Emma: 6 Weeks

This little girl has started smiling and I've fallen in love all over again. Times 10! It happened for the first time last Wednesday (10/5) when I got up in her face and said "Hi Emma!" I knew it was a real smile but made her do it like 5 more times, just to be sure. Today I was finally able to catch a picture of it.

I had been swaddling Emma with her arms out because she seemed to like it better after we got home from the hospital. But then this week, after one particularly rough evening when it was nearing 1 AM and she still wasn't asleep, I stuffed her arms inside and wrapped her super tight. She was out in minutes and thus commenced arms-in swaddling.

Oh my little presh presh! I can't get enough of these chubba cheeks!

Emma is sort of a spitty lady. The girl needs to be burped like I need oxygen to breathe. I definitely think she has some mild reflux as she urps and spits and looks like she gagging on a hairball if she is laid down flat too soon after eating. Thankfully I'm learning her cues and can usually tell when she needs a good burp or to be held upright. 

She isn't too keen on her bouncy seat but usually falls asleep on car rides in her carseat and will sleep for HOURS afterward if we keep her in it and transfer her inside. She has NEVER slept as well out of the seat and take lots of cat naps that last ~10 minutes.

She's making some fun cooing sounds and you can also see her gag on a hairball in this video. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We headed out planning to take a walk somewhere in Bellevue but then I suggested going to a pumpkin patch. It could be our only sunny October Saturday afterall! We turned around and, without a map, headed out to the country figuring we'd stumble upon a patch somewhere...

Who knew Duvall was so pretty? Note Mt Rainier off in the distance. 

 Someone got tuckered out before the party even started

 Wouldn't ya know it!? We found a cute little organic farm called Oxbow Farm complete with a u-pick pumpkin patch and a "live playground" (tunnels and teepees made out of veggies) for kids.

 

 We're waiting to carve that prized pumpkin until the next rainy day. Gotta enjoy this beautiful fall weather!

 

Childhood fears

Most kids are scared of traditional things: spiders and snakes, the Boogie Man, the dark. It is only recently that I've come to realize I was a little bit odd. My two biggest fears were:

1) that my dad would start smoking

and

2) that my dad would grow a mustache

I don't know why I ever worried about #1. We were always the family that had to be seated as far away as possible from the smoking section when we ate breakfast at Denny's (yes kids, when I was little, people were allowed to smoke in restaurants). Actually, we were usually the family that would get all settled at our table, order our drinks and lick our silverware and then realize the table was not going to work. You see, my Dad would get horrible headaches if he was anywhere near smoke. So if someone in the remote area lit up (which happened EVERY time), we'd have to get up, grab our silverware and parade sheepishly across the restaurant to a new table. Oh man was it ever embarrassing. Needless to say, I'm not sure why I ever worried about fear #1.

Fear #2, however, did actually come true. On a number of occasions. Whenever we went camping or on vacation actually. For whatever reason, my dad would take a break from shaving and decide to let his facial hair run rampant. I hated it and would cry and cry and cry and BEG him to shave. When that didn't work, I'd dig deep into my 10-year-old repertoire of insults and say mean things like "That mustache makes you look like Inspector Gadget" or "You look so OLD!" It never seemed to work and I would cry myself to sleep every night for about a week until my Dad would finally shave (I'm sure he figured it just wasn't worth the drama). Let me tell you, that mustache was super scary.

Today as I was out on a jog, I remembered a 3rd fear. This one maybe a little more "normal" but still a bit off the wall. I was running in the rain when I saw this van approaching. You know, those large, boxy vans with square windows? Basically the shape of the FedEx delivery truck only much creepier. This van was coming my direction and I immediately found myself wanting to run and hide. Only then did it all come back to me. As a child, I was horribly afraid of the dog catcher!! Blame it on one too many viewings of 101 Dalmatians but I was always worried that they were going to nab our sweet dog Mitzi. Didn't the dog catcher drive around in one of those vehicles? Anyway, sometimes I feared they would go as far as to come into our gated backyard and sweep her up with their nasty nets. I always assumed they made their rounds through our neighborhood just as frequently as the garbage truck, that they were wanting to fill the pound with everyone's little puppies (like the pound was in need of any more dogs...) Horror of horrors!

Oh to be a child again and to have these things be my top three fears!

