Olivia 3 months 2/23/12

Ms Olivia!  You are growing so fast! You loved to be talked to and you giggle A LOT!  You also love to smile.  You've had your second ear infection this month followed by a minor bout with RSV (from your brother) and were on breathing treatments for a week.  You love sleeping in your swing far more than in your bed.  You're schedule is a bit sketchy most days but here is the usual:

up by 7:30am

bottle 8-8:30 (4-6oz)

Nap around 10

bottle 11:30-12ish (4-6oz)

Nap 12:30-1ish

Bottle 3:00ish (4-6oz)

Bath 6:15

bottle 6:30 (6-8oz)

Bed by 7:00

up around 12:30 to eat 5-6oz

up again around 5:30 to eat 4 oz

and back to sleep until 7:30ish.

I'm hoping you start sleeping more at night once you start eating more during the day, but we'll see.  You are a good natured baby unless you're hungry or tired.  You LOVE watching your brother play and act crazy.  You're liking your baths and diaper changes more these days.

You can sit up with help, but haven't figured out how to stay sitting up yet.  You dislike tummy time but will spend about 10 minutes at a time there, holding your head up. 

Time is flying by my dear and we are so grateful that you are apart of our family now! It wouldn't be complete without you!

Potty training

Adam is offically potty trained!! I would say as of feb 23rd (26 months) he finally got it big time.

After playing with some of my cousins kids the on feb 9th,  we woke up the next day and he decided he wanted to wear big boy underwear.

We had tried this one other time and it was very unsuccessful .. as in 5 accidents in a matter of 3 hours. So we decided to just go with it this time.  Turns out, when they are ready, it's so much easier! 

He still had an accident every now and then but after about 2 weeks he started telling us when he had to go. 

We still use diapers at nap time and bed time but the majority of the time he is dry after his nap and even sometimes in the morning he is dry.

We started by putting him on every 45 minutes no matter what.  Then we went to every hour and then we kind of let him start telling us when he has to go. 

He does better at home than at school bit I'm sure that it's because he's busier at school and he is only sharing attention with one other child at home so its easier to get him on right when he has to go.

My goal was to have him potty trained by 2.5 but I'm happy to say we totally crushed that goal!

Adam 2 years

12-23-12

Dear Adam, 

Wow, 2 years old. It's hard to believe you've been with us for two years, but at the same time it feels like you've been apart of our lives forever.  You are so full of life and wonder.  You love to explore and true to your Daddy's wishes, you love to figure out how things work. 

You're always turning things over to check them out and exploring how things dow hat they do.  You're a joy and a delight, but you're also very stubborn.  You love to say NO and you usually don't like to do things we ask unless you've decided to do it on your own.  You go go go all day long.  You love to run, jump, play with cars, trucks, tractors (anything that has wheels) and you also love to read.  You've figured out almost all of the colors and point them out everytime you see them (yellow, orange, blue, green, purple, black, white, red). 

You know what 1 and 2 are and you like to count "1, 2, 2!!"  You've started saying two, three and even four word phrases.  you love to yell "Dadda ARE YOU"  when you can't find him. 

Your other phrases include:
Thank you, Mama
Here go Baby For you
Bye Bye
Hi
Tractor (or anything you see)Where go?
Adam's house
Wook (work)
Not day (not today)
How about
Let's see
Dada
jeep
loud
ETC:................ 

Your 2 year stats were: 23lbs10oz and 32.75" tall.  You were actually .5" taller than your daddy was at 2y2m, so that's good news in that hopefully you'll be as tall as Daddy one day! 

You're a little peanut but you love to eat, especially spaghetti, fruit, raisins, mashed potatoes, hot dogs, cookies, peanut butter, ketchup, pancakes, eggs, etc...  

You gained a baby sister within this last month and you were a little skeptical the first few weeks, but she's growing on you and you hate when she cries and tell us to pick her up.  Though, sometimes you want us to put her down so you get your own attention.

