She did it!

Brier rolled over! Brier rolled over! She did it!

I was beginning to think that Brier was too laid back to reach her physical milestones. The only baby I had ever known was Lauren, and Lauren rolled over because Lauren was angry. All the time.

I thought Brier was too happy. Too easy going. But she did it! Way to go Brier! 19 weeks old just like her sister. Video to follow.

Family Photo Shoot - New Edition

So I'm a little late with this post, but better late than never right?
Back when Brier was 10 weeks old we attempted to have some new family photos taken. I wanted to do them around the same age that Lauren had her baby photos taken so we could see what the girls looked like at this age comparatively.
The day was a total bust because Lauren had ZERO interest in sitting still, posing for a photo or getting within 10 feet of her sister. Beyond that I realized just how horrendous I look and was completely depressed after seeing the photos of myself. Good news is Brier looks adorable!

Adding to the word list

Lauren has picked up a few more words and some that I forgot last time:

REALLY?
Coochie coo!
Arm

These are old but I forgot them last time:
Duckie
Doggie
Baby

The best sound in the world!

Brier laughs! Not often, but when it happens, man is it cute! I first heard it when she was 12 weeks but it took me a while to capture it on camera.

Bumbo!

At 13 weeks Brier has a desperate need to sit up, so we broke out the Bumbo chair. She seems to really enjoy it. Don't worry people we are only using it on the floor under strict supervision for safety! As luck would have it, Lauren has also developed a love for the Bumbo. Funny, since she hated it when she was Brier's age!

The Princess and the Pea

We started giving Lauren a blanket and pillow to sleep - and some times even lounge with-  and she loves it!
George loves blankets too so now they are best buddies.

Halloween 2012

Halloween has come and gone and oh what memories we made! Our two little strawberries trick or treated their way to a whopping 5 houses!  I am looking forward to the time when Lauren starts to understand these kinds of holidays, but I'm telling you, her not understanding is hilarious! She loved wearing her costume, she has worn it around the house several times in the weeks leading up to the big day. Lauren had a really hard time comprehending the whole trick or treating thing. Norm would take her up to the door, the person would open it expecting to hand her candy and walk away, but Lauren took the opportunity to burst through their front door and explore their house! She did not understand that we were not going IN. When we had to extract her from the premises, she was NOT happy. Total melt down. On the the next house.... same thing! Hilarious!

Then after the 5th house we came home and like every kid, Lauren dumped her candy haul on the floor and put it back in the basket over and over again! That part she understood. The other thing she didn't get is the candy! She's never had candy before and still hasn't. Her candy was re-gifted to the kids who came to our door.

When trick or treaters came to our house Lauren would run to the door, squeal and cry when they didn't come in and play with her!

 Strawberry!

 Going to the first house!

 Ringing the doorbell

The haul! 

Can't forget little Brier! Also a strawberry!

Making progress

Three months after having Lauren's speech assessment she is making great strides in learning more words. In July she said about 6-7 words, as of today the list has definitely grown. Now at 25 months here are her current words/phrases:

• Hello
• Go! Go, go go
• No
• Yes
• Up
• What's that?
• Love you
• Cool
• Please
• Thank you
• Where are you?
• Bye, bye
• Apple

She is excellent at repeating - or at least trying to repeat - what you say, but the key is to say "Your turn" and  that's when she makes the effort. I'm not sure why. It all started after the hugging thing started.

There is a long way to go, but she is definitely making progress.

Growing Up

I've noticed in the last couple of weeks that Lauren is starting to play with toys differently. Correctly.
She will position the toy people in the doll house in the bed or on the toilet. She'll pick up a puzzle piece that is a horse, and make it run across the table before putting it back into the puzzle. She and the other kids a daycare will set up and have a tea party. It's a strange 'milestone' one that I hadn't really thought of before, but now that I am noticing it, I'm finding it really cool! She is growing up!

This is not a test

Brier is STILL sleeping through the entire night! It was not a fluke! It's been over 2 weeks now with us putting her down at 9:30-10 p.m. and not hearing a peep from her until 7-8 a.m. - one day she got up at 8:30 a.m! This kid is too good to be true!

