Memorial Day

I hope everyone enjoyed their long weekend.  My days all blur together, but I assume some of you got an extra day out of the deal. :)  We certainly enjoyed having Kyle home yesterday, that was nice.

Yesterday was warm...dare I say, hot?  Right on cue, New England decided to honor the unofficial start to summer.  We spent our morning lazing around the house before running a few errands together.  After we put the girls down for nap, Kyle and I got ready to grill.  I mean, it's memorial day...you grill. 

And you know what?  It's just the two of us really.  We didn't have anybody coming over, nobody to "cook for" and it would have been super easy to save the time, money, and effort and just say "eh, I'm fine with a bowl of cereal"  But - there are few things I enjoy more than celebrating traditions...so I was really happy that we went through the "trouble" of grilling out.  Even though it was just us.  

nothing super special about this picture, but it captures the memory for me. 

We grilled burgers and tried our hand at beer sausages for the first time -with peppers and onions - they turned out pretty tasty...and that's coming from someone who doesn't really care for sausages.  Add in some cole slaw and chips and we had ourselves a mighty fine lunch.

After Abs and Elizabeth were up, fed, and dressed - we got out and walked to the park.  I mentioned that it was warm, right?  Humid too.  I mean, not really too humid by Arkansas standards, but definitely by New England standards.  I kinda enjoyed it.

tangent:  When Kyle and I first came to Boston to search for apartments, we had such a good laugh when we passed a lady standing in line at a dunkin' donuts stand in the subway.  She was waiting for an iced coffee and talking on her cell phone.  In a THICK Boston accent, she was telling somebody on the phone "Yeaah, it's like eighty degrees, I'm DYIN' out hea'"  Kyle and I just looked at each other and laughed.  I mean, we had just come from 90-100 degree temps and were enjoying the nice cool temps.  Anyway.  Point is.  It's all relative, and now we're the sissys who think 80 degrees is hot.  ....of course, we don't put on coats till temps get down in the teens. ;)  end tangent.

Here are a few park pics

Her little plaid shorts and the green grass - summer, no?

Abby is no longer satisfied with swinging at anything other "super high" heights.

She was so nervous trying to navigate these little pedestals, Kyle guided her through while making her do  a lot of it on her own. It was cute to watch. 

E just slept pretty much the whole time.  No blankets needed today.

After the park, we obviously needed to stop for ice cream.  I mean - how could we not?  :)  Abby got her usual mini cup of M&Ms, but I let her try my ice cream cone too.  She's never had her own cone - and I usually get a bowl.  So, it made me laugh when I gave it to her and she 1) didn't realize you could eat the cone and 2) didn't know HOW to eat the cone.

trying to eat it corn-on-the-cob style :)

Wait, what?  You eat it how?

Ooooh, got it. 

(also, note how gloriously sweaty and dirty she is - sign of summer for sure)

she insisted on walking the "bal-wance beam" on the way home

We got home and had a quick dinner before putting the girls to bed.  We had them both down around 8:30.  Later than preferred, but a small price to pay for such a lovely afternoon and evening.

Also (if your name is Kathy, stop reading right here.  Really).  An amazing thing happened last night.  Elizabeth slept from 8:30pm-4:45am.  That's like 8 hours of sleep!  She ate a few ounces and was back down by 5.  She woke for the day at 7am.  The other cool thing? Abby did too.  She tried coming in our room at 4am, but I put her back and she also slept till 7.  And also?  I had the good sense to go to sleep early.  Ok, so actually I just crashed from exhaustion, but I basically went to bed at 9:30.  You really don't realize how much you needed the sleep until you get it.  I feel pretty good today.

Also, while on the topic of sleep - I'm trying to give E more structured sleep.  Over the weekend, we stopped putting her to "bed" in her baby seat where we would keep her with us while we watched TV and such - and instead, we've been putting her to bed upstairs in her pack-n-play.  It's a little weird not having her within arms reach while we're up at night...but for the best I think.  I've also been putting her down for nap in her pack-n-play the same time Abby takes a nap....that's been going well.  And today, I put her down for an official 9am nap.  So, slowly but surely, we're developing a routine.  She sleeps a lot still, but I'm not complaining.

Ok.  Kathy, you can start reading again.

So, happy unofficial start to summer.  I need to remember to blog about a bunch of other stuff too.  Mainly - Abby's recent antics, photo stuff, and deep thoughts for the girls.

thursday

I just want to quickly document our Thursday before it gets too far in the rear view mirror.  Thursday was Abby giving her best performance at being two.  Really, this kid is pretty good most of the time.  We've certainly had more attention seeking behaviors since Elizabeth came along, but even those are typically tame.  But.  Thursday.  Ugh. 

We had three meltdowns within the first hour of our day.  The first one was over getting dressed, the second was over brushing her hair, and the third one was over breakfast.  Here's how the third one went down:

I go to the kitchen to pour Abby a cup of milk and toast her an english muffin for breakfast.  Abby sees me pouring the milk and screams, "NOOOOO I don't want to eat breakfast right now!"  To which, I reply, "Ok." I just calmly put her food down on a blanket for her should she decide she wants it.  And, apparently, that was the wrong thing to do.  She spent the next 15 minutes screaming and crying at the top of her lungs into the carpet.

exhibit A

I ignored her, of course.  And, after that 15 minutes, she stopped.  She then continued to just lay there in silence (fine by me)  As soon as she heard Kyle coming down the stairs, she started up with her crying.  He ignores her and pretty soon we were on with our day.