 You still take one nap a day for 1.5 hours and go to bed between 7-7:30 and sleep for about 11-12  hours. 

 This month you've also learned how to jump and you are pretty proud of yourself whenever you do it.  You are a big copy cat too, you do/say anything and everything that Mommy and Daddy do/say.  

We love you so very much and couldn't imagine our lives without you!

Olivia 1 month

Dear Olivia,

 You are one month old!  Time has flown by these last few weeks and we are so very happy that you have joined our family!  You LOVE to be held and cry most of the time when we put you down because you get bored. 

I think you're used to all of the noise/craziness of your big brother that you constantly need to be entertained.  You are eating 2-3oz every 2-3 hours, so you keep Mommy and Daddy busy, day and night.  Daddy was home for a week after you were born and then again for a week & 1/2 during Christmas to help Mommy out.  You love your Daddy and you love when he holds you (he definitely likes to spoil you).  

At your 2 week check up you weighed 7lbs 13oz which is 10oz more than your weight at discharge and 3oz more than at your birth.  I think you're going to be a big girl just like your bother until you are mobile.  We had a tough time figuring out a formula that works for you, we went from Enfamil to Enfamil Soy to Target brand sensitive and that seems to be working out ok. You stayed in our room for the first 2 weeks of your life, but you're such a loud sleeper that we had to put you in your own room so that we could get a few hours of sleep ourselves. 

You never miss a meal, so you're waking us up every 2-3 hours to eat.  You are a very slow eater and sometimes it takes us an hour to feed you just 4oz.  You usually fall asleep while eating and don't like to burp very often.   

We are loving having you here with us and we cannot wait to see what the next month brings!!  We love you more than words can say!

Love,Moma and Dada!

Adam- 20 Months

Dear Adam,

You are growing so fast and quickly turning into quite the little "man".  You are an amazing little boy and I am so proud of the person you are growing up to be.

Throughout the past couple months, you have developed a great deal, especially in the language department!  Some of the new words you are saying are:

tink so (I don't think so)
momo (lawn mower)
you wispher bye bye whenever we are in a room and you try to close the door
GO is a new favorite of yours
tik a tik a tik a (tickle tickle tickle)
dity (dirty)
bab y
cracker (you say this clear as day)
cookie
nack (snack)
mo (more)
psss (please)
and even more that I can't remember right now.

You started sleeping in your big boy bed on your 19th month birthday and it went so very smooth! You didn't even bat an eye.  You are waking up a bit earlier and wanting daddy or mamma to cuddle with you in your bed all of the time, but we try to refrain from doing so every night.  You go to bed at 7:30 now and wake up at about 6:00 with one nap around noon for about 1.5 hours.  You sit in your bed and yell MAMA until I come in to get you.

You love to play outside and watch Toy Story 3.  It's your favorite movie.  Tractors, cars, motorcycles and boats are still at the top of your list for most favorite things. 

You've become quite the picky eater in the last couple months which frustrates your mama!  Some days you will eat anything we put in front of you, other days we have to bribe you to eat even one bite... right now we can bribe you with fruit, which is pretty nice. So for every bite of chicken you take, you get a grape.  So, I suppose you're favorite food could be worse than fruit.

You're wearing size 12-18 month pants, but they are still too big in the waste so we had to get you a belt.  12 month are too short, thank goodness! 

You are a growing boy and I love you more than words can express.  I am so blessed that God put you into my life, because now I don't know what I would do without you!

I love you sweet boy, now and forever.

Mama

Boy or Girl Baby numero Dos

Because we find out today; I want to see just how accurate these old Wives tales are!!

Hubby and I are guessing both:

Girl for hubby; boy for me

If the heart rate is under 140 you'll have a boy.
This gives us a girl. The heart rate has 168 and 155.