The Lazy Hugger

Sometimes this kid is too much. 

 I give Lauren big hugs and when I do I grunt to add emphasis. One day after my big grunting hug, I said "your turn" and doesn't this kid let out this huge grunt with no hug included. Just a grunt. No hug. 

Now every time we hug her and then say "your turn" all she does is grunt. God I love her. 

Too good to be true?

I've been hesitating to write this post for fear that I will totally jinx it, but our little Brier is sleeping champion of the world! For more than a week now we've been putting her to bed a 9:30-10 p.m. and we are not hearing from her again until 6 a.m. or later. Today I finally woke her up at 8 a.m. because I was starting to get concerned about her. Turns out she is fine - and really well rested! The only down side (if you can think of a downside to something this great) is that a good part of the morning is spent feeding her because she is starving from not eating for 9+ hours. In addition to this, she is just so happy and content in general throughout the day. She really is the perfect little baby!

Two is better than one

Dear Lauren,

Happy 2nd birthday! The last two years have been a whirlwind! Life with a tantrum filled toddler can be difficult, but we can never stay upset at you for long! Strangers stop to tell us how beautiful you are, and people who spend time with you adore your funny little personality and wild curly hair. Your grandparents can't believe your energy and often comment that you just never stop moving.

For the amount of times you hear the word 'no' in a day it surprises me that you can not say it. In fact you aren't saying much. So far you vocabulary consists of only a few words -'Die die! (bye bye), Hi,Hello, Mom, Dadda, Ba-ba (baby) and Ducky. You've got a few sounds mastered too, like WOW, mmmm-humph and mooooo and while these are all lovely, according to medical professionals you should be reciting poetry by now, so as your mother I have been a little concerned. I am telling you this not to insult, but rather so that next year at this time we will all look back at laugh at how silly we were to be concerned about your development.

Much to our delight you have a love for books and spend a lot of time each day leafing through books, magazines, greeting cards - anything paper. You 'read' along pointing at the words and pictures and turning the pages front to back over and over again. I wish I could be inside your head and see what you see on those pages!

You adore your daddy. He calls you his tom-boy because you love to wrestle with him on the floor or outside in the grass. You draw with him and go for long bike rides on sunny days. You sit beside him at the table and lean over for kisses mid-way through your meal.

You and mom have good times too, we read the animal book and when we get the the page with the monkey on it I make the sound and tickle your neck until you can hardly breath from laughter. When I'm putting you to bed after we read stories I will take off my glasses and you immediately start to laugh knowing that I am about to give you a thousand kisses and hugs.

Seven weeks ago your little sister Brier was born and much to our delight her arrival has not affected you one bit! I'm sure you will grow to love her, but right now you are not threatened by her existence or jealous of the attention she gets. You often bring her one of your toys for her to play with and you are very gentle  when you do investigate her a little closer.

Since Brier had come along and you are not going to daycare as often you have really taken a liking to Molly and George. You mimic what they do, sitting on the floor beside them when they are receiving a treat, trying to eat out of their bowls and barking to greet people at the door just like they do. I hope this translates to you growing up learning to be kind to animals, but for now it's just funny to watch.

Lauren, you are so much fun and so exhausting all at the same time, but we wouldn't trade you for anything!

So here's to a child who is joyful and clever. Happy day, happy year, happy always and ever!

Happy birthday beautiful girl! We love you so much!

Brier is 6 weeks old

As of yesterday we have reached the 6 week point in Brier's little life. Our visit to the doctor showed that she is now 11lbs and growing like a weed! I was concerned about that, 11 lbs seems like a lot, but looking back at Lauren's 6 week check up I was reminded that she weighed 10.75lbs at this age so they are not far off.

We've managed to keep busy this week with trips to the play centre on Monday and a play date at daycare on Tuesday. Now Lauren has a cold, so I guess maybe I over did it. Who would have thought?