I took the girls to Target to get a few things (and to browse at several more things).  Really, Abby wasn't bad for most of the trip.  But...she eventually started in on this thing that drives me bonkers.  She just screams.  At the top of her lungs.  Now, at home?  At home, I can ignore this until she loses her voice completely, but when we're out and about - It's harder to do that.  So, after several warnings - she got a time out at Target.

exhibit B

That was one of two she had while in the store.  One good thing about Abby and being difficult is that she does not fight a timeout.  I suppose it has just not dawned on her yet that she could refuse to stand there.  And, I actually think that she likes the time outs.  Which is bittersweet because I want her to feel punished - and yet - I've often had to go to time out for bad behavior because I needed the break too, and I'm always so glad that she goes so willingly.

And, she always tells me why she got a time out, we discuss what she could have done differently, and we hug.  And, she's good after that.  I mean, she's good for a little while anyway. ;)

After Target, we stopped in Carter's where Abby hung her head and said "I'm so sad!"  When I asked her why she was sad, she said "I just want monies in my hand, mommy.  I don't have any monies"  It was confusing and amusing all at once.

After Carter's, we went to pick up Kyle for a quick family lunch.  On the way - this happened:

Both girls were asleep in the car.  Abby never falls asleep in the car under normal circumstances.  Only if it's past her naptime or if she's sick....but this was 11am.   So, this is where I interject my spiel on sleep.

Some of Abby's behaviors are due to good old fashioned attention seeking.  Those are pretty easy to recognize.  But, a lot of them are due to her sleep...or lack thereof.  And, it's largely our fault.  As the days have gotten longer, and with Elizabeth in the mix, Abby has been going to bed later.  Typically, around 8. Sometimes 8:30.  The problem with this (besides being an hour past her normal bedtime anyway) is that she also likes to talk and sing to herself for a while, so she's not going to bed until 9ish.  This is not good.  This causes her to wake up earlier.  She wakes up with the sun: 5:45am.

So.  In sum.  She's not getting enough sleep.  Which means, on days like Thursday?  She wakes up tired and we have 3 meltdowns in an hour (remember exhibit A?)

So, I've renewed my efforts to get her to bed and nap on time.  After 2 days of early nap and bedtimes?  Abby slept till 7am this morning and took an extra long nap.  So, we're on the right track I think.

ANYWAY.  Back to our day...on Thursday.

We met Kyle for lunch and food always makes her happy - here's my sweetie being sweet.

We came home and I put E to nap.  Then, I went to put Abby down for nap.  I'm not going to rehash every second of that afternoon, but in short - she didn't nap, and after 2 hours of trying and trying and trying to get her to sleep - I gave up.

But.  Since Abby wasted 2 hours of my afternoon, I decided she had to pay it back.  So, for the next 2 hours, she sat on a chair and watched me work and do chores.  We did not talk.  She did not play.  She sat in the chair.  When she tried to get out - I would look at her and she would sit back down.  If she started talking - I ignored her or gave her a quick "shh"  And, after those 2 hours were up, I decided to give her some quiet play time.

We kept the afternoon low key.  She had a few more tantrums (surprise surprise), but wasn't *too* bad.  Because she didn't take any nap, I made SURE she was in bed on time.

exhibit C

It was a long day for sure.  And I thought several times that I would do anything for my toddler to act more like my newborn.  And yet - I try and try and TRY to remember that her world isn't easy either.  I try to look at things from her point of view.  I reason with her best I can.  I explain.  I give her chances to make good choices and all that jazz.  We do all right.  But sometimes?  Sometimes you just can't wait for Friday.

nap time tidbits

It's warming up, finally. :)

I took Abs and Elizabeth to our playgroup this morning.  We all met at the park because the day was so nice- in the 70s and sunny and just nice.  We spent 3 hours there and could have stayed longer had lunchtime and naptime not called.  I think we'll be going back to the park this afternoon as well.  I love days that are this nice.  I hope we spend a lot of time outside this summer - it's so good for Abby to be able to run and climb and jump and dig and play.

My free trial for my photo software ran out, so I bought it...but I'm waiting for it to get here.  Until then,  I don't have my preferred way to upload my pics off my camera, so it's kinda slow on the photo front lately.  Well, slow on the posting front -I'm still taking lots. ;)

Knock on wood, but for the past two days, I've managed to get the girls to take naps at the same time.  This has happened before, but it's more structured lately.  I'm optimistic about this trend continuing for as long as we can swing it.

I just realized that today is Wednesday and that I didn't even look at the You Capture assignment for the week.  Hm.  I need to get back on that.  I enjoy the weekly photo challenges.

Elizabeth developed a bout of baby acne which (knock on wood, again) seems to be clearing up a little now.  Also, she seems to be smiling.  I think it happens too often for it to be just coincidence now.  She loves it when I tickle her neck and when I tap her nose.