If you are carrying all your weight out front its a girl, if your weight is around your hips and bottom it's a boy.
Girl, as far as I can tell.  What do you think?

If your bump is low it's a boy if your bump is up higher it's a girl.
I think I’m carrying higher than I did with Adam… So, girl

If the baby is very active it's a boy.
Hmm I’m still not sure everytime I feel movement in there, so baby isn’t extremely active. Not very active = Girl

If you're craving sweets it's a girl, if you're craving salt you're having a boy.
  Salty = Boy
 
If daddy is gaining weight along with mommy it's a girl.
Ha, maybe a little!  =Girl.

When picking up a single key, if she picks it up from the thin end, it's a girl. If she picks up the key from the base it's a boy.
Just because I know me, I’d have to say that I would pick it up with the base end because it’s the bigger end. So we’ll go with Boy

If your face is colored in acne you're having a girl. If you have clear beautiful skin you'll have a boy
  Acne = Girl 

Do you sleep on your right or your  left side? Right you're having a girl, left you're having a boy.
I like to sleep more on my right side this time around, So,  Girl.

If you are puking all the time you'll have a girl.
  Much worse than last time! = Girl

If your hands are dry you'll have a boy, if they are soft you'll have a girl.
I don’t know… dry?  = boy

If you're drinking lots of orange juice and other citrus you're having a girl.

I’m sticking mostly to water and milk. = Boy

If you feel graceful during pregnancy you're having a girl, but if you feel clumsy you'll be having a boy.

I use to be a lot more graceful than I am now.  Clumsy= Boy

If you gain weight in your face you're having a girl.

I hope not... We'll go with boy
 
If you are especially moody you'll be having a girl.
Maybe more than last pregnancy= Girl

The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception. If the result is an even number then mom is having a girl. If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way!

2012 + 27 = 2037 = Boy

Pull down the skin under your left eye. If you see a "V" or "branches" in the white part you'll have a girl.
This is so weird. But alas I did it.  = Girl

If you are the first born child, you will have what your mom had but starting with her second child. If you are the middle child, you will have what she had but starting with the third. If you are the last child you will have what your mother had in the exact order.

I am the last child and my brother is the first (there’s only 2 of us) = Girl

If you eat the ends of bread, it’s a boy. If you eat the middle of the loaf, it’s a girl.
Gross, who actually eats the ends?  = Girl

The Chinese Gender Chart claims to have an accuracy rate of over 90%. It is based on how old the mother is at conception and the month that she conceived.
The results are Girl

You are having a girl if your beauty disappears during pregnancy. It is said that the girl “steals” the mother’s beauty. If you think that pregnancy has never made you look more beautiful, you might just be having a little boy.
I have no clue, but some say that I look cute, so we’ll go with that, it makes me feel better. = Boy

If you have dreams that you are having a boy, you will have a girl. If you dream about having a girl, it will be a boy. Dreams show the opposite of what you are having.
I’ve had dreams that it’s a boy, so I guess it’s a girl then?

When the pregnant woman is asked to show her hands, it’s a boy if she keeps her palms down and a girl if she shows her palms up.

Palms up= girl.
71% of the time, the mom-to-be knows what she is having.
Hmm I guess we’ll find out soon if I’m in the 71%, but I think we’re having a Boy

When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy
I wouldn’t say that I crave meat and cheese, but I probably have it everyday…. So boy

Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant? If so, you just might be having a boy. If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.
They have stayed the same and have always been cold. =  Girl.

If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.
I didn’t have headaches in the beginning, but when 2^nd trimester hit, BAM so did the headaches.  They have gotten better though.  Still, headaches = Boy

It is said that when you can only think of specific names for a boy or a girl, you will have that particularly baby.

We have no trouble coming up with girl names.  = Girl.

And now, for the tally.

Girl = 18
Boy = 12

Well, if these are right, we'll be having a girl.  We shall see! :-) I'll be back in later today to reveal, or maybe tomorrow. You``