Happy 4th 2015

I am so proud of myself....I had all of us dressed in red/white/blue on the 4th of July this year.  And that's about where the festivities stopped because we ended up not going to the local park where they had firetrucks, bouncy things, free hotdogs, and ice cream.  That morning we all just decided that we didn't have the gumption to brave the heat.  My old babysitter and her daughter came for the holiday, which I was really happy about.  It just seems odd to spend holidays not around family/friends.  In lieu of all the traditional "stuff", we DID go swimming a lot, played a lot, went shopping a lot, ate a lot....and just had a nice time.

Gettin ready to have some fun!

Family photo shoot. I figured we were all festive and it was much later in the day (cooler-ish). Pictures were a must.

Here's how most of the pictures were

There have been so many instances lately where my girl says things and I just laugh inside, and sometimes outside, because she is just coming up w/ some interesting/funny/young mind stuff.
Some of the things I've noticed-
--She's starting to think about others now.  As an example she'll say, "I'm hungry.....you hungry too?"  Or if we are in her room and she sits down, "You want to sit down too?"
--If she doesn't hear what someone says, "Hey, what you saying?" I hear this one regularly...she wants to know what is going on and what is said at all times.
--We have regular conversations now.....tonight in her crib she says:
BabyGirl: I'm a kid.
Me: Oh, ok.
BabyGirl: You are a mama kid.
Me: No, I'm not a kid, you are a kid.
BabyGirl: Yes, I'm a small kid.
--When we watch shows we talk about what we are watching.....tonight she turns to me and says, " I just love cind.a.weh-wee". She is also laughing in the appropriate spots in shows....starting to understand humor.
--She also says....yah, yah, yah, yah......when responding to something that is a YES. I couldn't figure out where she picked this up from and just the other day I caught myself saying, "Oh, yah, yah, yah, that's fine":)

She's been pretty challenging lately.  When company comes, her sleep goes down, and fussiness goes up.  Her newest thing is to yell out, "NO" or "HEY" (which sounds like haaaay!) when I ask her to do something, or at times anything. I've tried to tell her that's not okay to say that to mama, she needs to listen, have her go in her room, etc., but this one is sticking around. It gets me worked up sometimes because I think it is not appropriate to talk to an adult like that.  I know that it is her age, etc. but it is a frustrating one because nothing I say about her responding this way is making a difference. Maybe I'm not firm enough w/ her when she does it? I just don't know how to correct this one.....I worry that if she thinks it's ok to respond that way now, at 2, what will she do later?
It's also been a battle of wills lately....at the store the other day she had thrown something on the floor and I said to pick it up. "No".  I said yes, pick it up....she threw herself on the floor, writhed around, but I stood firm. I said we could sit there all day until she picked it up. She sat there for almost 5 minutes when I said pick it up or we would leave the store. For some reason that worked and she picked it up.
And she just can't make up her mind it's "Go away mommy"..I start to leave.."Come back mommy".  "I want milk"...I give milk. "No, I want water....agggghhhhh".

Ah my girl....her behavior can be exasperating. And just when I wonder what else, she does things like this:
Earlier when I was feeding the baby in his room and on my way out, she came running around the corner from the living room. She holds up a tiny kernel of popcorn. I said oh, what's that?  She says popcorn. I asked her if it was for me? she said "Yes, I'm sharing".

I know the move was very tough on her and I know she is still finding her way w/ the new nanny. It's been hard for her that I went back to work, considering almost everyday she still says, "you go work? I don wan you go work".  I can firmly say that I'm thankful that she does have a feisty spirit, is a leader (maybe at this age just bossy), and is very, very determined because those are traits that I think will serve her well in the future. I'd rather her be this spunky and willful than a wallflower. It will just continue to be a challenge to parent her--but it's my job to find a way to do it and still let her be...her.

And of course my squishy boy is just fine. He is the perfect hip baby....I can hold him w/ one arm and walk around and do a ton of things.