The one thing I don't love about spring, and more specifically, the weather change - is bugs.  It got warm, then it got really cold again, and we have ants here and there now.  The big ones.  Ugh.  On one hand, I'm glad they travel alone and not in droves and I'm glad they're big enough to be seen...but, ugh!  Why can't they just live outside and be happy?  I only see a few every day...but still, it's everyday.  I'm buying some ant traps this afternoon.  There's also a wasp trapped in our laundry room.  I don't know how he got in and I don't know how to get him out.  I think I may just stop doing laundry.

The other day Abby said "I see an ant mommy!"  I looked, and there was one.  Of course, Abby has no concept of pet vs pest.  She likes them.  She talks to them.  She thinks they're neat (and they are...when they're outside).  Without thinking, I swatted it with a rolled up newspaper.  Abby says "...mommy, where'd the ant go?"  I realized I was not ready to introduce her to the concept of death at that moment and told her that the ant went home.  Now?  Whenever she hears me swat at one she asks, "that ant going home now?"

#mommyfail.

Another Abbyism.  She has this bad habit of taking off her shoes in the car.  We're working on it.  She often takes off her shoe, holds it up to her ear and says "Hello?"  One day I asked her if she thought she was Maxwell Smart talking on her shoe phone.  Well, she caught on that I was making a joke of sorts and so it, of course, encouraged the problem.  So, now she routinely takes off her shoe, holds it up to her ear and says, "look mommy!  I'm smart!"

...it's really hard not to laugh.

What else?  Oh, I dunno.  Nap time is almost over and I've spent it catching up online and am just now seeing the house of chaos and mess in front of me that probably should have warrented my attention first.     C'est la vie.  I won't be able to see it while we're at the park anyway. :)

Here are  few phone pics from this morning.

the tail end of a smile

Abby rocking her first real braid.  This is my new favorite way to deal with those unruly bangs. :)

toss up

So far, today is a toss up.  Good day? Bad day?  We'll have to wait it out to see what the net gain is when bedtime rolls around.  Either way, it's been busy...in both good, and bad ways. 

Elizabeth, obviously through some sort of wizard trickery, has convinced time into telling me she is a month old now.  One month.  That's like 30 days, y'all.  Maybe it's because she's slept for 28 of them that times seems to have sped up so.  I don't know.  But, I do know I have mixed feelings about it. 

Mostly, I look forward to the end of the newborn stage.  I mean, yes, there is something sweet about snuggling with passed out baby who is smiling in her sleep at you - and I cherish those moments.  But, I know that it just gets better and better.  I enjoy the infant stage more - when they smile and interact and laugh.  Once those things start happening, I'll wish for time to slow down again.  I also look forward to her hitting the magic 6-8 week mark, as that is when we will try to keep a better schedule with her sleep.  I don't mean we'll start sleep training at that point, but just that we will do better about putting her down for more structured nap times and bed times.  Right now, she still sleeps most of the day....so we just let her.  I suspect she'll start spending more time awake in the coming weeks. 

So, we took little E to the doctor this morning.  She's doing great.  She weighs every ounce of her 10lbs and is 23 inches long.  She's rocking some baby acne that the doc says should clear up in a few weeks...but perhaps we'll save the close up shots till after the acne clears up more.  I'm kidding...even my acne faced red blotchy skin baby is beautiful.  Duh. 

Other E news?  We graduated into size 1 diapers today - something Abs didn't mangage till she was 4 or 5 months old, ha.  She's a happy baby as long as she's not cold, hungry, or uncomfortable.  Her dark hair is falling out on top, as expected.  She still has it in the back, but I imagine that will follow soon and the blonde fuzz will take over.  She had her first bath in the tub (in the baby seat) last night and loved it.  The kid likes to be warm - she kept yawning and nearly falling asleep through the whole thing and it was kinda ridiculously cute.  Not much else to report, I mean, skills are limited at this juncture...and I've mentioned that she sleeps all the time, yes?  I'm not complaining (AT ALL) - it just doesn't make for a lot of exciting blogging, y'know?

Anyway, E did great at the doc, got a shot.  She cried for about 30 seconds until she realized, "wait, what? Is this a bottle in my mouth? Oh, well, then, nom nom nom..." And that was that.  Elizabeth is an easy baby (knock on wood)  

My two year old cries far more often than the newborn does.  *faceplant*

Abby has had a bit of a day, shall we say.  I'm going to blame part of it on the fact that she snuck out of her room and slept for several hours on the floor upstairs until she woke up at 3am saying "I just want my cat blanket!" and I put her back to bed.  I should preface all this by saying that Abby hasn't been the worst child on the planet or anything...but she's normally pretty pleasant, so when she has these bouts of defiance, agression, and constant melt downs?  I think it presents as extra irritating to me.  

I don't want to rehash every single meltdown we've had today (we'd be here for hours), but Abby has been all hot or cold today.  I walked into the living room carrying a pair of pants for Elizabeth. Abby just saw that I was carrying clothes and instantly started screaming "No no nonoNONONO! I don't WANT to get dressed now!!  NOOooooooOO!"  She threw herself on the ground, had tears flowing - the whole bit.  I said "Abby, these are not for you, these are for Elizabeth"  She pops up and says "yeah, ok" all chipper like.  Oy vey. 