5 weeks in, a lifetime to go

Little Brier Girl is now 5 weeks old. She is still pretty relaxed most of the time. She's a fairly good night-time sleeper only waking 1-2 times to eat and she has been 'sleeping through the night' by definition for the last week or so sleeping 10 p.m.- 3 or 4 a.m. ish if not longer.

She is out of newborn clothes and into size one diapers now. If I recall Lauren wore newborn clothes/diapers until she was 6 weeks, so they are basically on the same path size-wise with Brier being a bit bigger at this age than Lauren was.

Her big eyes are still dark blue, and I'm hoping they stay that way. Her hair is still thick and dark although it has thinned out and lightened slightly since she was born.

She seems to enjoy this vibrating/bouncing chair and spends some time in it each day - sometimes even napping in it. Lauren hated this chair and any of it's chair cousins, so this is a nice change.

Lauren (and I) is still having a difficult time adjusting to her new lifestyle since the birth of her sister. The goal this week is to go out more and keep her more entertained which should result in me saying 'NO!' less often and fewer tantrums from frustration (from both her and I). She has been showing some signs of jealousy lately, crying when I pick up the baby, wanting me to pick her up more than usual, or crying when the baby cries - maybe because she knows when that happens I will have to pay attention to the baby.

Isolation

Well, we are one month into 2 under 2 and things so far are going well. Brier is starting to settle in to the beginnings of a routine. She is still a good little sleeper and eats well - can't ask for much more than that. Lauren is still not that interested in her little sister, although yesterday she was starting to get a bit jealous and whiny when I was holding Brier, so that's didn't feel so good for anyone.

I am finding the days at home with both girls home to be a bit isolating so far. I haven't started venturing out beyond a daily walk (or two). I think this is something I need to work on. Staying home every day is a bit stressful because Lauren is at the age that she needs stimulation and gets bored with being home and her toys which results in her getting into trouble. This spirals into me feeling totally guilty that I can't entertain my own kid, but that's another issue all together.

I also having trouble with feeling like nothing is getting accomplished. I can barley get the dishwasher unloaded or a few loads of laundry done in a day. I have to remember it's only been a month since the c-section and although I feel great with regard to that, I still have a one month old and an almost two year old, so no, things are not going to happen on the schedule I could once master.

I also have to get better at taking photos for the blog, because a blog without photos is a crappy blog in my opinion. Ahhh some many things to fix!

Room for improvement

Okay, so going from one child to two isn't all that easy. We were in a rhythm, a routine with Lauren. We could anticipate what she would need and when she would need it. We were able to schedule our lives, our outings, or guests based on her daily schedule. Well, we clearly haven't quite mastered that now that Brier has been thrown into the mix.
Today we attempted to run errands in the morning with both kids. I packed the bag with the necessities for Brier - diapers, bottles, formula, change of clothes etc, etc, etc, forgetting that it would all be happening in the middle of what is normally Lauren's snack time. Did I bring a snack for Lauren? Nope. Oh that's riiiight! I have TWO kids now!
Then, this afternoon we tried to go for a walk not realizing that it was nearly 4 p.m. and Brier hadn't eaten a substantial meal since 11 a.m. Needless to say she was not a happy camper.
I am trying to look at this as an area where we can improve. My husband thinks I am being too hard on us. My theory is, if we can figure this out and be more prepared these outings will be less difficult for everyone involved. If I were completing a performance review on myself, this would be a simple case of "room for improvement."

Sweet Little Brier

Brier is 9 days old now and couldn't be sweeter! She seems to be on a self-imposed 3 hour feed/sleep schedule and that is just fine by us! Our biggest problem with her is that we can't keep her awake long enough to eat. She sleeps well at night going to bed at 10 p.m., waking to eat at 3 a.m. and again at 6:30-7 a.m.  She is eating 3ozs at each feeding. I'm not sure if this pattern is just a fluke being that she is still so young, or if she is going to continue to be amazing like this.

I started out breastfeeding, but have since stopped and Brier is completely formula fed now. I had a lot of guilt about this for the first week, but I'm feeling better about things now. We are both happier and I know she is thriving so really what is there to feel guilty about?

