Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Friday, June 24, 2011
Molly Makes an Entrance
When I got home from work today this is how Molly entered the room. She was kind enough to put on a repeat performance so I could film it.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
mini golf
Jim took the day off yesterday, originally so we could take the girls to the zoo. In discussing this plan with Molly, though, we realized that she's really not into the zoo. Instead she talked us into trying mini golf, which she's never done before. A trip to Kimball's 10 minutes down the road rather than a long drive and an all-day excursion to the zoo? Sold!
I think Molly enjoyed herself...
Around the 9th hole Kate got fussy in the stroller so I put her in a carrier. She continued to cry so, out of desperation, I figured out how to nurse her while in the carrier!!! I've been wanting to try that forever but it just seemed impossible. It's not!!! I don't even think I flashed anybody -- at least not after I got a hat on her head to cover us both up.
Right around this time Molly stopped wanting to take her turn and said she wanted to watch Daddy play instead. After a hole or two Jim realized he was the only one playing so we asked Molly if she was ready to quit and go get ice cream. YES!!!
Molly wanted to go to the local pond beach in the afternoon but that plan was rained out. Instead she asked if she could play outside in the rain. Why not?
Meanwhile Kate hung out inside.
Kate is all about hands these days -- looking at her hands, touching her hands together, pulling her shirt up into her mouth, sneaking her hands into places, grabbing my shirt, grabbing Daddy's hair. She'll be 12 weeks old on Saturday, which is the end of the "fourth trimester" and it's so exciting. She's just starting to become a little personality in our family.
Two nights ago we moved her out of the Pack N Play in our bedroom into the crib in her own room. She still wakes up every night around midnight and again around 3 a.m. ... and again around 5 a.m., when I bring her into our bed and try to nurse and cuddle her back to sleep until at least 6:30 a.m. when Molly's allowed to get up. But I can hear her well enough across the hall that it's not a problem. I think she's sleeping much better on a real mattress and in the same place where she naps. I know we're sleeping better without all her snorting and grunting. :)
I think Molly enjoyed herself...
Around the 9th hole Kate got fussy in the stroller so I put her in a carrier. She continued to cry so, out of desperation, I figured out how to nurse her while in the carrier!!! I've been wanting to try that forever but it just seemed impossible. It's not!!! I don't even think I flashed anybody -- at least not after I got a hat on her head to cover us both up.
Right around this time Molly stopped wanting to take her turn and said she wanted to watch Daddy play instead. After a hole or two Jim realized he was the only one playing so we asked Molly if she was ready to quit and go get ice cream. YES!!!
Meanwhile Kate hung out inside.
Kate is all about hands these days -- looking at her hands, touching her hands together, pulling her shirt up into her mouth, sneaking her hands into places, grabbing my shirt, grabbing Daddy's hair. She'll be 12 weeks old on Saturday, which is the end of the "fourth trimester" and it's so exciting. She's just starting to become a little personality in our family.
Two nights ago we moved her out of the Pack N Play in our bedroom into the crib in her own room. She still wakes up every night around midnight and again around 3 a.m. ... and again around 5 a.m., when I bring her into our bed and try to nurse and cuddle her back to sleep until at least 6:30 a.m. when Molly's allowed to get up. But I can hear her well enough across the hall that it's not a problem. I think she's sleeping much better on a real mattress and in the same place where she naps. I know we're sleeping better without all her snorting and grunting. :)
Playing
I've had some time lately to do craft projects. First, a little something for Molly ... this is a twirly skirt inspired by one Anna made for her (which is still her favorite article of clothing).
Here's the one from Aunt Anna.
And here's one made out of shiny gold fabric that Molly picked herself, a fabric I never would have even considered. It was pretty strange to sew. Metallic threads were falling off the edges.
Here's the project Molly and I have been working on for weeks. It's a baby gym made out of dowels, based on a blog post I read. It should have been super simple but I ended up breaking a drill bit, flinging wood across the room and generally making a mess of things. Molly helped with sanding and finishing and sewing the toy holders.