While at the post office today - I finally make it up to the counter to pay for everthing.  I'm swinging E in the carrier with one hand because she's starting to get fussy.  Abby is sitting on the counter trying to grab everything within reach.  Oh, and she's covered in priority mail address stickers, which I imagine the post-office doesn't approve of, but our guy definitely gave me some of that "been there" sympathy that I get from people increasingly often.  Anyway, I'm trying to pay, and Abby takes off her jacket and throws it on the ground. I pick it up, rock E some more, give the guy my credit card - now Abby has her shirt 1/2 way off and is trying to take off a shoe.  "Abby, please stop undressing in the post office"  

When I put her in her car seat, she kept doing this scream she does just to get a reaction from me.  I was very Zen about it.  Then she starts flailing her arms at me to hit me - she very very rarely does this.  I can't even remember her doing it before (but I'm sure she has, does that make sense?)  While every piece of me wanted to yank her out of her carseat and spank her there in the parking lot - I didn't.  I ignored her.  

Anyway, it's been that kind of day.  Yet, while we've had a lot of those types of moments, she was also really well behaved at the doctor's office, she listened really well when I've asked her to do certain things, she's been a big help with Elizabeth....so, like I said, not sure where our net gain is for the day.  

Our last battle was over making a cake.  She wanted to help me, and I thought it would be fun.  Everything was going well when suddenly she flips out and runs away crying.  It took me a while, but I finally figured out she was afraid of the hand mixer.  I spent about 15 mins talking to her about it and she was still scared.  I offered to let her sit in the other room till I was done, to let her play games, to let her be on the computer, to go upstairs...no - she wanted nothing except to be held by mommy.  When I finally told her that I HAD to go finish the cake she cried "I just want to take a nap now!"  

Sold! Yes, I think that is a fabulous idea my dear. 

She went upstairs and I tucked her in and she (to my knowledge) is still there.  

And now that both girls are sleeping and I've finally gotten the chores done, things cleaned, the cake baked, something other than Mickey Mouse on TV, and (gasp) even a blog written...I'm feeling better about the second half of the day.  

happy one month Elizabeth Mae

makeup

I have 300 some odd pictures from Jennifer & Ben's visit this past week.  It's going to take me a little bit of time to document all we did, and it won't be in order.  But, that's ok.  It was really great having them up here - we had a lot of fun and I think they went home sufficiently exhausted.  ;)

The last morning they were here, Jennifer and Abby spend some time doing some special aunt-niece activities.  We had a little tea-party, which was fun.  Then, Abby got to do her first ever "makeover" with her Aunt Jennifer.  It suffices to say that she. loved. it.  I use the term makeover loosely - but she got a little make up and some nail polish put on, so it was fun. :)

So, here's a brief recap of that. 

gathering supplies

putting on lotion first

putting eyeshadow on Jennifer

...and herself

lipstick time 

lipstick, painting...it's all the same.

now, time for nails.

showing off their beauty 

little E wanted in on the action too. ;)

Checking herself out in the mirror

More updates to come, I promise. :)

hi

I know, I've been MIA.

My sister and brother in law are visiting this week - it's been great, and we've kept busy.  Add to that the whole mom thing, and we've kept really busy.  When the end of the day rolls around, and both kids are asleep, and I have a second to sit down and relax - I've been spending that time with my sister instead of blogging.  I tell myself "I'll blog during nap time" or "I'll just post a quick update from my phone"  And, maybe I'll figure out that too - but for now - I just haven't been able to find the time.

But, I need to figure it out, because blogging *IS* how I relax and unwind most nights.  So, I feel kinda weird if I go too long without posting anything.

I have pictures on my camera that I need to upload.

And I have things to document from Jennifer and Ben's visit.

And general day-to-day blatherings.

...but, tonight?  This is just me saying hi...and to let you know I haven't completely vanished.  Because I need to sleep, but I still have things to do before my head hits a pillow.  So, I'm off to it.

scratch that

So, even though Blogger ate my post, it apparently still shows up in the blog reader thing - so my friend Brandy copy, pasted, and emailed it to me, lol.

Thanks Brandy!

--------------------


Just a quick list of things I don't want to forget.

Abby has several words that she mispronounces just enough that we find it
endearing.  In fact, many of these words - Kyle and I have adopted as well.
We'll use Abby's versions more often that the correct way. Some of these are
repeats - but things she still says.

Restaurant = Res-trunk
Helicopter = Hero-doctor
Salad dressing = salad dip
Trampoline = jumpoline
Baseball = catching ball
Exercise = mousekersize (thanks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Yankee Doodle = Yucky Doodle

The other day, Abby brought me an empty coffee mug and asked "Mommy? You
wanna  pump some coffee?"  Heh.  I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if THAT'S
the way things worked?

