Easter 2019

Okay, for pulling Easter out of our bums completely last minute this year it absolutely ROCKED! But let me go back a bit...

So my neighborhood threw an Easter egg hunt the weekend before that I considered taking Cara to, but we didn't feel we had time to get the eggs (they posted the notification for it two days before the hunt) so we decided to skip out this year. Then I decided to start this huge cleaning spree of the house for the weekends and that ended up consuming me and my thoughts and my time. Then it was time for Sunday grocery shopping (before Easter) and I mentioned to Larry I needed 8 eggs for my lunch and dinners that week so I wanted to know if I should get more than 12 and he could make deviled eggs, but he said no. So I got a 12 pack and I'd find a use for the last 4...didn't even occur to me that we should get more and color the rest...womp womp!

All of a sudden it was Easter weekend and we had plans for Saturday to go to Marie's for lunch and stay up there for a few hours so I knew we didn't have time to do anything that day (I clean in the mornings on Saturday while I'm in this post-partum nesting spree). So flash forward to this past Friday night I realized we didn't have eggs, we didn't have Easter baskets, I didn't wrap or do anything cute with the gifts I got the girls, no outfits for the day, not even dinner planned. Larry mentioned we could hide these toy eggs we have that break in half to show colors and numbers, but I said I wanted to be able to sleep in Sunday morning and we had grocery shopping and all that. Well when I got up to pump at 3 AM (yes...that's still happening) I realized that was such a selfish thought. How could I put needing to sleep an extra hour and rushing to the grocery store (like that's a party) over celebrating the holiday with my daughter and making it special for her? That's just so messed up and not the kind of mother I want to be. So after I pumped I took out the toy eggs and hid them all around our main level (in all different rooms to make it fun) and then put the empty container and this bunny toy Marie got us on the table as a fun display for Cara.

Waking up Easter morning and grabbing Cara (who decided to remove her pajamas AND diaper during the night and she couldn't wait to show me her bare butt haha) to tell her the Easter bunny visited was just the start of the fun...now even though she had no idea what I was saying it was still so exciting. I took her downstairs to show her the display and told her the Easter bunny took her toy and hid the eggs throughout the house and she had to go look for them. She found the first one and yelled out "eeeg!" and I realized she now knows the word "egg". She got so excited and grabbed it and she got so excited to keep looking for more. I didn't realize she would pick up on "the game" of the morning so quickly, but man did she LOVE looking for "eeegs" and would laugh every time she found another one. I wish I had recorded the morning, but I did decide to make a re-enactment video because...memories, right? She loved it.

Gwen couldn't hang

We had also decided last minute we needed to get ham from the store for dinner. I thought for sure they'd be sold out, but luckily they had quite the selection. We'll ignore the fact that the lady questioned whether we really wanted all that ham and (from the sounds of it) if we could afford the ham haha. We threw it in the crock pot, we had grabbed some already shucked corn on the cobs and some instant mashed potatoes for sides and we were good to go. I had wanted to let Cara go outside after her nap to use her new sidewalk chalk, but it was rainy all day so we had to skip that part.

This girl loves her some corn!

Luckily dinner turned out SO good, Cara even ate almost every bite (she especially loved eating corn on the cob, which was a first for her), Gwen liked trying the mashed potatoes, and I was just so happy to have such great family time together. All in all, it was such a great day and I'm so glad we were able to pull it off. Although I definitely need to make it better in years to come...at least actually plan it better haha. I do look forward to coloring eggs next year and see how Cara likes that part.

Gwen is FIVE Months!

I am FIVE months old!

 

I like: getting dressed & undressed (she LOVES having clothes put over her head and taken off and loves when we slide her arms through the sleeves...in any direction), when someone is on the ground with me during tummy time, when daddy "tickles me (we get some really good giggles when he grabs her torso lightly and says "tickle tickle"), when I get to sit with everyone in the high chair during dinner time, when I wake up from naps or in the morning (she's a BIG morning baby!), Mom (she really loves when I get home and tell my stories), and my toes :)




Trying bananas - yum!

 

I dislike: Being hungry, being stuck on my belly, being in another room when everyone else is talking (serious FOMO)
 



She woke up early this morning
So she "helped" me get ready haha

I am now: We forgot a weight check, but she is in size 3 diapers, 6 to almost 6-9 month clothes, and has rolls for days!