Lauren is still proving herself to be a wonderful big sister. She has been at daycare all week as we get adjusted to having an infant at home, but when she is home she has been a real trooper. Next week she is going to be home every day so hopefully her positive attitude continues!

Brier!

Brier Georgia arrived on Wednesday Aug 8 and weighed in at 8lbs 8ozs = lucky 8's!

So far Brier is a wonderful baby who eats, sleeps and generally makes everyone around her happy! Physically, she is perfect, although she does currently have a patch of man-hair on her arm. I'm sure it will go away before her prom. Big sister Lauren is unfazed by her little sisters arrival. So far, so good!

7 more sleeps

until we never sleep again because we're going to have another one of these!

Okay, so who thought this was a good idea? Now I am really starting to freak out. The thought of....everything... is causing me to break into a sweat. I am not looking forward to the c-section. Yes, I have done it before, but I had no time to think about it that time. I really don't remember much about the recovery except the infection part, but I'm hoping to avoid that this time around. I DO remember saying to myself once the infection was cleared up, that the c-section wasn't as bad as I thought it could have been. So that's good right? I am scared that Lauren is going to react badly to having a new baby around. Turn into a tantrum-throwing-monster. I am scared I am going to be a horrible mother to Lauren or to the new baby or to both especially at the beginning when I'm healing and trying to remember how to survive on no sleep and look after a newborn.... and a toddler.

We can do this right?

Are we ready for this?

I realize now that we almost have two kids I am going to have to start dedicating posts to baby #2. So... The countdown is officially on. I finished work last Friday and now I am enjoying 2 weeks vacation. The baby will be here in 15 days. EEEKKK!! Since starting vacation I've been trying to knock things off of my to-do list. Setting up the nursery, digging out the bottles, sterilizer, etc., stalking up on new born diapers and re-washing the itty-bitty newborn clothes. This time I am trying to be as much a minimalist as possible. I know the things we like to use - sleepers with zippers for example - so I'm not even getting the ones with buttons out. There are still things to do - pack the hospital bag, get my hair done - important things - but I should be able to get them done this week and then have next week to relax a bit before the world goes spinning off of it's axis. Oh... and we also have to decide on a name. Yep, another nameless baby about to enter the world.

Talking is overrated

When Lauren went to the doctor for her 18 month check up a month ago, the doctor was concerned that Lauren didn't have enough words in her vocabulary. Apparently at that age she should have 20-50 words and be beginning to string 2-3 words together into mini sentences. At that time Lauren had about 4-5 words that she was using regularly. As a result of that, today we took Lauren for a speech assessment. She is now 22 months (we were a few months late for the 18 month check up) and she really hasn't added many - or any - new words (depending on who you ask). The assessment today confirmed that she doesn't have enough words, but we still are not overly concerned. Lauren makes great eye contact, she interacts well, she tries to mimic sounds we make and most of all she's happy. The assessment confirmed what we had been suspecting, Lauren's biggest problem is her parents. We had no idea how to help her, or what we should/could be working on at this age. We also learned that we have to be more accepting of sounds as words. For example, yesterday she found a baby doll, and brought it over to me. I said "baby" and she said "ba ba". To me, ba ba and baby are not the same thing, but apparently to her it is, and to the lady doing to speech assessment, it was, so ba ba counts as a word! Who knew?! Also, because sounds are the gateway to making words, it is perfectly acceptable right now to just work on different sounds with her so we can lay the foundation for her to begin using them to make words. We left the appointment with some ideas for us to better teach her as we go forward. Speech Services Niagara is going to follow up with us in 6-8 months to re-evaluate her and see if she needs further help. The assessment lady told us that 40% of the kids who are where Lauren is now, turn out to be just fine at the next assessment date. Sadly, another large percentage of cases they see, are kids who turn four prior to their follow up, and are then just swept into the school system to be dealt with there. We were not concerned going in, and I don't think we are any more or less concerned now. I think this is just another example of "kids don't come with manuals." There is nothing wrong with Lauren, but there may be something a little 'off' about her parents.