Emma: 5 Weeks

Emma:
-has started to track this week and I swear she smiled at me multiple times on Wednesday.
-weighed 11 pounds, 4 ounces at her 1 month appointment on Monday (90th percentile!) She is totally out of her newborn clothes and is fitting the 3 month size.
-loves being held. All the time. She usually wakes up the instant you lay her down, unless she is in a deep, deep slumber.
-is such a night owl. She will NOT go to sleep before 11 or midnight no matter how many get-to-sleep methods we try. At least she sleeps a 4 1/2 or 5 hour stretch once she finally goes down.
-no longer likes to lay on our chests. :( She seems to like being held and bounced or patted.
-tried an Avent bottle this week and was able to pace a bit better.

Balance

I can't do it all.

I've been trying to find some sense of balance over here as we settle back into a routine and a "new normal" now that Graham is back to work. I sort of feel like my life happens in slow motion as I start one thing, make it half or a quarter of the way through and then have to put it down and attend to another. After a number of incredibly frustrating days where I felt like I was getting nothing done, I decided I was being too hard on myself and that I needed to lower my expectations.

As I write this, it's 3 o clock and I haven't yet showered, I'm typing with one hand so I can hold my nursing baby with the other, there are toys strewn all over the living room floor, a carseat out and just waiting to be tripped on, screws, tools and clutter spread across the counter, a coat hanging over the banister, a basket of clean, unfolded clothes that has been sitting at the bottom of the stairs for days, and an unopened present beckoning on the kitchen table (who can't find time to open a gift!?!) Anyway, you get the picture. But at least I got the stroller out of the living room earlier today, the vacuum back in the closet where it belongs and the dishwasher emptied. It's a Christmas miracle! Oh and did I mention there are 2 loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread baking in the oven (which, by the way, I've been trying to make for 3 weeks now with the last of the zucchini from my garden)? See, I can get some things done.

I just can't do it all.

I'm learning that it's all about priorities. And some might say I'm taking it to the extreme, but it's what is helping me function at the moment. I feel like God is trying to teach me to live in the moment and not to let precious opportunities pass me by. So I'm working on prioritizing. It has been super hard for me to let some of the clutter go. I thrive when I feel like I have a clean "haven" to run to. But I'm learning and am a work in progress.

I have started creating a written "schedule" for the week to help me see the big picture and to help me see each day as a "success." My schedule is simple really. I write out each day of the week and then include any known activities or commitments (MOPS/Dr appts etc). Then, I plan out when I will exercise (I've started my "Couch to 5K" plan and need to fit in 3 runs each week). Lastly, I add the other 2 weekly essentials in the gaps: grocery shopping and cleaning the house. I try to have only one or a max of two things each day so that I set myself up for success. If I have time to do something else, I can, but I give myself permission not to and to just take a break or take a nap instead if needed. I used to do a weekly deep clean and then lots of spot-cleaning throughout the week. I'm trying to let the spot-cleaning go and just remind myself that the house will get a thorough cleaning later on in the week. As silly as it sounds, it has be incredibly hard for me as I THRIVE when everything is squeaky clean.

I'm trying to set a timer for 15 minutes each day for focused play with Isla. It may not sounds like much but it's something and she just eats it up! Also, Graham and I went on our first date last week (sooooo needed) and we are hoping to figure out a system where we can go out twice a month and then have date nights in the other two weeks.

So far I am quite happy with my little system and hope we continue to settle nicely into life as a family of four. I must admit, I'm just loving it!! :)

Emma: 4 Weeks

Emma is doing great if I do say so myself! I had to start packing up the few newborn clothes I have yesterday as she's already outgrown them--boy that was short lived!

She continues to take a bottle every couple of days or so and seems to be getting the hang of it (sort of). She dribbles lots of milk still but is remembering to breathe now while eating. We have been giving her the bottle COLD, straight from the fridge, because one of my regrets with Isla was spoiling her with warm milk. It's so much easier to feed it cold, especially when you are out and about and have no where to heat it up!

I left Emma for the first time (other than a quick trip to Fred Meyer) on Wednesday night for 4 1/2 hours!! I got to sneak away to a girls night out for a friend's birthday and it was so lovely. Graham had a buddy over who helped with holding Emma while he put Isla to bed but reported that the night went great! Emma took 3 bottles in 4 1/2 hours...