Best onesie ever (and oh so true!)

A Typical Day looks like:
7 AM to 7:30) Start waking up for the day (although we're lucky if we get to 7:30....she's an early riser apparently)
7:30 to 8) Breakfast time. I changed diapers, outfits and then make her bottle (usually about 5.5 oz of breastmilk and 1 of formula).
8 to 9:30) Gwen hangs out in the swing while I clean dishes, get finishing touches on the morning things (my lunch, the bottle makings for Larry, and getting my work stuff put together), and brush Cara's teeth. I leave for work at 8:15 and Larry stretches her to last as close to 9:30 for her nap.
9 to 11) Nap time. She usually wakes up between 10:30 and 11. He'll usually do some tummy time or swing/bumbo seat time so that he can avoid spit ups later.
11 to 12:15 ish) Diaper change, eat a 6 ounce bottle (usually 1.5 oz is formula, the rest is breast milk), get burped and more wiggle and giggle time.
12:15 to 2) Nap time. If she gets up early then she hangs out until her next feeding.
2 to 3:15) Diaper change, eat 6 oz bottle again, get burped, wiggle and giggle time and then she'll end up going down for another nap.
3:15-4:45) She naps while Larry and Cara go downstairs so he can work out and she hangs out in the play area. After his workout and he showers she is usually up and ready to hang out again.
5-5:45) Diaper change, eat 6 oz again, get burped, and usually hang out with Larry and Cara until I get home
5:45-6) Dinner time! I usually feed her one small container of baby food with a tablespoon of oatmeal in it. I think she really likes this time because she gets to be in the high chair and we all eat together so she's finally part of some family time haha.
6-7:30) Family time! We go outside if it's nice weather, if it's not we stay inside and just hang out (usually teaching Cara some flash cards and letting Gwen wiggle and giggle). Around 7 we start our nightly show. 7:20 she gets her last bottle of the night (usually 4-4.5 oz of formula).
7:30) Get ready for bed. She gets a diaper change, lotion, owlet, and put in pajamas. We do a bath on Sundays and Thursdays (switched from Wednesdays) and then we put her in the bassinet to fall asleep on her own.Now that we've cut out that last nap (around 5:30 ish) she seems to be very happy to go to bed and doesn't fuss very often once she's down. It's been hard with the time change that it's so bright, but she's still good at just falling asleep.



Sister sharing some of her applesauce

This Month I:Grew a ton! I started working on moving around a lot more and it's rare that I'll stay in one place when put on the ground to explore. I am very close to scooting and can go backwards a little bit. I turn and rotate a ton and you never know where you'll find me if you leave me in a room by myself.

I laugh a lot and love to smile...especially when mom gets home from work. I love eating and watching my sister and I'm sure I'll be walking next to her very soon. I got to feel the sand in my toes and see what outside is all about. I love watching my sister run around and it gets my legs wiggling because I get so antsy to join her. I am nice enough to my parents that I sleep all night, but boy do I love mornings!

I've loved all the teether toys my parents find for me, especially the banana one that brushes my gums! I've also gotten more used to being in my car seat...although it's still not my favorite place to be. I've found I love my thumb so much that I try and suck both at the same time....sure makes it convenient when I'm sleepy :)

Mom is always showering me in kisses and telling me she loves me so I think I'm here to stay :)



Cute smiles in the morning!

Parent's Notes: Gwen is easily the most happy baby! She loves smiling at people, doesn't have as much stranger danger as Cara had, and seems to adapt to different people really well. She definitely goes wide-eyed when first seeing new people, but gets over the "whoa" factor pretty quickly. She's also getting better at reaching out and grabbing toys and items she wants (mostly to bring to her mouth, but still). She is very drool-y, but I don't think it's teething related, I think it's just normal baby drool.  She's definitely a chunk and has rolls all over, which is so surprising to me as she is getting about 90% breast milk over formula, but I'm guessing because she does get an extra bottle over what Cara was getting that's what's contributing to it. I'm not complaining though, I know once she gets more mobile she'll most likely slim out a bit.