My sister and I are trying to figure out what to do about something my Dad did.  I don't talk about extended family too much on here because this space is for me to share about my children/parenting, etc.. and honestly other than my closer relationship w my oldest sister, I don't really keep in touch much w/ my middle sister, brother, and Dad.  It just tends to be stressful, drags up a lot of old wounds regarding my mom, and frankly I just don't have the energy to devote to it.  My middle sister (the one I don't keep in touch w/) chose a very different path for her life and is married to not such a good guy. He's actually like a leech, but much worse. He's had such a negative impact on their 3 kids too...it's been sad to watch over the years.

Anyway, what my Dad did.......he decided that our inheritance will be some property up north that we've been going to since we were kids. Fine and dandy for my Dad, he wiped his hands clean, doesn't have to pay maintenance/taxes, etc......and gave it to all 4 of us kids as equal owners. You can imagine 4 people owning anything is ripe for issues. Namely, my middle sister and brother don't have a pot to p** in......so who will end up paying for this while we all still own it??....yes, me and my oldest sister. And the thing is, I would need to fly to get there and wouldn't even use the cabin/land anyway while my kids are so young.
It's created a lot of drama for my oldest sister because she just can't wrap her mind around letting the others use it if they don't pay (money big issue for her)--and they won't, I've known this. I take that back, my brother did give what he could.....but my other sister, not a chance.  Just this week my oldest sister got a text from my middle sister saying she wanted the key--several texts back and forth--then my middle sister said if she didn't give her the key, she was going to break a window into it anyway--she was part owner and can go there if she wants...on top of that my sister should pay to have the window fixed since she wouldn't give the key. What. A bunch. of DA-Rama.
No idea where this one will land.....several issues wrapped up in here....the main one I think about is this is not at all what my mom would have wanted. It was a place we grew up at during the summers.....so many years of memories....she certainly would not have wanted her grandchildren ( my middle sister's three kids) not to be able to go there just because my sister can't pay. And the inheritance part.....my Dad has decided that most of his estate will go to his spouse of less than three years. And really....the family part.  We just aren't a close family.  I don't dwell on this too often because it really brings up a lot of sadness for me. I'm not sure if it's best to just not spend time on it because they are who they are.....the thing is, I don't really even want a relationship at this point w/ them. I think what I mourn is what I would WANT a family to be versus what it IS for me. I know right now my energy is better spent on my own family.

This post sounds like such a downer, but it really isn't. I'm still feeling very positive and happy about how things are going in our life here....even if parenting is darn hard at times.  Lots to look forward to and I now need to stop this post because I feel like I've written a book.

Summer Fun

I started writing this post Sunday and got to the part where I wanted to post pictures, technical glitch, and am just now picking it back up.

Rewind to Sunday:
Today our company went home--sad face.  We had a visit from our old babysitter and her 2 daughters. They drove about 6 hours and came in this past Thursday and stayed until this morning around nine-ish.  My girl just LOVES these girls. Unfortunately I was at work when they arrived so I couldn't see her face when she saw them for the first time since we moved (over 2 months now), but they told me it was great!
I didn't know that little ones had longer term memories, but she's talk about 'the girls' and their mother since we've moved. She keeps asking where they are, why can't they come over, can we go to their house?, etc.. I'm just surprised that over time she hasn't forgotten.

I had to run around like a chicken on Friday handling house 'stuff' and a few appointments. They took my girl to 'i.k.ea' and had a ball. Our nanny just kept the baby all day so we all got to do what we needed to.

One of the appointments I had was a follow up to a wellness Dr.. I had seen her after having my first baby--my main symptom was sweating all the time.  I just assumed my hormones were still just out of whack from the baby, but when it was about 10 degrees, in the midwest, in the winter--and I was still sweating.... I knew something was up.  So, we did some testing, labwork, etc. and sure enough was having some hormone issues. So we started a supplement regime, radically changed my diet, and after a few weeks I was feeling great, sweating stopped, and I was sleeping better than I had in over a decade.
However, when I decided to go for baby number two, I had to stop all of the supplements, program, etc.. and start the protocol for baby.  Now that we are almost 9 months post baby, I thought it was time to go back.  We have to do some more initial testing before she decides what she wants to do, but she at least gave me some basics to start w/...like a good vitamin, ome.ga3's, and vit.amin D (which I usually test deficient). I have to decide what eating plan I want to follow.....she has some that are gluten/dairy/soy free--that's what I did the first time, or one that I can follow on an app, or a print out one that shows what to eat, but not how to prepare anything.  I have to just put my big girl boots on and realize that I need to start cooking. period. I am hoping that I'll like it over time.....but I just haven't. It's just so....messy.

