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Daily Life

K helping out with Belles

Posted on November 16, 2017

Today I am thankful for how helpful K is with Isabelle. (Note: this is not something I am thankful for ALL the time… ?.) It goes without saying that having 2 kids is more difficult than 1 kid for all the obvious reasons, but there are times it’s easier too.

When you have 1 baby, you are responsible for all of their needs and they need stuff all the time. Most helpless creatures ever ?. Having someone else to make them laugh when they are crying takes some of the burden off of you to be responsible for all of their entertainment. (And babies don’t quite understand “Go play.” … Come to think of it, neither do toddlers.) Having someone grab a diaper during a blowout allows you to attend to the poopy mess without worrying about making it into a traveling mess. Because poop ? in one spot is better than poop in all the spots.

And even though we are encouraging Isabelle to feed herself, it’s pretty darn cute when K feeds her bites. And Belles really appreciates it because feeding yourself is hard work! It makes me feel like they’re partners in crime already and K is helping sneak her bites when Jason and I aren’t looking. Watching your kids bond is a pretty amazing experience ?.

Daily Life

Belles is a little peanut

Posted on November 14, 2017

Trying to fatten up this little peanut!! We went to the dr yesterday for shots and she has only gained 1 inch and is pretty much the same weight as she was 2 months ago. Enter the crushing Mom guilt… Is there something wrong with my milk? Have I been starving her? Is she sick and I didn’t notice? Of course I was in tears by the time her dr came in.

She took one look at her and said “She has pink cheeks, bright eyes, is super alert and active, and you can’t see her ribs. This is not a starving baby. She popped 2 teeth this week so probably nursed less (which she did), and she’s newly mobile (rolling consecutively) and stands and sits. I’m not worried about her, but we’ll do a weight check next week just to be safe.” In the meantime, we were instructed to add an extra meal of food with healthy fats (we were only giving one a day so far because we just started solids about 3 weeks ago.) So I’ve been nursing pretty much every 3 hours she’s awake and pumping her full of yogurt, avocado, cheese, and peanut butter (in addition to our fruits and veggies of course.) Fingers crossed this little 12.4 lb peanut is a 14 pounder by next week ?.

Daily Life

The case of the missing skeleton

Posted on November 13, 2017
Today I am thankful for kind people!! K’s beloved skeleton fell out of the stroller on the way home from the park on Friday. She was so bummed and we walked all the way back looking for him but he didn’t turn up. He was originally a Dollar Tree decoration I bought last year and K fell in love with him and he has been going everywhere with us for months (he even sat on the plane to Michigan with us .) I (correctly) assumed Dollar Tree had already put all their Halloween decorations away but called Saturday just to check.
A nice lady named Irene told me that they had been put away and also had all the Christmas stuff stacked in front of/on top of them but that if I called Monday, she would see what she could do. I called back today and she went through the warehouse and climbed up and got the skeleton box down for us so we went and bought 5 new ones! This photo is K’s face as she saw Irene unboxing the skeletons. It was so kind of her to go above and beyond to do this for us. She absolutely could have just said “Sorry, they’re all put away.” We’re so grateful to have Skeleton(s) back and that there are wonderful people in the world who are willing to go out of their way to make others smile ?#30daysofthankfulness
Daily Life

Isabelle is 6 months old!

Posted on November 8, 2017

Happy half-birthday Little Miss! I can’t believe it’s been 6 whole months since the day you completed our family (Yesterday… I was a day late ?.) It wasn’t as easy journey for Mom. 200+ days of hyperemesis, effacing 50% at just 22 weeks, and then starting to dilate at 33 weeks. And you, my stubborn child, were breech. We worried about you all the time. You are our rainbow baby, and it was a bumpy ride. And now that you are here, you are dealing with your hip dysplasia like a champ.

I think I cried more than you the day you got your harness on. You smile all the time. You came out sucking your thumb and we thought you were going to be so laid back, but lately I see some fire in you! You popped your first tooth, you sit, you pull to stand, and you travel the living room via rolls trying to avoid your tiny godzilla of a (yet incredibly loving) sister. You love meatballs and pulled pork so even though you’re a blondie, we know you are ours ?. We are so lucky to have you as a part of our family and it’s amazing watching your personality unfold. Happy 6 months baby girl!