We transitioned Gwen into going to bed without a bottle and she's done really well. It's funny how I stress about these new things we're going to try and how we'll know when we need to do it (I don't feel I kept as helpful of notes with Cara to know what we did, so I'm hoping these notes will help with future babies), but that parenting instinct just kicks in and I realize I can tell when she's ready. I was actually the one to initiate this change too, normally I let Larry take it on since he doesn't get as much anxiety as I do with changes. I will say this is where treating the girls as more individuals has helped. Rather than say "Cara went without a bottle at this point, so we should probably start that with Gwen" I've learned to listen to her queues and how she's growing on her own. It's making me feel like a better parent to do it that way and I'm loving how things are going.

Now that Gwen is 5 months old this is our last month with having her in our room. I'm nervous to move her, as I was with Cara, but I think she's getting ready for that change. I have to majorly clean the nursery out, move Cara's stuff to her new room, move Gwen's stuff to the nursery and get Larry to raise the mattress, but I think it'll be such a relief when we do move her. I know I'll be sleeping better haha. Although I've actually loved having her sleep right next to me to check on every once in a while. Luckily we haven't had any false (or true really) alerts with the Owlet so she seems to be sleeping great and not having any issues for me to be worried about.



Such a wiggle worm during nap time

 

Update on last month's goals:

• Solid food introduction: Gwen has been loving getting her baby food during dinner time. She always makes funny faces, but she gets so excited when I have a new spoonful ready for her. She's getting better with opening her mouth and eating it, although she does have a bad habit of putting her fingers in her mouth right after so I wonder how much she's actually getting down.
• Rolling over both ways: She can roll over both ways, but she thinks she can't go from tummy to back. We've seen her do it a few times, but she still fusses like she's forgotten. Hopefully she'll figure it out this next month.
• Smiles & Laughs: this girlie LOVES  to smile. She gets so giggle-y (especially when she's tired). There's not shortage of smiles and laughter at our house!
• Individual treatment and attention: I think I'm doing better with this. I stopped comparing them as much (though I do like to see where Cara was at certain points just out of curiosity...also to remind myself a little about how far she's come), but I'm learning more and more how different they are. It's actually making it more fun!
• Getting outdoors: We've done so good at getting outdoors if the weather is nice. It's been really warming up lately and next month the pool opens up so we'll have many more opportunities with this one!

Goals for next month:

• Get her moved to her new room.
• Work on sitting up more on her own.
• Work on scooting.
• Keep trying new foods.
• Get her outside as much as possible.

New Obsession

I've recently discovered a new trend on YouTube: #CleanWithMe

It's been so nice because I've been in an extreme purging-the-home mood and wanting to clean out every nook and cranny of our home. I wouldn't say I want to go minimalist, but I definitely don't want to hold onto anything we don't need or will use. I have to say it's been nice to get into this mood again, I haven't felt this motivated to clean since before out trip to Georgia (when I was feeling the nesting bug REAL bad).

I feel I've been able to balance my work/personal/parenthood lives really well so far, but if there is one thing that's really fallen to the wayside it's been house cleaning. we tidy up, we clean up spills and animal/kid messes when they happen, we spray Febreze if people are coming over, we do enough for our home, but it's not how I'd like it. There is plenty more that could be done. I have done nothing but watch these cleaning videos for two days (while at work) and they have me more motivated than anything that I can fit this into my balancing act.

Wish me luck! Now that I'm in this mood I'm wondering - is it too crazy to want a whole new home to get a clean slate and really do this right? HAHA!

Summer Bucket List

Summer is gearing up and will be here before you know it. I thought it would be fun to put together a list of the things I'd like to accomplish this summer. It may sound like a lot, but I think we can get most crossed off

• Go swimming as much as possible!
• Go to the playground with the girls
• Get our backyard finished (and get some flower pots added to our porch for color - maybe?)
• Go on Gwen's 7 month trip to San Diego
• Go on our trip to Washington and Montana (which will be after summer, technically, but still!)
• Go hiking
• Celebrate Cara's 2nd Birthday!
• Have fun during Mom's visit in June
• Get Cara potty trained
• Go to Farmers Markets
• Get a Green River Melon to share
• Go to all the splash pads!
• Go to Wheeler Farm
• Eat Snow Cones
• Go to Tracy Aviary
• Use our memberships to Thanksgiving Point and the Aquarium as much as possible
• Go to water parks (Cowabunga Bay, Cherry Hill, etc.)?