Bad blogger, bad mommy, bad everything!

This blog is suffering, but it's not my fault. Really. The blog host site, or whatever it is called, has changed and I hate the new format. It's confusing to use and overall just a PIA so I've been avoiding posting. My parenting skills are also suffering. I am so tired and so huge and so hot that I am low on patience and even lower on energy. Poor Lauren is getting the shaft. She cries when it's time to come home from daycare. What kid cries when it's time to come HOME?! I keep promising her that in 3 months I will be a better, more fun mommy. I hope I am not lying. Add to the list, I am a horrible employee these days (only 5 work days left!!!) and an equally as horrible wife (sorry husband!). This is hard and I'm ready to be done. I'm not cut out for this.

Not remembering is better

I do not remember being this uncomfortable when I was pregnant with Lauren. I feel like I am being crushed. I can't breathe, my back is killing me, my front is killing me, I can't get comfortable sitting, standing or lying down. It seems too early to be feeling like this but maybe 30 weeks is right on schedule. If she were to just drop down a little bit I think I would feel more comfortable. On the positive side, I figured out today I have 7 weeks of work left and 4 of them are 4 day weeks! On top of that the posting for my job went up today so the end is near!

The Universe is telling us something

We have been struggling lately with being overwhelmed by.... well... life. (I am speaking for you too husband.) In the last few weeks we have: * had a mouse in the ceiling of the bathroom. To some this may seem insignificant, but to me it was torture. * Lauren has been randomly sick with fevers, diarrhea, fevers etc. causing us to each miss work several times. She is has a fever again today. Maybe it's her 2 year molars? * George was sick last week and ripped the carpet up on the stairs (which we should have seen coming) then proceeded to throw up on the couch several times. The following day he continued to vomit up the carpeting, but luckily Norm's parents were here to intervene (and save the couch) * THEN on Friday the sink/shower in the master bathroom decided to leak and water came streaming through the wall into the main floor. We are still working on fixing or at least identifying that issue. This baby is coming in 11 short weeks. We have a list of things that need to be completed before she arrives and each day that list keeps getting interrupted and added to by these silly things that keep coming up. Poor Lauren keeps getting forgotten about and we don't seem to have the time to spend with her that we should. Luckily she is so young that I doubt she will remember what horrible parents we are currently being. My husband is quick to remind me that these "issues" are trivial. We are healthy, our children are healthy (except George of course), we have good jobs, we love each other, blah, blah, blah :) But holy shit Universe - enough all ready! It is also my poor husband who is taking the brunt of life's kick-in-the-ass since I am totally useless due to 1) pregnancy and 2) a lack of DIY skills. He never stops working and I know he is close to burn-out. Every morning he leaves for work and I wonder if he is just going to keep driving and never come back! Yes, I am whining and yes I should get over it, but it's my blog and I can say whateverthefuckIwant. So Universe, whatever you're trying to tell us, we get it. Now back off.

Pink Confetti!

We have had two ultrasounds in the last couple of weeks. The first one did not show the appropriate view of the baby's spine and according to the OB, the gender was not confirmed either - although both Norm and I were pretty confident in that. The second ultrasound today confirmed that baby #2 is indeed a girl. It also confirmed that she is as stubborn as her older sister. She was once again laying on her spine and no matter what we did to try to get her to move, she would not! So... we may be going back for a third ultrasound in the weeks to come. The good news is, she definitely has a spine. We saw it. But the doctors aren't comfortable saying she is in perfect health unless they can see everything clearly. Makes sense, and it means that we keep have the opportunity to see her! Everyone wins!

Pink, pink and more pink!

It's a GIRL!

I would have bet money that it was a boy, but alas I was wrong. Baby Girl #2 is coming! I will post a picture of the ultrasound later. Reallym you can't see any distinguishing lady parts anyway.

The estrogen level just soared around here!