Daily Life

Katie’s teachers are amazing

Posted on November 8, 2017

Today I am thankful for Katie’s school. When she first started, I was nervous that anyone would be able to work with her energy level and relate to her the same way that I can. When we toured the school and saw all the other kids walking 2 by 2 in the hallway and doing circle time, I worried that K wasn’t capable of listening/following those kinds of rules (I mean, she wasn’t even 2 yet and barely istening to me! ) And here I am now, taking notes on how they do it!

I worried that K wasn’t capable of listening/following those kinds of rules

And then yesterday we had the privilege of bumping into the woman who started the school. She was a Holocaust survivor who concealed herself as a Catholic girl with forged papers. And then here she was sitting next to a photo of herself as a little girl, a photo I had seen on the building wall countless times before and had no idea who it was, and she was telling us her story. She said she started the school over 50 years ago and it was only one day a week at the time, and now it has grown into the amazing program it it today.

I am so honored to have met her and grateful that she put so much work into starting this wonderful program. This photo is a piece of artwork K made at school and they made into a sheet of stickers. Every day she comes home with new art, knowledge, and songs, and I am so grateful for how much they are helping her grow into an amazing young lady.#30daysofthankfullness

Daily Life

Potty Training Day 3

Posted on November 7, 2017

Potty training day 3: I’m really trying to find my zen, you guys. It’s been a long one! I thought I was prepared for all the pee pee. I mean, I can throw all the pee pee pants, panties, and shoes in the sink and hand-wash them (because no in-unit laundry means doing a load every hour just isn’t in the cards!) And as for the pee-pee carpet, I can clean that too. K’s pee is mostly water anyways, plus we rent so… . What I was not prepared for was the poop! What to do about the poops ?!

K’s pee is mostly water anyways, plus we rent so…

K woke up this morning and went into the closet, as usual, to take a poop. Only this time she was wearing panties and not a diaper. So I said “Oh no, we do that in the toilet.” So we went over to the toilet and sat. (And I thought to myself, well that was easy !) And then we sat. And sat. For probably half an hour. And then it was time to leave for school. On the way to school, K told me again that she had to poop. So once we got inside, we sat again. And sat… you get the picture. But no poops. I had packed 4 pairs of panties and pants for K (after yesterday I thought we should be prepared) and I told K’s teachers if she pooped to just throw the panties away (sorry, earth .)

And then we sat. And sat. For probably half an hour.

When I picked her up, I totally expected a poop to have happened. But it did not. We went to leave school and K scurried into the bushes and started making poop face, so back into the school we went and another half hour on the potty. Then we came home. Another half hour. I wanted to sit with her and be supportive, but didn’t want her to think I was forcing it. I didn’t want to start putting a diaper on her for poops, but did’t want her to hold it too long and get constipated. (Remember psych101? Didn’t Freud say you could ruin your kid by potty training them wrong?!)

Didn’t Freud say you could ruin your kid by potty training them wrong?!

I had no idea pooping could be so complicated ! And I was running out of hours in the day and was getting worried that if she made it to bedtime and we put a diaper on her, she would just poop in the diaper and a habit would be created where she just went every night in her diaper and not in the potty. So while she was napping I googled what other parents did and came up with the following plan: explain to her that poop is made when your tummy turns food into poop and it’s not a part of her body, dump the poop into the potty together when the time comes, and wave goodbye to the poop as we flush it.

I had no idea pooping could be so complicated

When she woke up and said she had to poop, I told her the food part and within an hour, she pooped on her potty! It terrified her just a little bit but we cheered her on, gave her a sucker, told her what a great job she did, and video called both sets of grandparents . Hopefully we hyped it up enough that she’ll continue to make more poops in the potty! Send good pooping vibes ! And bring on day 4!