Wish us luck, but also be jealous if we can get them done. We're going to have such a great summer (it's my first one in a while that I won't be pregnant or have a tiny newborn during haha)

Gwen is FOUR Months!

I am FOUR months old!

 

I like: my thumb (she now sucks that and prefers it at night to her binkie - YES!), mornings or after she wakes up from a good nap, seeing any of the 3 of us (mom, dad, or Cara) at any point in the day, pretending to roll over, sitting up and being part of the action (I'm convinced she's going to be an early walker because you can tell she wants to run around with Cara so badly).

She melts me with her eyes and the looks she gives me

I dislike: She has FOMO and will stay awake if she thinks she's missing out on something, trying new foods (so far), and being put down (on an activity mat) right after waking up in the mornings (it's part of that being a part of the action and being put on her back means we can walk away from her), strangers and loud noises, and being in the car seat (I kind of regret not going for more walks with her in it to help her get used to it early...even if it they were just in the mall or something)

She tends to get more cuddly when there are loud
Noises around her. This was at dinner one night.

 

I am now: At her doctor appointment today she is officially 14 lbs .5 oz and 24.5 inches long. She's around the 50th percentile for weight and length and 90th for her head circumference. She's wearing size 2 diapers and barely fits in size 3 clothes, she is more in 3-6 month clothes. She's our big buddha baby!

A Typical Day looks like:

7 AM to 7:30) Start waking up for the day. Usually on the weekends she's good at sleeping in a bit (or at least entertaining herself). But 7:30 on weekdays is when I get her up no matter what.
7:30 to 8) Breakfast time. I changed diapers, outfits and then make her bottle (usually about 5.5 oz of breastmilk and 1 of formula) and Cara's breakfast (oatmeal or cereal) and then feed them at the same time.
8 to 9:30) Gwen hangs out in the swing while I clean dishes, get finishing touches on the morning things (my lunch, the bottle makings for Larry, and getting my work stuff put together), and brush Cara's teeth. Larry stretches her to last as close to 9:30 for her nap.
9 to 10:30) Nap time. She usually wakes up at 10:30 very much ready for her next bottle. He'll usually do some tummy time or swing/bumbo seat time to get her to be calm.
11 to 12 ish) Diaper change, eat a 6 ounce bottle (usually 1 oz is formula, the rest is breast milk), get burped and more wiggle and giggle time.
12 to 2) Nap time. If she gets up early then she hangs out until her next feeding.
2 to 3:15) Diaper change, eat 6 oz bottle again, get burped, wiggle and giggle time and then she'll end up going down for another nap.
3:15-4:15) She naps while Larry and Cara go downstairs so he can work out and she hangs out in the play area. After his workout and he showers she is usually up and ready to hang out again.
5-5:15) Diaper change, eat 6 oz again, get burped, and usually hang out with Larry and Cara.
5:15 to 6) Final nap time. Just a small one to help her last until bedtime.
6-6:45) This is when we wake her up and she'll hang out with Larry and Cara while I pump. Around 6:30 we put her on an activity mat while we do "Family Stretches". It also started warming up towards the end of the month so we started to take the girls outside a couple nights during the week
6:45 - 7:30) I'll usually read to the girls at 6:45 while dad gets the 7:00 bottle ready (4.5 oz of breast milk). I'll feed her while we watch our nightly show. Now that she's eating "solids" we're thinking of (and started experimenting with) making this time where she gets baby food/formula and the oatmeal instead of giving her the bottle.
7:30) Get ready for bed. She gets a diaper change, lotion, put in pajamas, owlet, and sleep sac (but not swaddled, it just helps to keep her warm), and a nice 3 oz formula bottle to top her off. We do a bath on Sundays and Wednesdays and then the same routine after that. If she isn't asleep when we put her down she's good at putting herself to sleep so that's been really nice. Now that she's getting more solids at 7 we've changed the last bottle to 4 oz of formula. Our plan is to get her used to having solids at 7 and doing a formula bottle at 7:15 and then getting her used to a bedtime routine without the bottle (but maybe add in a book). I think it'll take us a couple weeks till we feel we can start that, but I'm glad she's already getting used to going to sleep on her own. It's also nice that when I'm making her last bottle of the night she's already starting to put herself to sleep on our bed so I don't think it'll be hard to transition her to the new bedtime routine when we're ready for it.