Despite the bottle consumption reported about, it seems like Emma is no longer cluster feeding quite as much in the evening.

Emma has joined me on 3 runs so far this week (I'm back on my couch to 5 K plan) and so far is falling asleep in the stroller.

My sleep report is mixed: we had a couple nights where she was up quite frequently and then another night where she was wide awake from 3-5:30 AM. But then we've also had some nights where she stays up late but then only wakes up once between midnight and 7 AM. I've started trying to do somewhat of an eat, "play," sleep cycle during the day to get her to be awake more. I'm very hopeful we will soon have a good sleeper on our hands!

But on that topic, she is a LOUD sleeper, just like Isla! She grunts and groans and makes goat/sheep sounds when she is first laid down for the night or after a feeding. I'm starting to wonder if she has some reflux because sometimes it sounds like she's really in pain. So far she is still in our room but we'll see how long that lasts...We are still trying to get a good video/audio of the sounds she makes but here's a little intro. Honestly, her eyes are totally closed throughout this!

I had to tie her cradle so it no longer rocks because she was moving and spinning so much in bed that she'd get herself off-center and would tip it and get herself wedged up against the spindles.

Just like clockwork, Emma's baby acne arrived this week, just in time for the shower my sister and friend Rachel threw for us this weekend. The shower was perfect, complete with a hair-clip-making station for her head-o-hair. Emma is going to be the best-dressed girl on the block!

Isla 25 Months

Isla is adjusting to being a big sister better than I could have ever imagined! There were a couple rough days when we finally came home from our 2nd hospital stay (after more or less abandoning her for 12 days....) She was royally treated by her grandparents while we were "away" and so I think was a little shell-shocked when all was said and done and she had to share the spotlight. But she has does great ever since and LOVES her sister. She usually says "Hi Emma!" or "Hi Little Sister!" with great enthusiasm when she sees her and often asks if Emma can join us in play. She has also proven herself quite helpful in fetching burp cloths or binkies. If Emma is crying, Isla is quick to tell her "It's ok Emma."

The other day I called downstairs to get Graham's attention. Seconds later, Isla walked to the stairway and yelled "Hey Babe!" just as she'd seen modeled. :)

Isla definitely is watching our every move. The other day she slung her purse over her shoulder and told me she was "going to work." She came over and kissed me goodbye and then went into the bathroom and shut the door. She emerged moments later claiming that she was "home from work" and immediately came over to greet me with a kiss. I told Graham that we must be doing something right if she knows a kiss hello and goodbye to be a necessary part of the coming/leaving process! When I asked her what she did for work, she said she was a teacher and that she taught kids about fish.

If you ask Isla how old she is, she will tell you "2 months." 

Isla has started incorporating music into her going to sleep routine. If I am putting her to bed and Graham is home, she always asks for Daddy to "sing Isla song." Now she's taking it as far as to specify what instrument she wants him to accompany her with (guitar, "little guitar"--i.e. ukulele).

Isla's bedtime has moved to somewhere between 7 and 8 PM. She usually is the first to point out that "it is getting really dark" and that seems to make her more willing to go to bed.

I'm pretty sure Isla can count to about 14 or 16 now, plus or minus a few.

We took Isla to the Aquarium for the first time this month. She loved all the fish and sea life!

Isla LOVES all the new kitchen toys and fake food she got for her birthday. She loves it when I spread out a blanket on the living room floor so we can have a "picnic" with all her dishware.

Isla also really enjoys reading. Sometimes she'll sneak away upstairs and it'll get really quiet. When I come to check on her, she's usually rocking away in her rocking chair, reading to herself.

The girl has developed a strange obsession with fire. She randomly started asking to pray for inanimate objects like the moon. It wasn't until she started praying for fire that we got a little worried. Don't know what it's all about. All I know is that she wants a BIG fire!

Every once in a while, we see this little dramatic side of Isla. I so hope to catch it on video but she does this thing where she'll ask for something once, then immediately switch into this hushed voiced and through fishy lips quietly say "Isla want more _____" while nodding her head profusely. It is impossible to describe but is HILARIOUS and makes me laugh every time. I have no idea where she got it.

Isla is really, really smart. And she knows it. I'm super proud of her and often underestimate how much she can comprehend. I think she more or less can understand everything we say. And she can talk like nobody's business. I adore this child!