It came out all wobbly and the toy hangers looked too long. But Kate actually likes it!! It marks a little milestone for us. Kate plats with toys!!! (And I have a new way to distract her while we eat dinner!)
Here's the one from Aunt Anna.
And here's one made out of shiny gold fabric that Molly picked herself, a fabric I never would have even considered. It was pretty strange to sew. Metallic threads were falling off the edges.
Here's the project Molly and I have been working on for weeks. It's a baby gym made out of dowels, based on a blog post I read. It should have been super simple but I ended up breaking a drill bit, flinging wood across the room and generally making a mess of things. Molly helped with sanding and finishing and sewing the toy holders.
It came out all wobbly and the toy hangers looked too long. But Kate actually likes it!! It marks a little milestone for us. Kate plats with toys!!! (And I have a new way to distract her while we eat dinner!)
Sunday, June 19, 2011
She's 3-1/2!!
Molly's been milking this half birthday for all it's worth. We had lots of fun at play group on Friday. Molly had even wrapped herself two gifts and remembered them when her friends were here and opened them up. One was an old ring box with buttons in it and a note she asked me to write. The other was a wooden box with two hard candies that she's had kicking around since last summer -- candies that are a choking hazard so she's been saving them until she's old enough to be allowed to eat them. Her half birthday seemed like a good occasion to put her in a little danger so I let her go at it. It was a sticky and sugary experience and I think she had a good time.
Here's Molly on her actual half birthday, just as she chose to show up at the neighbors' house to swim in the kiddie pool.
And here are the sisters in their bunny towels after bath. (Kate actually smiles all the time now, but apparently the bunny towel just wasn't doing it for her).
Here's Molly on her actual half birthday, just as she chose to show up at the neighbors' house to swim in the kiddie pool.
And here are the sisters in their bunny towels after bath. (Kate actually smiles all the time now, but apparently the bunny towel just wasn't doing it for her).
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sleeper
Well this is new to me ...
This is the second time lately that I set Kate down on the floor wide awake only to find her asleep a few minutes later. Molly NEVER did that, ever. (Perhaps it's because, as a first child, she was never just set down on the floor?) Today it's especially bizarre to me because I've spent most of the day trying to get her to sleep (swaddling, rocking, nursing, cuddling). I guess she just wanted to do it on her own.... or she just collapsed from exhaustion. ;)
Either way, it's good. Today is Molly's half-birthday so we're having some play time together. We made pink cupcakes that we're going to share with our friends tomorrow at a play group at our house. I hope I don't come to regret inviting so many people over. With Kate fussy all day I haven't had any time to get ready. Ugh!
Oh, and there Kate is waking up again after just 30 minutes of sleep. Now THAT reminds me of her big sister.
This is the second time lately that I set Kate down on the floor wide awake only to find her asleep a few minutes later. Molly NEVER did that, ever. (Perhaps it's because, as a first child, she was never just set down on the floor?) Today it's especially bizarre to me because I've spent most of the day trying to get her to sleep (swaddling, rocking, nursing, cuddling). I guess she just wanted to do it on her own.... or she just collapsed from exhaustion. ;)
Either way, it's good. Today is Molly's half-birthday so we're having some play time together. We made pink cupcakes that we're going to share with our friends tomorrow at a play group at our house. I hope I don't come to regret inviting so many people over. With Kate fussy all day I haven't had any time to get ready. Ugh!
Oh, and there Kate is waking up again after just 30 minutes of sleep. Now THAT reminds me of her big sister.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Davis' Farmland
We took our annual trip to Davis' Farmland yesterday with the town-wide playgroup folks. I was nervous about how an outing would go with the baby but it went really smoothly. Kate was calm and quiet and happily spent most of the day in the stroller and nursing in the shade. Molly didn't run away from us or anything, and seemed to have a good time.
The funny thing is she had no interest in the animals. I think she had so much fun at the real farmland last weekend that she wasn't too impressed with the kiddy entertainment version. Or, more likely, she's still freaked out from the last two years when those aggressive baby goats came after her cup of food pellets.