Anyway...it was a good visit....and I think my girl was just plain tired because she normally can run from sun up to sun down and she just seemed like she was on a lesser volume when they were here.
We did a lot of swimming in the complex pool. Babysitter caught this pic--I think it represents her personality to a T! I just love her swimming get up, it's just too darn cute.

They commented on how my girl's vocabulary has gotten so much bigger. That she's just talking more. She comes up w/ words I don't even know where she hears them. As an example, we were sitting w/ a book that has string and you can practice tying shoes, etc. and she said, " Hey, this is tangled".
And she's starting to look like a little girl. Continues to grow taller and taller.

My boy also continues to grow...still just two teeth on the bottom. He will soon be 9 months old!  New nanny had taken them to the park and he went in the swing like a big boy....I was kinda sad I wasn't the one who put him in the swing for the first time. I know I know it's about him getting out, having new experiences, etc.. Although by the look on his face, it's like he's saying...."Uh, what is this?"

I think his favorite thing to do is screech. When he doesn't like something, when he wants picked up, when he can't reach something, when he's tired....that's what he does. He makes his wishes known. Funny how I can pick him up and immediately he stops :)

Overall, I don't want to speak prematurely but it seems we have "settled in" a bit. The kids both seem better tempered, rest a bit longer, my boy's naps are at least somewhat better.  There was a lot of upheaval for us with the move, new apartment, the new nanny, mama back to work, the even newer nanny, visitors, etc....We have actually had a string of out of town guests....the old babysitters and my sister have all been here to visit w/ the one babysitter multiple times.

As for me, I think I'm finally hitting a wall and running on fumes.....this week has been so hard to get a groove at work or home. My son has been up a couple of times a night again and my girl a few times here and there. I've tried to let him get himself back to sleep but after about half an hour max I go in there because as long as he is crying, I'm not sleeping either.  At one point he was actually sleeping through the night completely, and I hope we get back there soon. I think it's mainly fatigue because I'm just stretched....I'm either at work or spending my nights scouring/researching on the internet regarding house stuff or spending my weekends at house appointments, with the contractor, at the house, with the designer, et.c..or my scheduled work day off at Dr. appointments for checkups, etc.. I usually just collapse on the sofa after the kids go to bed and sometimes don't even check my computer in the evenings, thus not writing too many posts either.
I keep telling myself as soon as we can get in the new house things should settle down for me, just hang in there. I've been drinking a lot of caffeine which doesn't help with sleep, but I haven't been able to get energy elsewhere these days. I have to keep reminding myself that I am trying to manage lots of things right now, stressful things.....i shouldn't wonder too hard why I feel fatigued. And why those cookies taste so good.

I can't even begin to think about moving again in a few weeks so I just went to the apartment complex today to see if I could push my move out by one week and that's fine. So, we are here until July 25th. We need that extra week to get some more work done at the house--and i just need it.

Our other old babysitter is coming again from out of town tomorrow through the holiday weekend--so I've looked to see what we can do on the 4th--and early in the day because we are in the south. And OH it's hot

Should have some fun.

Out of the mouth of babes

Night time tonight. I have my head leaned on my arm, which is rested on her crib.
We just get done w/ a good five minute conversation.
The she says.....

BabyGirl: Mommy?

Me: Yes baby?

BabyGirl: I want you to stay wiff me.

Me: I know but it's time to go ni-night.

BabyGirl: I want to yell.

Me: You want to yell?

BabyGirl: Yes, because then you will come back and talk wiff me.


