Tonight after dinner I was standing in the kitchen and J walked up to me and said something to me.
J: "mumble"
Me: "Weight?"
J: "No, mumble!"
Me: "Wait?"
J: "No, mumble!!"
I could not for the life of me figure out what he was trying to say to me which is pretty uncommon these days. J was getting pretty frustrated at the lack of communication between us and he then says, "I don't know what my problem is." I laughed so hard, I can't believe he is able to use phrases like that in context!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
tough days
The past few days have been a little rocky around here. I didn't think we would go any further into the "terrible twos" but J is proving me wrong. One moment an angel who is smooching and whispering hilarious things, and then next he is a wreck who threatens to "hit mama, hit baby e!" I think every age has it's ups and downs but man, I can't help but look forward to the day I say no or ask something and have it responded to in an appropriate way.
Since I made it through the day, I decided to treat myself to dinner at Qdoba with the kids. I recently started a new job so I have a little extra spending money and used that on dinner. It was nice to go out to dinner since we have cut way back on eating out. The kids were very well behaved at dinner, so after filling up the vans tires with air at a gas station, we headed to a local park... I am soaking up every last drop of this amazing weather (80's!) we are having.
Since I made it through the day, I decided to treat myself to dinner at Qdoba with the kids. I recently started a new job so I have a little extra spending money and used that on dinner. It was nice to go out to dinner since we have cut way back on eating out. The kids were very well behaved at dinner, so after filling up the vans tires with air at a gas station, we headed to a local park... I am soaking up every last drop of this amazing weather (80's!) we are having.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
that's so corny..
We visited my parents the other night to pick up some pumpkins my dad grew for us. While there, I grabbed a few ears of corn. I've seen huge bins of corn at orchards for kids to play in, and I thought J might like playing with it.
I pulled most of the corn off the cob and left some of it on so J could try to pull a few off while working on his fine motor skills. I put the corn in a pan and gave him a few cups and spoons to play with. He really enjoyed it only held his interest for 15 minutes or so. I then busted out the big guns: his toy loaders. He loved scooping the corn in them and moving it around the pan. A great way to keep his interest is to start out simply and then add stuff if he is getting bored.
*I just thought this was so funny... I walked in and E had his burp cloth hanging out of his mouth just sitting there sucking on it. Love him!
I pulled most of the corn off the cob and left some of it on so J could try to pull a few off while working on his fine motor skills. I put the corn in a pan and gave him a few cups and spoons to play with. He really enjoyed it only held his interest for 15 minutes or so. I then busted out the big guns: his toy loaders. He loved scooping the corn in them and moving it around the pan. A great way to keep his interest is to start out simply and then add stuff if he is getting bored.
*I just thought this was so funny... I walked in and E had his burp cloth hanging out of his mouth just sitting there sucking on it. Love him!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
messy dough
I have been trying to plan at least one activity per day to do with J. He is at such a great age right now. He loves to explore and learn, soaking in everything. He is old enough so he is not putting everything into his mouth, and can focus on something for more than 3 minutes. I absolutely love this age. I kind of forgot how great this age is. I worked with 2 year olds at a child care center for a few years, and they are just the best. So funny and innocent, so charming and naughty! :)
Our activities sometimes aren't anything special, they could just be 20 minutes of focused puzzle play or reading. I just like to be intentional about doing an activity each day so the weeks don't go by without me realizing I haven't interacted with my kids besides daily routine. I think that free play is imensely valuable, but I also see a place for "learning/exploring time" each day.
The other night I realized I had some flour in our cupboard that has been in there for quite awhile. Instead of throwing it out (does flour go bad??...) I decided to let the kids play with it. It started out dry and using a sift, and moved to adding water to the flour. From there we also added food coloring. Both H and J loved this activity at the ages 9 (almost 10) and 2.5. H kept saying, "I love this! This is so fun!" J really didn't say much because he was too busy playing and running his hands through the goup. They played for over an hour and J could have probably kept playing for another hour.
we went from this:
to this:
*Helpful tip: Do not wash the flour/water down your kitchen sink when you are done... it hardens up like glue and will clog your pipes! To clean up, I threw the flour outside in the bushes and had the kids wash their hands in a bucket of water that I then threw outside as well.