The Spare

I've been having a lot of trouble lately with being very dizzy a lot of the time. I had my monthly OB appointment today where I reported this issue and he assured me it was totally normal. Something about low blood pressure, hypoglycemia or buildings not catching up with the warm weather and being overly warm were all possible reasons for my daily dizziness.
I'm into week 22 now, so over half way. We're finding out the gender on Monday. Looking forward to seeing he/she again!

Die, die!

Lauren started screaming "DIE! DIE!" recently. We were slightly offended each time and would try to deter her from saying it again. One morning Norm was leaving for work and when he was half way out the front door, from her high chair where she was eating her breakfast, Lauren says "Die, die dadda!" Apparently "die, die" means "BYE, BYE!" How did we not figure that out??

I have an announcement to make!

Well, it took 18 long and somewhat frustrating months, but Lauren has finally learned to drink out of her sippy cup while standing/sitting up - even walking! This may not sounds like a big deal, but until now this simple sounding task has eluded my little girl.

The main trick is the water has to be filled to the very top of the cup so as soon as she tilts her head even slightly she gets water in her mouth. If she has to work too hard for it, she's not happy. Oh, and she also likes the water cold. Right out of the fridge. She's very particular.

It's an exciting day at our house, damn it!

Dah!

Lauren has learned to blow kisses, except instead of saying "muah!" she says "DAH!"
Probably the most adorable thing I've ever seen.

The Nose Knows

It's been a rough week.

Lauren has been suffering from a terrible cold for 10+ days now. We kept her home from daycare Thursday, Friday and Monday. Sunday we took her to the walk-in clinic so the doctor could check her ears for infection. They were fine.

Tuesday she went back to daycare even though she still was not herself.

Then to add injury to illness, Wednesday night she tripped and was not able to get her hands out to stop herself and landed square on her nose! There was blood and screaming and the whole thing was traumatic for all of us. We debated taking her to the ER, but decided to put her to bed and re-evaluate in the morning. The next day she went to daycare but her nose was obviously tender. I took her to the doctor that afternoon. The doctor was confused... did kids this age even have bones in their nose to break? Apparently they do not. Her nose was fine. While we were there I asked if she could check her ears again - turns out they were both infected! She is now on 10 days of antibiotics and is feeling much better. Oh and to make things even more exciting, one of the kids at daycare has pink eye. Now wouldn't that be the trifecta of awesomeness?

This is what happens when dad is in charge

Step 1: change diaper
Step 2: DO UP ONSIE
Step 3: Put on pants

When you reverse steps 2 and 3 this is the result.

The Heir and the Spare

Now before you get too upset, remember, I am the third child in my family - so neither the Heir nor the Spare and look how totally normal and unbothered I am about that.

Baby Young 2 is coming!



Okay yes, these pictures are totally crappy, but you get the idea. There is a baby. In there. And it`s going to come out. Probably on or around August 7, 2012.

Somehow as of today I am 13 weeks pregnant which was wonderful news considering we thought I was 9 weeks. So in one day I burned through almost a full month of pregnancy. I could not be happier!

Once again, this pregnancy has been difficult. Though our perception is different. Norm keeps saying ``I don`t remember you being this bad last time.`` Gee, thanks. I on the other hand think it was definitely worse last time - though this time has been no walk in the park.

Either way, the world better prepare itself for yet another Young baby. They are cute, they are crazy and now there are going to be two of them!

16 months-ish

Okay not quite 16 months, but close enough. Lauren is growing like a weed both in physical development and intelligence.

She is a full-fledged walker and runner now. She loves to climb the stairs and is learning to go down them on her bum too. Her vocabulary is not thriving, but she has mastered Da-da and Uh-oh! Still waiting for Ma-ma but it doesn't seem to be on the radar yet.

Her appetite is good, but she does have her favourite food items. Anything made of bread is her favourite which just proves she is directly related to her father and I. She recently had her Nanna's spaghetti and meatballs for the first time ever and she could not get enough. Another sure sign that she's a Young.

Her laugh is infectious and she loves to be chased especially when the person chasing her is growling at the same time. She is a thrill seeker.

She still fits comfortably into 18-24 month clothing and has finally learned to walk while wearing her winter boots. It's not as easy as you might think.