HA! Clearly she's got this figured out :)

Progress

We are still hanging out here in our apartment until the house gets finished.  I had a 3 month lease and it is over July 18.  That's about a month away. There is a LOT to get done in a short amount of time. Part of the problem is my general contractor, part of it is me.  Making decisions is not my forte.....I fret, and stew, and research until I can't do it anymore. Then once I decide on a color, or flooring choice, or size of something I second-guess and worry I chose the wrong thing.
The list of things being renovated in the house:
--new roof
--new outside A/C unit
--new trim color outside and new gutters
--repair/replace all rotted wood on house trim, powerwash entire house, replace several rows of rotted wood on garage
--removing all wallpaper in many rooms and repairing sheetrock, cracks in ceiling, etc.
--painting all ceilings, walls, trim, doors, baseboards (baseboards being replaced throughout whole house)
--new everything in master and guest bath--including tubs, sinks, countertops, toilets, faucets, shower fixtures, plumbing, vanity in master, resize master tub area so deck around is smaller and shower is bigger so I can have a bench--woop woop!
--all new flooring everywhere (replacing w/ wood, tile in wet areas, and carpet in bedrooms)
--new kitchen--keeping cabinets and painting/glazing them, but that's about it. New countertops, appliances, sink, faucet, garbage disposal, reworking the bar so you can actually sit at it, adding beadboard.
--all lighting fixtures inside out
--removing dated 'decorative' molding all over walls and columns
--new fireplace hearth/surround, backdoors (2 of them) replaced
--widen the guest bath doorway--was so narrow I couldn't hold a child and walk through at same time
--replace several closet doors so they slide instead of open like a door, re-size master closet entry so new doors could be installed
--adding wainscoting in formal living area, new hardware throughout house like door handles, etc.
--replace hinges in all doors and plantation shutters, replace all A/C vents
-I'm sure there's a few things I'm missing

The house built in the 90's is getting a total facelift--and draining my account. I knew it was going to be costly going in, so I made sure I got a great price on home to allow for all of these changes.

As with any remodel there are bumps along the way--even though we are not moving a single wall.
Here are some pictures of the flooring saga.

First stain too light--zebra effect.

New Stain Options/ Color samples on the floor. The two boards in the picture were the original sample choices that the floor underneath was supposed to look like (one on right).

Floors ALL sanded down again to get rid of stain color chosen in above picture. Looked nothing like it as you can see from the corner that they missed of sanding. I couldn't bear to take a picture of how bad they looked when the stain was on all the floors.

Fourth attempt at color and the left is pretty much what we had the first time and the right is too brown/black, not a nice rich brown.

I've basically thrown up my hands and handed it over to the designer/specialist lady who is helping me. I told her last night I've lost my patience and just need her to step in and handle.  Because every time something new is done w/ the floor I have to run over there and look at it to decide what to do. Since I have so much time on my hands. It wasn't just the stain, but a few issues w/ the install itself--they needed to replace some boards as the joints weren't flush, etc..
The designer does this on the side (helps people choose things for new houses/remodels) as she actually has a flooring business of her own.  Why didn't I use her company, you might ask? I did ask her to bid out the job but it was soooo much more than the current general contractor. What's crazy is that the guy doing the floor is a professional floor guy and has worked with my contractor for years.  No idea why it's been such a problem.

And that's just a slice of what I've been trying to manage on top of working, traveling to Colorado for work, and taking care of my babes. So many decisions, selections, choices, it is just flat out overwhelming. The designer is helping BUT, I'm learning a lot as I'm going along....as an example, we picked out all the plumbing fixtures....well, I did research on the brand and found some troubling reviews on how they make the faucets, tub spouts etc i.e. they are making things out of plastic material, even tub spouts...who knew!!....I just didn't want that so I decided to change up all the plumbing and start over.
I've spent countless hours researching brands, materials, how things are made, etc.. I have become an expert!

If you've made it this far, congrats. I know it isn't super exciting reading material, but once I started updating on the house reno I got carried away, I guess. It's been all consuming during the day, after work, and weekend hours.....

Monday was the first day our weekend nanny became our full time nanny. Things are going okay so far, I think.  I get the sense that she is a routine kind of person and wants to have that in place. Fine by me. My daughter hasn't cried while I left for work, so that is promising. She certainly still says "I don wan you go work" over and over, but when I have to go, she settles into her cur.ious geo.rge show and her morning bottle.  Now, she threw a pretty good tantrum this morning while I was still here....she woke up that way, but thankfully settled down. My son had a rough night last night and was up every 3-4 hours....me too.
It is teething, for sure.
I mentioned the other day that he had two teeth growing in....well, to correct that his lower right tooth popped through first....followed closely by his lower left tooth. They are now visible but he really fights when I want to get a picture, so I'll just keep trying.