Anyway, she was clear even before we got there that all she wanted to do was go in the splash park and maybe play on the playgrounds. Sure enough, as most of the group went over to the hay ride Molly headed straight for the Little Tykes plastic toy area. Yawn.
The next thing she wanted to do was this ... face paints!
Then we headed over to the splash park. Molly jumped right in, even though the water was icy. It cooled me off just having her come back to me for a bite of sandwich and to sit in my chair with me in her wet bathing suit.
We saw a lot of sibling pairs playing together there and I couldn't help but think how much fun this will be when Kate's old enough to go running through the water, too.
Next up, playgrounds. They have so many. At the back of one playground area is a "go-cart" track. This is the first time Molly was big enough to try it.
After that she was finally ready for a hay ride. We saw a few animals on the walk over. She decided to hang with a few Jacob sheep on a shady bench while we waited for the tractor.
At this point I realized I hadn't taken any photos with Kate in them. So here she is, on her first hay ride. Don't they both look excited?
Both girls fell asleep in the car on the ride home so I just kept driving, which was a nice quiet time for me at the end of a busy day.
As a side note, Kate was very fussy last night and it got me wondering if the fussiness she had in Rochester was related to spending so much time in her car seat on the trip. Her doctor said she probably has mild reflux (nasal congestion and fussiness are both signs) and he recommended we prop her mattress up a few inches at the head to help her symptoms. I've read that the car seat is bad for reflux because it causes babies to slouch and compresses their tummies. It certainly seems that on days when she spends a lot of time in her car seat -- either traveling or being pushed around in the car seat locked into the stroller -- that she has much worse symptoms. Something to think about, anyway.
The funny thing is she had no interest in the animals. I think she had so much fun at the real farmland last weekend that she wasn't too impressed with the kiddy entertainment version. Or, more likely, she's still freaked out from the last two years when those aggressive baby goats came after her cup of food pellets.
Anyway, she was clear even before we got there that all she wanted to do was go in the splash park and maybe play on the playgrounds. Sure enough, as most of the group went over to the hay ride Molly headed straight for the Little Tykes plastic toy area. Yawn.
The next thing she wanted to do was this ... face paints!
Then we headed over to the splash park. Molly jumped right in, even though the water was icy. It cooled me off just having her come back to me for a bite of sandwich and to sit in my chair with me in her wet bathing suit.
We saw a lot of sibling pairs playing together there and I couldn't help but think how much fun this will be when Kate's old enough to go running through the water, too.
Next up, playgrounds. They have so many. At the back of one playground area is a "go-cart" track. This is the first time Molly was big enough to try it.
After that she was finally ready for a hay ride. We saw a few animals on the walk over. She decided to hang with a few Jacob sheep on a shady bench while we waited for the tractor.
At this point I realized I hadn't taken any photos with Kate in them. So here she is, on her first hay ride. Don't they both look excited?
Both girls fell asleep in the car on the ride home so I just kept driving, which was a nice quiet time for me at the end of a busy day.
As a side note, Kate was very fussy last night and it got me wondering if the fussiness she had in Rochester was related to spending so much time in her car seat on the trip. Her doctor said she probably has mild reflux (nasal congestion and fussiness are both signs) and he recommended we prop her mattress up a few inches at the head to help her symptoms. I've read that the car seat is bad for reflux because it causes babies to slouch and compresses their tummies. It certainly seems that on days when she spends a lot of time in her car seat -- either traveling or being pushed around in the car seat locked into the stroller -- that she has much worse symptoms. Something to think about, anyway.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Trip photos
Introducing Kate to her family...
The kids were very tired but Molly did get a good nap one day.
The kids got to spend time on the family farms.
My two goals for the trip were to ride the horse and go in the hot tub, both of which were forbidden when I was pregnant. I got to do both. Molly did, too.
Unrelated to the trip, but before I forget, Kate had her 2-month check-up today. She's huge!!! (Just like her sister at this age). She weighed 13 lbs, 7 oz. (90-95th percentile) and she's 23.5 inches long (50th to 75th). She's a happy, healthy baby!
The kids were very tired but Molly did get a good nap one day.