I often play classical music in the car for Abs.  Since she was a baby -
it's been a good way to get her to stop crying and calm down.  Now, we use
it to learn instruments.  She can usually pick out piano, guitar, flute, and
violin...as long as the instrument isn't too masked with others.  What's
funny is that Abby calls classical music "nice music"  She'll say "Mommy, we
listen to nice music now?"  And if I change it to the top 20 or a pop
station she'll say "no no nonono!  I want NICE music!"  Oh, it makes me
laugh.

My uncle, Don, had this phrase that we all grew up with.  Ooby Gooby Goby
Mambo Cha-cha-cha.  Now that I think about it, I have absolutely NO idea
where it came from.  Jennifer? Y? Anyone want to enlighten me?  After you
say it, Don would always say "...and NO smiling."  Which, of Course, was
hilarious.  Abs is now a pro.  She says Ooby-Gooby all the time (well,
actually she says gooby-gooby because the O alone is too tricky)  But after
she's done - she looks at me and her eyes get all twinkly and she stiffles a
laugh while she says "...aaaand nooooo smi-wing!"  And then when I smile
back at her - she loses it and just giggles and giggles.  It's great.  And
I'm sure Don is happy that this tradition has found sure and solid footing
in this next generation.

In other news, she's started saying "mom and dad"  instead of mommy and
daddy.  I don't really know where/how/why this started.  It's weird.  I
sometimes ignore her if she says mom, or I correct her.  I'm not ready for
her to be old enough to stop calling me mommy.  I mean, she's TWO. 

But, it's better than calling us Wawa & Kyle....which she's tried a few
times.

This morning she asked "We take daddy to work?"
I said, "yes"
Abby: "then we go shopping?"
Me: "Well, yes, we are actually"
Abby: "we go to Target?"
Me: "Yep - we are going to Target today"
Abby: "And I get ice cream? And then we pay for it? And then we get lunch at
a restrunk? And then we go one more shopping?"

...and at this point, Kyle has given me "that look" that says he is both
amused and concerned at our, obviously, habit forming traditions. Eh.  Could
be worse.

Goodness - there's more to write, but the girls are a-stirring.  I'll try
again later. :)

sigh

I wrote a long post yesterday...full of funny Abby things.

But, Blogger ate it. Boohiss.

me --> unmotivated to rewrite the whole thing. :(

good news --> my sister and her hubby are coming tomorrow!
other good news --> Kyle turned in all his  schoolwork for the semester
yet more good news --> I found time to take pictures today...coming soon I hope.

Also, typing with one hand with a sleeping newborn = short blog posts.

abbyisms

Just a quick list of things I don't want to forget.

Abby has several words that she mispronounces just enough that we find it endearing.  In fact, many of these words - Kyle and I have adopted as well.  We'll use Abby's versions more often that the correct way. Some of these are repeats - but things she still says.

Restaurant = Res-trunk
Helicopter = Hero-doctor
Salad dressing = salad dip
Trampoline = jumpoline
Baseball = catching ball
Exercise = mousekersize (thanks Mickey Mouse Clubhouse)
Yankee Doodle = Yucky Doodle

The other day, Abby brought me an empty coffee mug and asked "Mommy? You wanna  pump some coffee?"  Heh.  I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if THAT'S the way things worked?

I often play classical music in the car for Abs.  Since she was a baby - it's been a good way to get her to stop crying and calm down.  Now, we use it to learn instruments.  She can usually pick out piano, guitar, flute, and violin...as long as the instrument isn't too masked with others.  What's funny is that Abby calls classical music "nice music"  She'll say "Mommy, we listen to nice music now?"  And if I change it to the top 20 or a pop station she'll say "no no nonono!  I want NICE music!"  Oh, it makes me laugh.

My uncle, Don, had this phrase that we all grew up with.  Ooby Gooby Goby Mambo Cha-cha-cha.  Now that I think about it, I have absolutely NO idea where it came from.  Jennifer? Y? Anyone want to enlighten me?  After you say it, Don would always say "...and NO smiling."  Which, of Course, was hilarious.  Abs is now a pro.  She says Ooby-Gooby all the time (well, actually she says gooby-gooby because the O alone is too tricky)  But after she's done - she looks at me and her eyes get all twinkly and she stiffles a laugh while she says "...aaaand nooooo smi-wing!"  And then when I smile back at her - she loses it and just giggles and giggles.  It's great.  And I'm sure Don is happy that this tradition has found sure and solid footing in this next generation.

In other news, she's started saying "mom and dad"  instead of mommy and daddy.  I don't really know where/how/why this started.  It's weird.  I sometimes ignore her if she says mom, or I correct her.  I'm not ready for her to be old enough to stop calling me mommy.  I mean, she's TWO.

But, it's better than calling us Wawa & Kyle....which she's tried a few times.

This morning she asked "We take daddy to work?"
I said, "yes"
Abby: "then we go shopping?"
Me: "Well, yes, we are actually"
Abby: "we go to Target?"
Me: "Yep - we are going to Target today"
Abby: "And I get ice cream? And then we pay for it? And then we get lunch at a restrunk? And then we go one more shopping?"

...and at this point, Kyle has given me "that look" that says he is both amused and concerned at our, obviously, habit forming traditions. Eh.  Could be worse.