Our activities sometimes aren't anything special, they could just be 20 minutes of focused puzzle play or reading. I just like to be intentional about doing an activity each day so the weeks don't go by without me realizing I haven't interacted with my kids besides daily routine. I think that free play is imensely valuable, but I also see a place for "learning/exploring time" each day.
The other night I realized I had some flour in our cupboard that has been in there for quite awhile. Instead of throwing it out (does flour go bad??...) I decided to let the kids play with it. It started out dry and using a sift, and moved to adding water to the flour. From there we also added food coloring. Both H and J loved this activity at the ages 9 (almost 10) and 2.5. H kept saying, "I love this! This is so fun!" J really didn't say much because he was too busy playing and running his hands through the goup. They played for over an hour and J could have probably kept playing for another hour.
we went from this:
to this:
*Helpful tip: Do not wash the flour/water down your kitchen sink when you are done... it hardens up like glue and will clog your pipes! To clean up, I threw the flour outside in the bushes and had the kids wash their hands in a bucket of water that I then threw outside as well.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
baby e 5 months
Dear E,
We can hardly believe you are 5 months. These have been some of the sweetest months of our lives.. partly because another missing piece of our family is now here and smiling and cooing at us. You are such a doll-baby and I love every moment I get to spend with you.
At five months you:
*Wear a size 3 diaper
*Usually nurse 5 times a day a 8a, 11:30a, 4p, 7p, 11p. You take 10 minutes or less to nurse
*Size 6-9 month clothes
*Have not started on foods yet
*You can sit but not for long. You sit “tripod style” the best and for the longest amount of time
*You do not roll a lot yet.
*You started to grab your feet A LOT starting right around your 5 month bday
*You take 2 or 3 naps a day. One morning from around 9:30-11a, then an afternoon one from 1p-4p, and sometimes another one around dinner time. You go to bed around 8p with the other kids.
*You wear shoe size 3
*You love to smile and will smile at anyone
*You do not have any stranger anxiety yet
*You started to go to nursery at church
*You have started to grab your paci out of your mouth and play with it and try to put it back it
*You are a lot more interested in toys and play well on your own on the playmat and the baby station we have.
E.. I just love snuggling you and sniffing your sweet little head. Your hair you were born with never fell out and it’s getting long! You love snuggling too, and end up in bed with us a lot of nights. I don’t mind though, because I know that soon enough you will not be as squishy and cuddly and will want your own space. My heart sings when you burry your head on my shoulder and I think you feel the same way too. You are so responsive to touch and song and are usually easily comforted. I just love you. Love, Mama
We can hardly believe you are 5 months. These have been some of the sweetest months of our lives.. partly because another missing piece of our family is now here and smiling and cooing at us. You are such a doll-baby and I love every moment I get to spend with you.
At five months you:
*Wear a size 3 diaper
*Usually nurse 5 times a day a 8a, 11:30a, 4p, 7p, 11p. You take 10 minutes or less to nurse
*Size 6-9 month clothes
*Have not started on foods yet
*You can sit but not for long. You sit “tripod style” the best and for the longest amount of time
*You do not roll a lot yet.
*You started to grab your feet A LOT starting right around your 5 month bday
*You take 2 or 3 naps a day. One morning from around 9:30-11a, then an afternoon one from 1p-4p, and sometimes another one around dinner time. You go to bed around 8p with the other kids.
*You wear shoe size 3
*You love to smile and will smile at anyone
*You do not have any stranger anxiety yet
*You started to go to nursery at church
*You have started to grab your paci out of your mouth and play with it and try to put it back it
*You are a lot more interested in toys and play well on your own on the playmat and the baby station we have.