The kids got to spend time on the family farms.
My two goals for the trip were to ride the horse and go in the hot tub, both of which were forbidden when I was pregnant. I got to do both. Molly did, too.
Unrelated to the trip, but before I forget, Kate had her 2-month check-up today. She's huge!!! (Just like her sister at this age). She weighed 13 lbs, 7 oz. (90-95th percentile) and she's 23.5 inches long (50th to 75th). She's a happy, healthy baby!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Back home
Don't take the blog silence as a bad thing. We made it to Rochester and back this weekend relatively smoothly. I've just been too exhausted (and busy with exhausted kids) to post pictures.
Our drive there went really well -- only 7 hours and 3 stops. The DVD player didn't make Molly sick and did occupy her for a long time (especially the Olivia Christmas special, which made her laugh out loud -- silly Mommy for trying to veto that one). She took a nice nap, didn't wear a single diaper and gave us plenty of warning when she needed a bathroom break. Kate slept most of the way.
We packed a bunch of stuff into just two days -- horse rides, hot tub, lots of visiting with family. I'll post pictures soon.
The drive back was a little rougher. We had to stop for a potty break before we even got on the Thruway. We ended up stopping 5 times -- mostly for Molly to go to the bathroom -- and got home in about 8 hours. Kate slept most of the way again and there was a minimum of crying all around. What a relief!!! Molly didn't nap, though, and the bathroom breaks were pretty frustrating,especially when the noisy auto-flush toilets scared her into not being able to go. She finally fell asleep about a half hour from home. Jim carried her into her bed and she kept on sleeping (mostly) until morning for a total of about 14 hours! Kate went to bed unusually early, too. Too bad I wasn't more awake myself or I would have enjoyed that precious quiet evening time more. :)
Tonight we're back to the usual -- Molly got peanut butter sandwich stuck to the roof of her mouth and got so worked up crying about it and refusing help (no nap today) that she gagged and made herself throw up. Fortunately Jim got her to bed early, allowing us to devote our full attention now to the 3-hour nightly process of putting Kate to bed. Probably only a half hour or so left. Woo hoo!
Our drive there went really well -- only 7 hours and 3 stops. The DVD player didn't make Molly sick and did occupy her for a long time (especially the Olivia Christmas special, which made her laugh out loud -- silly Mommy for trying to veto that one). She took a nice nap, didn't wear a single diaper and gave us plenty of warning when she needed a bathroom break. Kate slept most of the way.
We packed a bunch of stuff into just two days -- horse rides, hot tub, lots of visiting with family. I'll post pictures soon.
The drive back was a little rougher. We had to stop for a potty break before we even got on the Thruway. We ended up stopping 5 times -- mostly for Molly to go to the bathroom -- and got home in about 8 hours. Kate slept most of the way again and there was a minimum of crying all around. What a relief!!! Molly didn't nap, though, and the bathroom breaks were pretty frustrating,especially when the noisy auto-flush toilets scared her into not being able to go. She finally fell asleep about a half hour from home. Jim carried her into her bed and she kept on sleeping (mostly) until morning for a total of about 14 hours! Kate went to bed unusually early, too. Too bad I wasn't more awake myself or I would have enjoyed that precious quiet evening time more. :)
Tonight we're back to the usual -- Molly got peanut butter sandwich stuck to the roof of her mouth and got so worked up crying about it and refusing help (no nap today) that she gagged and made herself throw up. Fortunately Jim got her to bed early, allowing us to devote our full attention now to the 3-hour nightly process of putting Kate to bed. Probably only a half hour or so left. Woo hoo!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
career choices
Molly's playing with my hair when she declares:
"I'm always going to be a hairdresser ... or a balloon or a soldier or a trickster."
(took me a while to figure our trickster. Twister? No, trickster)
She brushes my hair some more and says, "A hairdresser, always. Or a doctor."
"I'm always going to be a hairdresser ... or a balloon or a soldier or a trickster."
(took me a while to figure our trickster. Twister? No, trickster)
She brushes my hair some more and says, "A hairdresser, always. Or a doctor."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