Goodness - there's more to write, but the girls are a-stirring.  I'll try again later. :)

mother's day etc.

I will find time to blog, I will find time to blog...

So, Mother's Day.  It was good. :)  In a lot of ways, it was a normal Sunday for us, but that was fine and I think I kinda preferred it that way.  The day started with Abby bouncing around on the bed to wake me up.  We snuggled, we pretended to sleep, I tickled her, she tickled me, and we eventually went downstairs for breakfast.  

she gave me this card...with just a little help from daddy. ;)

I liked it Very much.

We all got ready and went to church.  After church we headed to Cheesecake Factory...along with every other person in Boston.  But, it was nice.  Abby was well behaved, the food was good, and the meal ended with a Reeses peanut butter chocolate cake cheesecake...that I didn't share. ;)

Abs discovered the spoon & ice cube game.  Endless fun.

...she also dipped her bread in that water...every bite.  Um, I dunno.

After lunch, we let Abs play in the playspace for a while (to her immense happiness) and then I decided to introduce Kyle to Anthropologie.  Funny story.  Kyle had never heard of this store, but, for whatever reason - there were about a dozen random references to it all week long.  On TV shows, from friends, neighbors, I dunno, it was weird.  So, it's right by the playspace so we were browsing around.  I can't afford anything in that store, but I LOVE looking.  We actually did end up getting a little decorative thing for Elizabeth's room - which was my Mother's Day present.  And, I know I'm a real mom because I was really happy to buy something for E for my present.  

Anyway.  I check out and find Abs and Kyle sitting on a couch and Abby is pretending to be sad.  I say "Hey, Abs - you want to carry this bag?"  She jumps up and says "Oh Yes!"  So I give her the little shopping bag and she puts it on her shoulder and runs out of the store yelling "Yay! I'm so happy now!"

...needless to say that drew some eye rolls from the husband. :)

Anyway, the rest of the day was normal.  Abs and Kyle and E took naps - I spent time outside with Abs and just hung out.  It was a good day. 

Just a few more random pics.

This evening, Abby went upstairs while we were cooking dinner and came down with a hand full of toys and two books.  She announced "I going to read to baby ewizabeff"  She stood there and turned the pages for her to see - she read the book from memory of course, but it was the sweetest thing.  

Abs really is a good helper - but if I leave a bottle out, baby will get fed.  I went to the kitchen to check on something and I hear "Look mom! I'm helping!"  Elizabeth doesn't seem to mind the extra feedings.

Oh, also.  Monday,  Elizabeth had her 2 week appointment.  She looks great.  She's gaining weight well (9lbs 5 oz) and they measured her at 22 inches.  Not sure about that, but I don't suppose it really matters.

At any rate, she's doing well.  :) 

saturday morning

As I go through my days, I often think to myself "remember to blog about that"  And then, at the end of the day, I sit at my computer and (when I'm not falling asleep) think to myself "now what was I going to write about?"

So, I dunno, we'll go with this stream of consciousness thing for a little bit.

Babies sleep a lot, and for this I am thankful.  Elizabeth's sleep patterns (if you can call them that at this point) are starting to emerge.  Mostly I know she will be awake for an hour before nap time and for 1-2 hours before bedtime.  This works out well.  The past two or three nights, we've been able to put the girls to bed around the same time.  Elizabeth has slept from 8 or 9pm until 7 or 8am.  Well, it's 8:30 right now and she's still sleeping.  I feed her once or twice a night...but she doesn't really wake up and goes right back down.  It's great.

But, I feel like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop.  I feel like this is the honeymoon period still and pretty soon she's going to realize that she can wake up and cry whenever she wants.  So...we'll ride this sleep wave as long as we can, but I'm just waiting for my luck to run out.

Elizabeth rarely cries.  In fact, the only time I've heard her cry is when she's hungry or maybe cold.  When we're at home, this might last a minute or two.  The other day we were driving and she cried for 15 minutes or so until I could stop and tend to her.  That was the first time I'd heard her get really ticked off.  And she's still small enough that her cry isn't annoying yet...it sounds like a fake baby cry.

She looooves the swaddle.  Loves.  LOVES.  In fact, I've been double swaddling her.  We were gifted some really nice swaddle blankets that I'm crazy about now.  For bedtime, I wrap her up really tight in one of those, and then I wrap her in a bigger blanket as well.  And she wears a hat.  And then I strap her and all her swaddleness down with another blanket.  I KNOW I'm breaking all the safety rules about kids being around blankets.  But, I promise that I make sure she can breathe.  And, I check on her often just to make sure....not that I'm really that worried.  But, I tend not to worry enough sometimes, so I make sure I check on her.  Our house is cold too - so I think she really loves the warmth.  I mean, she's going on a 12 hour stretch as I type this (and yes, I just checked on her - she's fine).  Anyway, just wanted to document that she is a swaddle baby fo sho'

I guess, so far - she's been easy.  Minus the barracuda nursing of course.

Moving on.