E.. I just love snuggling you and sniffing your sweet little head. Your hair you were born with never fell out and it’s getting long! You love snuggling too, and end up in bed with us a lot of nights. I don’t mind though, because I know that soon enough you will not be as squishy and cuddly and will want your own space. My heart sings when you burry your head on my shoulder and I think you feel the same way too. You are so responsive to touch and song and are usually easily comforted. I just love you. Love, Mama
Monday, August 22, 2011
baby e 4 months
Dear E-
You are now 4 months old. You are still SUCH a joy and bring so much love and snuggles to our lives. Here is what you have been up to.
*You have 2 teeth! You got the first one August 13th, and the second one came in on August 30th. I can’t believe you got your first tooth at 3.5 months!
*You nurse around 5 times a day still. You are on a pretty good schedule—usually waking at 8a and nursing, then a nap around 930a for an hour or so, nurse at 11a, another nap at 1p, and nurse around 4p after you wake up, and then you are awake till 730p when I nurse you and put you in bed. You then will wake up around 10p to nurse one last time. Since it only takes you around 10 minutes to nurse, I have been loving it. It is cheap, easy, and our special time to just hang out with each other and snuggle. I never knew I would enjoy nursing this much.
*You are good at holding your head up and have rolled both from tummy to back and back to tummy. You do not do it a lot though.
*You can sit “tripod style” for a bit before you fold completely in half and your head is almost touching the ground.
*You love to smile and giggle and coo!
*You wear size 2 diaper but we will need to move to size 3 soon!
*You wear 3-6 month clothes or 6month clothes.
*You love to snuggle and be by people. You nestle your head on my shoulder and just stay there and I cannot tell you how much I love it!
*We went to Uncle J and Auntie A's wedding. It was a 3 hour drive there and we stayed in a hotel. You did wonderfully!!
*You have been grabbing toys and putting them in your mouth a lot for the past few weeks now.
*You just are so amazing and we can’t wait to see you grow and learn!!
We love you E.O!! Love, Mama
You are now 4 months old. You are still SUCH a joy and bring so much love and snuggles to our lives. Here is what you have been up to.
*You have 2 teeth! You got the first one August 13th, and the second one came in on August 30th. I can’t believe you got your first tooth at 3.5 months!
*You nurse around 5 times a day still. You are on a pretty good schedule—usually waking at 8a and nursing, then a nap around 930a for an hour or so, nurse at 11a, another nap at 1p, and nurse around 4p after you wake up, and then you are awake till 730p when I nurse you and put you in bed. You then will wake up around 10p to nurse one last time. Since it only takes you around 10 minutes to nurse, I have been loving it. It is cheap, easy, and our special time to just hang out with each other and snuggle. I never knew I would enjoy nursing this much.
*You are good at holding your head up and have rolled both from tummy to back and back to tummy. You do not do it a lot though.
*You can sit “tripod style” for a bit before you fold completely in half and your head is almost touching the ground.
*You love to smile and giggle and coo!
*You wear size 2 diaper but we will need to move to size 3 soon!
*You wear 3-6 month clothes or 6month clothes.
*You love to snuggle and be by people. You nestle your head on my shoulder and just stay there and I cannot tell you how much I love it!
*We went to Uncle J and Auntie A's wedding. It was a 3 hour drive there and we stayed in a hotel. You did wonderfully!!
*You have been grabbing toys and putting them in your mouth a lot for the past few weeks now.
*You just are so amazing and we can’t wait to see you grow and learn!!
We love you E.O!! Love, Mama
Sunday, July 24, 2011
e 3 months
My Dearest E,
Two days ago marks 3 months since you came into our world, blinking, calm, and beautiful. We cannot help but marvel at you and we also cannot even count the times we have all said of you, “he is beautiful, he is so cute, he is such a good boy, he is wonderful.” You make being a mama to a newborn easy, but it is not because of my “expertise” of doing it once before, it is because you truly are a delight and are such an easy baby. Lately I have been feeling a little nostalgic…you really actually are not a newborn anymore. You have the rolls and strength that you did not have before, and we are upgrading you to baby. You still do not cry much, but maybe are just a little tiny bit harder to please than before. You let us know what you want by squeaking, and when we oblige, you settle right down. I just love your little personality—so laid back and peaceful. I cannot help but wonder what you will be like when you grow older. Will you be artsy, good at sports, into machines? Your attitude as of now tells me you will be a laid back creative type, but that’s just my mama prediction.