Daily Life

Cooking with Kids

Posted on November 6, 2017

Today I am thankful for this little co-chef (who may have put a smidge too much onion powder in our soon-to-be pulled pork… Okay WAY too much. Like I had to get a wet paper towel and wipe some off ?.) I love how much she enjoys cooking with me (even though it always makes a giant mess!) but I know she has a great time, and lately we have been smelling the different spices we put in and talking about what they smell like and which ones are sweet or spicy or strong. She also gets excited to eat something she helped cook (which is mostly why I started having her help!)

It’s definitely a double edged sword having them help – once you offer they want to help every time

It’s definitely a double edged sword having them help – once you offer they want to help every time and sometimes you’re in a hurry or short on patience, but like anything she is getting a little better each time, shaking the shakers more and dumping less, listening a little better when I say that’s enough… It’s a process but for the most part I enjoy that we can do this together because I used to love cooking with my mom when I was younger! Can’t wait until we’re in Michigan for Christmas ? and we can bake cookies with Grandma! #30daysofthankfulness

Daily Life

Day 2 of Potty Training…

Posted on November 6, 2017

Me: Katie, smile!
Katie: How ’bout SCARY FACE?!
.
It is a rather appropriate face for day 2 of potty training though, as I look at the pee pee laundry piling up. As of 2 pm today, we have 4 pairs of pants and panties soaking in the bathroom sink, and 4 pairs of shoes drying outside (hence the mismatched outfit ?.) And the first 3 pees in the clothes were at home ?! The first time, I was VERY understanding. “It was an accident, let’s try again next time!” The second time was 20 minutes later. I was displeased, but okay, it happens.

The first time, I was VERY understanding.

The third time, another 20 minutes later, I was definitely unhappy. I mean, this kid has been using the potty naked with very few accidents for a year. She knows better than to pee her pants 3 times in an hour literally 5 feet from her potty. Our apartment is not that big. She can even still see the tv while she goes ?. No excuses. So I let her know I wasn’t happy. At all. After that, we had 3 parking lot pees (this ship had no public bathroom), and 5 successful pees in the potty. That’s 11 pees and it’s 2 pm. Is it too early for a beer? Asking for a friend

Daily Life

The girls are growing up too fast!

Posted on November 5, 2017

“Remember, remember, the 5th of November…” It may look like just another ordinary day of K showing Isabelle how to play an instrument (“Watch! A’Belle! Watch!) but today was quite the day for us all. In the past 24 hours, K made the switch from diapers to panties (during the day), Belles popped her first tooth, and she learned to pull to stand (but doesn’t know how to get down so she stands there and cries until I set her down ?.)

It’s like the 2 of them got together yesterday and conspired to grow up at the same time and make their mom’s heart hurt!! My was-just-a-newborn baby girl has a tooth and she stands ??! My big girl is using the potty and wearing panties ??! Is it a full moon or something?! I suppose I knew all this stuff was coming but it just happened all at once! Feel free to #stopgrowingany time now, you two ?? .

Daily Life

Officially Potty Training!!!

Posted on November 5, 2017
This is not a drill! She actually *asked* for panties today! Maybe this is the real start of potty training!! This kid has been using the potty on and off since she was 16 months old – but only when she was naked! Put a diaper or pull up on her and she forgets the potty exists. I remember thinking to myself she would be potty trained by a year and a half because of how often she was using it, and then surely by 2 ??.
Put a diaper or pull up on her and she forgets the potty exists.
What a fool I was! Everyone kept saying “Just sit her on the potty” or “Just put some panties on her!” The panties she ripped right off every time and the only way to get her on the potty against her will was to physically hold her on it… No thank you! So we decided we would encourage her but wait until she was ready.
Last weekend we kind of jumpstarted things again when I somehow forgot to put a diaper on her with her Halloween costume when we went out trick-or-treating
Last weekend we kind of jumpstarted things again when I somehow forgot to put a diaper on her with her Halloween costume when we went out trick-or-treating ? and she ended up using a public potty for the first time. Her teachers have also been asking her regularly if she wants to use to the potty, and then Tuesday SHE asked to sit on the it (and then cried when she got there, but it was a start.) We have been putting on epsiodes of her favorite shows that address using the potty, and then today after she used it, she asked for panties! I think this might be finally be it!! Fingers crossed