Hormones are funny.  I wondered how I would be different this time since I kinda knew what to expect from with Abs.  Overall, things have been easier.  I know I'm more emotional than I normally would be (I cried at an iPad commercial last night), but I'm still able to differentiate  what feelings are legit and logical and which ones are crazy and hormonal.  Most of the time.  A few days ago I had a really really awful morning.  I hadn't slept enough, I hadn't eaten enough, Abby was being incredibly difficult and provoking and I lost my temper with her...which of course made me feel beyond awful.  Things just snowballed from there and while I knew, cognitively, that my hormones were what was really out of whack... I couldn't help it.  And I get really frustrated when my emotions override my logic.  I don't like that feeling, so it was a bad morning.

But.  Things got better - as things are wont to do.  And the second half of the day was fine...and the two days since have actually been great.  Still - I look forward to things evening out.

Other stuff.  I've lost 15 lbs in 10 days.  *cue Wicked Witch of the West melting scene*  Currently, I'm 15 lbs away from my pre-preg weight, which is pretty exciting for me.  I mean, I still have a month before I'm even cleared to exercise...so I'm optimistic.  Oh, and by cleared to exercise - I mean weights and running.  Because, you know what?  Carrying a 9lb baby in a sling outside for 2 hours, or cleaning house while chasing a 2 year old, or carrying all the groceries, a car seat, a diaper bag, and helping a toddler upstairs is definitely exercise.

This is getting long, huh?  You can tell that I'm writing this in the morning - after a full night's sleep and a cup of coffee.  :)

The other thing I want to mention (again?) is how well Abs is doing with Elizabeth.  Abby is definitely showing attention seeking behaviors and regression - she steals pacifiers, sits in the baby seat, and routinely says "look at me, I'm a baby!"  She also does things like tell me she's sad and will occasionally sulk for a while....I think that she knows she gets the most reaction from me when she's acting pathetic.  Yelling and throwing things I can generally ignore - when she's sitting in the corner with her head in her hands...I find it hard not to go comfort her.  She's got my number for sure.

BUT - despite the attention stuff - she loves baby Elizabeth.  She wants to help with everything.  She kisses her and giggles at her and it's fun to watch.  Abby says often "I'm a big sister, I can help!"

Just wanted to mention all that.

Kyle just came downstairs with little miss sleepyhead.  So, I'm gonna log off here and take my turn and holding the little bundle. :)

board game

edit- I wrote this post and fell asleep several times at the end (yes, I know it's short) but I apparently deleted the first quarter of the post - so I'm re-adding this. 

My sweet friend Billie Jo and her husband Ricky sent us a package yesterday.  Inside was a box full of fun for all of us.  The girls got lots of fun things - one of which was Abby's first board game.  :)

Abby was excited about it.  I told her we could play after nap and as soon as nap was over she was asking about it.  I mean, how can something named CANDYland not be exciting to a two year old?  

So, I unwrapped everything and told her how to play.  She did pretty well - seemed to understand enough, or at least was able to follow my directions well.  

It didn't take long, however, before Abby discovered the "real" way to play the game.  You see, Abs was 200% sure that you're supposed to match the cards with the spots on the board.  Fair enough - so we played that way for a while too.

But, once I let loose the sorting monster - she doesn't hold back.  Next I know, we're sorting cards by colors, lining up the game pieces, and puting everything where it goes.

I had a lot of fun, and wanted to document this first.  I know I had a lot of fun with this particular mommy-Abby activity.  And Abby told me the rest of the day "Pwaying games wif mommy was weally weally fun!"  ...and that is always nice to hear.

So Thank you Billie Jo & Ricky - we had a blast. :)

I'm hoping to write more later - but I'm getting tired and still have things to get done before I retire for the evening...so, we'll see.  Generally speaking - things are going well, we're adjusting slowly but surely an both girls are doing fabulously well with this transition.  :)

You Capture - Outside

I'm a little late getting this up today, but for good reason - you see, this morning was the first time I left the house with both girls, all by myself!  It was also the first time Elizabeth went to Target, so there was much celebrating involved.  ;)

Anyway.  This week's theme was outside.  A week ago, I didn't know if I'd make it outside or not during this first week of having a new daughter.  But, I'm happy to say that we actually got out quite a bit - which was fabulous because Spring just hit New England like a cannon (and I hit it with my Canon - bada-bing).  Everything was ready, set, Bloom!  Now! 

So, here are a few snapshots from our Sunday afternoon.

our neighbors have lovely flowers

I have a thing for these trees - I don't even know what they are. I just like them. 

 a little sunflare, anyone?

this picture is so overwhelming - but it totally  captures how it feels up here now, it's just everywhere.  My husband would probably title this picture "and this is why I sneeze"

but, despite flowers in abundance, there is simplicity as well.

Go see everyone else's fab photos at Beth's! 

everything

I don't know how much time I have left until Abby wakes from nap...probably not long, but I'm going to try to get as many thoughts out of my head as I can before that happens.