Look at those chunky thighs!

 

This Month I: Rolled from back to front, and got SO close to front to back, I started smiling and laughing a little reactively. I got to try new foods, but I'm not so sure about them just yet. So far it's just been sweet potatoes, but she kept making "what on earth is this in my mouth?" faces haha.

I also got to meet my Papa and Nana (Wilson) as well as my Great Grandma Wilson. she crocheted me an amazing blanket that is so soft!

Such an adorable napper

She looks REALLY big here...but it's just the angle
AND look at that face!

 

Parent's Notes: Gwen has gotten to be SO much more fun this last month. I'm seriously obsessed with her and feel like she's like my little baby doll. She absolutely loves to smile and be happy. She did so well when she met Papa and Nana T (Wilson), but she kind of cried when she met my grandma on that side. She also cried at the doctor at her appointment, so she might be starting the stranger danger stage (sad face!), but with us she smiles a TON! She's got the craziest big blue eyes, sometimes they almost look purple.

I really had to learn this past month that I just cannot compare Gwen to Cara. They are two separate people and will learn things at their own pace. I was worried Gwen wasn't rolling over even though I had notes that Cara was at this point and I was starting to get upset over it. Then I realized that Gwen has been doing things that Cara might not have yet and I just need to let her learn things on her own. It doesn't do any good to compare them and make them feel like there is a competition between the two of them. Once I learned that I have been having more fun with her.

We're both (Larry and me) so grateful that she's gotten used to the bedtime routine and goes down so easily. The fact that she's been sleeping through the night has been SO amazing and it's made it so I haven't feel as sleep deprived this time around. I actually tend to wake up throughout the night and just stare at her because she's just so sweet and perfect! We've also actually been able to go out to dinners a little later than we were daring to do with Cara at this age and it hasn't been too bad.

I'm so happy to have two easy (so far) children and it makes me excited to keep adding to our household (yes I am already thinking of that!).

Update on last month's goals:

• Continue working on tummy time to improve her rolling over skills. She's rolled over from tummy to back a couple times, but she still gets so frustrated. I wish I knew how to teach her this quicker.
• Grabbing Skills: She's gotten SO good at this this month. In fact she will grab anything that Cara puts in her hands (after which Cara claps like she's so happy it worked haha). She also started grabbing for my face towards the end of the month. She's getting so much better and it's awesome to watch!
• Getting as much attention as Cara. This one is probably the hardest part of having more than one kid. You can't give both of the 100% of your attention so they have to share. I feel I've gotten a good balance, but I probably actually give Gwen a little more than Cara. But when it's Larry's night to put Gwen down I make sure to cuddle with Cara while we watch a short cartoon before she has to go to bed (since hers goes quicker we give it 10-15 minutes after Gwen starts her routine to start Cara's).
• Solids: We started with some sweet potatoes and she made funny faces and half spit it out the whole time. I'm still very excited to add more as the doctor said we could even start with some peanut butter about now. YAY!
• Nighly STEAM activities...yeah that's still a work in progress. We haven't done it too much.
• Sleeping: we're there! Other than some mornings she gets up a little earlier than we'd like, but most of the time she's good to go. If she rolled over both ways already I'd be starting the transition into her own room, but we've got another month or two before we do that.

Goals for next month:

• Work on the STEAM nightly activities...hopefully I can find good ones even with going outside more.
• More work on solids. We want to get her used to them so we can start the new bedtime routine.
• Rolling over both ways. This would be so nice so we didn't have a cranky girl when she gets stuck on her tummy.
• Just continue with the smiles and work on getting real laughs. That's another favorite milestone for me :)
• Work on treating them as individuals and being more in the moment. This time around is going so much faster and I know she's going to be 1 before we know it.
• Get outdoors and let her explore as much as she can! It's getting to be so nice that I'm excited she doesn't have to be cooped up in the house or in her car seat.