At three months, you have not changed a WHOLE lot from 2 months. You are gaining neck strength and if we put you on the ground, you can hold up your head very well. You are not consistently rolling yet though. You smile easily and strangers can make you grin. You have laughed, but not a belly laugh.. I know it’s coming soon though. You continue to nurse around every 3 hours and do so following this schedule most days: 7a, 10a, 1p, 4p, 7p, 10p. Then to bed, and sleep till your morning nursing. It now takes you only 15-20 minutes to nurse.
The week before you turned 3 months, I left you with Daddy, H, and J and went to a wedding with Auntie. Daddy gave you your first bottle with my milk in it and you took it after a little bit of fussing because it wasn’t warm enough. Then a few days later I left for the morning with Miss B, and Daddy had such a hard time getting you to drink your bottles. In the end you took it though. I hope you continue to take bottles well so I can continue to get out every once in awhile.
You are now in 3-6 and 6 month clothing and are getting bigger every day. You are around 16lbs and everyone who sees you comments on how roly-poly you are. I love it, and I love squishing your little (big!?) legs.
You love: your paci, mama and daddy, nursing, sleeping swaddled, cuddling, getting a diaper change (it makes you smile and laugh) taking baths, your snug blanket.
You do not love: being buckled into your carseat, tummy time, you are starting to not like the swing, being sweaty and hot, being at the beach/in the sun.
You are such a little dear and we love you so!
Love, Mama
Two days ago marks 3 months since you came into our world, blinking, calm, and beautiful. We cannot help but marvel at you and we also cannot even count the times we have all said of you, “he is beautiful, he is so cute, he is such a good boy, he is wonderful.” You make being a mama to a newborn easy, but it is not because of my “expertise” of doing it once before, it is because you truly are a delight and are such an easy baby. Lately I have been feeling a little nostalgic…you really actually are not a newborn anymore. You have the rolls and strength that you did not have before, and we are upgrading you to baby. You still do not cry much, but maybe are just a little tiny bit harder to please than before. You let us know what you want by squeaking, and when we oblige, you settle right down. I just love your little personality—so laid back and peaceful. I cannot help but wonder what you will be like when you grow older. Will you be artsy, good at sports, into machines? Your attitude as of now tells me you will be a laid back creative type, but that’s just my mama prediction.
At three months, you have not changed a WHOLE lot from 2 months. You are gaining neck strength and if we put you on the ground, you can hold up your head very well. You are not consistently rolling yet though. You smile easily and strangers can make you grin. You have laughed, but not a belly laugh.. I know it’s coming soon though. You continue to nurse around every 3 hours and do so following this schedule most days: 7a, 10a, 1p, 4p, 7p, 10p. Then to bed, and sleep till your morning nursing. It now takes you only 15-20 minutes to nurse.
The week before you turned 3 months, I left you with Daddy, H, and J and went to a wedding with Auntie. Daddy gave you your first bottle with my milk in it and you took it after a little bit of fussing because it wasn’t warm enough. Then a few days later I left for the morning with Miss B, and Daddy had such a hard time getting you to drink your bottles. In the end you took it though. I hope you continue to take bottles well so I can continue to get out every once in awhile.
You are now in 3-6 and 6 month clothing and are getting bigger every day. You are around 16lbs and everyone who sees you comments on how roly-poly you are. I love it, and I love squishing your little (big!?) legs.
You love: your paci, mama and daddy, nursing, sleeping swaddled, cuddling, getting a diaper change (it makes you smile and laugh) taking baths, your snug blanket.
You do not love: being buckled into your carseat, tummy time, you are starting to not like the swing, being sweaty and hot, being at the beach/in the sun.
You are such a little dear and we love you so!
Love, Mama
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