It's been very busy and thankfully our old babysitter has come about 3 times now to help out in the stretches where I needed someone. It's also been great having company at home w/ the kids. Even though I am back in my old city, I just haven't seen a lot of my old friends.  None of them have young kids, either.

Hanging in there......

Oh wait, on to paint color!

Wonderful Moment

Our nighttime routine w my girl has ebbed and flowed.  She started out being able to be put down in her crib, walk away, then sleep. After we moved when she was around 18 months it went downhill from there, then we got a little better and she would go to sleep again w/out much fuss, then the bottle was taken out, etc etc.  basically it hasn't stayed consistent.

We are now back into wanting mommy to lay on the floor, wets talk about it, cry and fuss mode.  She is getting really good at negotiating.  Mostly because she learned that it worked. The last few nights when I go to leave she says, "Mommy instead of leaving, I want you to stay here wiff me". She says she wants to "read a story for me". "Stay here and rest wiff me", she says. She wants to just kiss and hug me again.
If it's not that, she wants me to cover her again, she wants a sippy cup w/ water, wants her diaper changed, she wants "itty bitty milk" in a bottle, something in her room is scaring her....you have to hand it to her, she's creative.

Tonight I decided I should be firm and tell her what was going to happen....she would lay down, we would talk, then I would leave to rest, and she would go to sleep. She pulled out all of her tricks, wanted to read me story, me to lay on the floor next to her, but I was resolute I would not go back in there once I left.

She whined and hollared "Mommay...Mommaaaay".....and not too quietly. After a short while I lost my resolve. I am sure it would have worked if I had stayed out, but I didn't.  I went in to try and quiet her down and then left again. Well, that made it worse. Of course.  So after a few more minutes I just said I'm back in.....I went in, brushed her hair back w/ my hands, told her I would lay with her for awhile. I got my blanket pillow, fluffed it up for a long while of rest.

Once I laid down I reached my hand up between the crib slats and she wrapped her hand around my fingers. It just fit.  Then.....she put her other hand on top of mine and just patted it tenderly and then rested it there......The smile on my face was so wide and my heart just swelled. Swelled.

I moved my hand slightly and she again, just patted my hand and gently brushed hers back and forth over mine.

It brought me to tears. The power of that touch just hit a deep spot in me......it was so....connecting.
Made me remember holding my own mother's hand.

What a great way to end what could have been a battle of wills evening.
She was asleep in 5 minutes.

Smile.

Sigh.

Drum roll please.....

Let's start out w/ a really sweet picture from a new work camera phone...I didn't even know how to work the thing.

Now......onto.........the teeth!!
I got home from work tonight and started feeling around in his mouth (I do this regularly) because I kept wondering when they were going to pop through....and sure enough tonight I felt two little nubbies on his lower gums.  I, of course, had to take a picture...at the end of his day. You can see how much he liked it. Can't really even see them but it's the best picture I could get. They are actually towards the back of his gums, closer to his tongue.

Really, mom?!

So exciting. He's been drooling like a faucet for months now, so it's about time. I looked back to when my girl got her first teeth and it was about 8 months too!

My big boy has some new tricks....he can roll over from back to front now. But, still gets stuck. He will cry out in his crib (loudly, mind you) when this happens. He screeches and just can't seem to figure out how to roll back over. I hope he learns soon because I turn him back over worried about him sleeping on his belly. The Dr. says it's fine but it's just a fear I have of him not being able to breathe somehow.
He also has a voice.  He's starting to communicate all the things he does not like.
Let's see, he's not a fan of:
--being laid down on his changing table
--when his sister takes a toy from his hands
--getting pulled out of the tub when he is done. I put them both in the tub at the same time now and while it is more stressful (he cries almost the entire time he's out until he is dressed and has his night bottle), it still seems easier to do it at the same time.  That's the hardest part of the day for him given he doesn't nap the best and is just so stinkin tired.
--when I put him down on the floor to sit and he sees me walk the other direction

How he's grown....here's a comparison of my little guy the day we brought him home from the hospital and now....just look at the those legs.