1. Things are good.  Elizabeth is a pretty typical newborn.  She sleeps all the time, she only cries if she needs something like, y'know, food.  I really can't complain.  I've been trying to figure out how someone who sleeps all day can be so much work.  I haven't quite figured out the answer, but I think it has something to do with the lack of a schedule.  Even though she sleeps 22 hours a day - It's never quite the same 22 hours.  We're never really sure when she's going to be awake or asleep or for how long.  I'm just now, a week in, starting to think about those patterns...or lack thereof perhaps.  And again, things aren't bad - but Kyle and I are both running on your typical new-parent sleep deprivation.  I slept for 4 hours straight a day or so ago.  But, that was a fluke.  In the last week, I've slept 2 hours a night and try to sleep for an hour at nap time. 3 hours per day.  That's pretty much exactly inverse of what Elizabeth does.  Funny, that.

But, a lot of that sleep deprivation is my own fault.  Kyle's sister has been up here helping out all week and after the girls were asleep, I (we) didn't want to just go to bed - so instead we all stayed up late watching tv, vegging out, and just keeping each other's company.  My goal this week is to figure out my own sleep schedule a little better.

2.  Nursing.  We're off to a rough start.  The good news is my supply is good.  The bad news is that little E caused me quite a few wounds and I've been pumping exclusively for 3-4 days now in an attempt to let myself heal before we try nursing again.  It's been hard.  I just expected that nursing would be easier this time, and while I don't have the same issues as with Abby (low supply, sleeping baby who wouldn't eat, had to use a shield the whole time), it's been so much harder this time around.  The pain of trying to nurse her was unreal.  There was more than once when I thought I would pass out from the pain, and once I bit my cheek until it bled just because I didn't even notice I was doing it.  It just wasn't good at all, and it wasn't getting better.  So, I decided to start pumping instead so that 1) I could heal and 2) that I wouldn't fear my newborn.  Pumping has done wonders for my sanity, but I'm not ready to give up on the idea of nursing either.  Once I'm all healed up, we'll give it another go.

I cannot believe that, as a species, we've managed to survive for this long.  You would think something so instinctual would be a little easier to manage...and I know very very very few people who have nursed without difficulties of one type or another.  And if you have - don't tell me.  Anyway, point is, it's been really hard, but we're on the mend (literally) and I'm hopeful things will improve soon.

3. This goes under the file "things I didn't think about"  While I was pregnant, I tried to prepare Abby the best I could for her new sibling.  And, I knew that she would have to adjust to not having all my attention all the time.  I knew to expect some regression, some acting out perhaps, and general attention seeking behavior.  But, there was this one thing that I didn't expect - I didn't realize how much *I* would miss Abby.

Abby has done beautifully.  She is so sweet to Elizabeth.  She helps feed her, she rocks her, she is constantly tucking this little purple bunny next to Elizabeth when she sleeps.  She kisses her and talks to her in a soft, high-pitched voice.  She helps me with getting things and has just taken it all in with great composure.  But, you see, I miss my time with just her.  That's not to say that I don't enjoy Elizabeth - of course I do.  But, E and I have yet to form the kind of bond that Abby and I have.  It will come, I know, but in the meantime - I just miss her.  And I wasn't really prepared for that.

Yesterday we didn't get to go outside at all.  We spent all day inside.  I thought we might go outside at one point and told Abby we would try to go after nap.  Well, after nap it got cloudy and cold and I was exhausted and we just didn't.  I felt bad, but I just couldn't manage it.  Abby hung her head, and mumbled in a really soft voice "yeah, we can't go outside now, no outside today" and she slowly walked into the next room and just sat in a corner with her head in her lap.  I mean, I'm sure you all heard my heart break into a million pieces, right?  It was so hard to see her so sad.  I'm doing my best to give her lots of activity and attention and so forth, but then something like that happens and I feel like the worst mom ever.  I mean, I know I'm not.  Just feels like that in the moment, y'know?

Anyway, I'm getting off topic.  The point is that I think, right now at least, I miss Abby much more than she misses me.  My advice to anyone having their #2 soon - soak up every single second with your first. And yes, a lot of this is still my hormones messing with me as they swirl around me like a cloud and try to regulate.  But, I thought I'd share that sentiment as I've spoken with several other moms since who say they felt the same way.  Just one of those things, I suppose, that many people experience, but nobody warns you about.

4. There is so much more to write, but I've nodded off 3 times writing this post.  Gonna try to cat nap for the next 10-15 before Abs wakes up.  I'll catch up later - for now, just know that things are good.  Sleepy, but good.

one week

I have a lot I would like to write about.  Quite a lot.  But...um, as it turns out - two kids keep you a little busy.  And when they're not keeping you busy?  I'm really tired.  So, I'm going to keep this short and send up new pics as a peace offering to hold me over until tomorrow.

So, we're good, right?

Happy one week birthday Elizabeth Mae.  We've decided to keep you. :)

little chef

I still think that Abby's kitchen was one of the best purchases we've made for her.  She still plays with it every single day.  It never gets old.  

Elizabeth thought it would be nice to get her big sister a new accessory - so she gave her a little apron set.  Abby was quite impressed with her little sister's taste and had a really great time cooking for us all.

my wee little chef

 "its weady!"

This sad little look was for no reason at all, other than she wanted to show me her sad look.  

But, I like imagining a deflated cake or dropped pan of cookies just off camera.

Bon appetit! 

Abby, you've handled this week so well.  I'm so very proud of you.  You light up my day, everyday.