He is also back to sleeping pretty much through the night. We were on a roll there, but then our previous babysitter came over to stay w/ us last week since our current nanny was out of commission. She said she would get up w/ him and was just used to feeding him when he cried out during the night, so he slipped back into wanting fed more throughout the night.  Since she's gone back, I've had to do a few cry it out sessions last couple of nights and think we are better.  He went to sleep around 7 last night and didn't cry out until 5:45 am this morning. I fed him and he went back to sleep!! He got up after 7:30am.

Of course I say he is all smiles and so happy, but when my friend who hadn't seen him yet came over this past weekend, he was about as fussy as can be.  It was hilarious though, because when she came in his room to see him after I got him out of the crib she just stopped in her tracks. Looked at him, looked at me, looked at him.....somewhat speechless.  Well, except for saying...."What?!"....could not believe how much he looked like me. It is true, he's a mama's boy.

A positive in our lives is that our weekend nanny decided she wanted the full time job!! She kept asking me about how the search was going and I told her dismal.  I said I had a few more interviews and she said not to make any hasty decisions. No chance there.  So, weekend before last she sends me a text and says if I still wanted her, she would like to take it.  YIPPEE KAY YAY YAY!!! I think she just needed to be comfortable w/ the decision to change yet again...she has had a rough go w/the last few families and just wanted to move towards something.  I knew all along this would be a good fit, but it was important for her to come to that conclusion. She just didn't want to do overnights (will do the shopping), and I said that is far easier to get someone for weekend/overnight than it is for full time.  I think what tipped her was we had gone to see the house where we will be moving when the massive renovation is done. She could then picture what it would be like, how close it is her to house, where the parks are, etc..
Now, as with any childcare situation, nothing is perfect. I fully get that. I'm sure there will be situations that come up.  She is a bit more firm than I am w/ my girl. But, perhaps I could learn a thing or two. She's been in childcare most of her life. My son just melts into her lap. My girl....well, she's still wary of new people but seems to be in good spirits when I come home during the weekends when they are together
I will just feel so much more at ease knowing a very experienced, mother of grown children, dependable (so far) woman will be caring for them when I am not here. A grandmotherly-type in the warmness, but will still be firm when needed.  I've already learned a lot from her. She gave me the courage to start putting my boy down for a nap (in his crib) and let him cry it out a bit to fall asleep. I had not done that ever with him. I don't know why...well, I do. I get anxious when he cries. It makes me want to fix whatever is wrong....and quickly. My other two babysitters were the same, so we all picked him up, rocked him, shushed him, etc..
So in that vein, I never let him cry more than a minute or two. Perhaps he'd be on a better schedule now if I had started earlier, but I was so surprised and proud when it worked!  She just looked knowingly at me and said, "see!"...."you can do this". Just having someone support, encourage, and help me learn a new way of doing things was so wonderful.
Time will tell but I am glad she will be with us.

I can't post w/out sharing what my girl is up to....that's her in the store....pooping.
With a blue mouth from a ring pop to boot.

Ms. Personality and Squishy Bear

Baby girl is 2 1/2, will be 3 in a few months.  So, we are working on potty training again...well, let me just say, working on taking her to the potty when it's convenient for me.  I know she is ready. I just don't think I'm ready-- to halt what I am doing wherever we are to get to a potty. The other day after the bath she was running around w/ no clothes and said she had to go potty, took herself in the bathroom, jumped up on the toilet (w/no little seat on top) and proceeded to go potty. All by herself. I followed her in there just in time to see her getting the toilet paper. I was amazed. She did great. I've known for awhile she can do this....when we've been dealing w/ her bladder infections or lack thereof, we've had to have her pee in a cup. Well, when I get her on the potty, she goes on command every time.

AND....dum dum dum......she even went poopy on the potty last night!! First time with me ever!!  Last night right before bed she got that look and started to walk away...I asked her if she had to go poopy and did she want to go in the potty. She said YES! pretty enthusiastically, so I said why not?....I got her up on the potty and she tells me to go away. Um, okay...I go just outside the door and hear this little voice...."sittin' on the potty....sittin' on the potty". I asked her what she was doing and she said, "Just singing". Ok.
Next thing I know she says, "mommy"...I go in there and sure enough, she had gone. I made SUCH a big deal out of it and told her how great/amazing/cool that was.  Then she said go away. Once again I went around the corner....she says "mommy"....I go in there again and she left more presents.....this scene of back and forth went on for probably 10-15 minutes.  She kept saying she had to go.....and she kept going. At one point she said, "squeeeeeze". It was sooo funny.
I've been holding trying full on with her until we move into the new house...I didn't want there to be so many changes all at once w/ the move....but maybe we'll try some more given how well she is doing with it and seems to want to try.

I will admit that my stomach dropped a bit when I thought about her not being in diapers anymore. It was just one of those moments where I went oh wow....my baby is no longer going to be a baby. I'm not going to have my girl in diapers anymore. It's strange because I look forward to her milestones but it seems I want to keep her my baby. I didn't realize I'd have those feelings but in all honestly, this would be the first major transition. She is still in her crib, she still drinks her bottles.

Some funnies:
Tonight we were snuggling together watching shows before bed and I turned to her and said we need to decide when we want to get her out of diapers and into big girl underwear.
I said we could get some for her just like mommy has.
She said, "No, those too big".   !!
I was talking w/her the other day and think I asked her to do something and she said no.
I stuck out my lower lip like I was sad.
She said, "Just cry mommy baby, just cry".

Things she's saying now:
Everything is "Just like mine"....If we see books, or toys, or anything really she'll say, "yup yup just like my toolbox", "yup, just like my brother".
We've started the Why phase.  As an example....when she went into the bathroom and saw the roll was empty she says to me, "no paper. Why mommy, why no paper?".  Tonight I was doing laundry....she was calling for me from her crib so I went in to see what she needed. She asked what I was doing and I said laundry...."why mommy, why you do laundry?".  For the most part, I answer her w/ a real answer, not just say because. I want her to learn and know there are reasons for things. Most of the time.
Why mommy why?
She was calling for me from her crib to come here the other night. I stuck my head in the door and asked her what she needed.  She looks at me, pokes her little finger out of her crib, points to floor, and says, "No, come over heeeeere".

Just wanted to capture some of the things she says/does right now and it is just a small window into her big personality. She wants to be miss independent but often says "hold me like a baby". I comply anytime she asks.

My son, my boy....my snuggly wuggly squishy boy. I can just squeeze him all day long. He's got the right amount of babyfat to where it is super soft, and oh so fun to hold.
He is 7 months now and has hit several developmental milestones....he's sitting on his own now like a big boy. When on his belly, he's been able to push his chest up w/ his two arms and keep his head lifted up--he doesn't do this much because he doesn't like being on his tummy at all and gets "stuck"--he can't figure out how to move so just stiffens all four limbs and just cries. He's grabbing at things, looking for dropped toys....but I still can't get him to consistently hold his own bottle.  I know he can do it. I honestly thinks he likes just laying there to get fed instead of working for it. I suppose I would too.  He has been a droolin fool for months now. He has been chewing chewing on his hands, my hands, anything he can get his hands on, his feet..... So much so that I got a few more chew toys that are the best thing.....they are rubber-ish and have 4 prongs and a hole in the animal. It's great because he can grab many places and he won't drop it. And it has nubs, etc so it must just feel good on his gums.
He's been suffering a bit from constipation.....he's been doing a lot of grunting that poor boy...and w/ that plus his teething, his naps have suffered. BUT, I am so proud that I have gotten him to sleep much better at night. He was waking up like a newborn again but he's transitioned back into his crib for all his naps and night time.  He goes to bed around 6:45pm and falls asleep maybe around 7:00pm-ish. And he's been waking here and there but able to put himself back to sleep until 6-ish am.  That's just great.  Now last night was odd because after putting him to bed he got super fussy so I fed him another bottle at 8pm, then he slept totally through until 6 this morning. The thing is, he still needs more sleep. He's not the best napper, but we are trying to get him on a nap schedule to help w/ that. But he continues to catnap or not nap.
But, when this kid is full and not tired, he is just so dang happy.  You can't help but smile.
He is the spitting image of me too....I look in his face and see my own. His eyes and nose, for sure.  Anyone who sees him or his picture says he's mama's boy, for sure.