Recently Weston made a Maggie "Burrito" by rolling her up in her baby blanket. When I rushed over, as any nervous mom does, and unrolled her, she was all smiles with two fingers in her mouth as if to say, "Fun! Can we do it again?" Big brother always gets big smiles and laughs out of sister in a totally different way than mommy and daddy can. It's great seeing their connection and their closeness. By the week Weston gets better around her. I can't believe he's already two and a half! Just a few months until 3yrs old.
This last week was rough. I got some food virus and Weston had it a little as well. Taking care of two, even perfectly well behaved two kids, is hard when you don't feel well. Fortunately, today on day 3ish I feel much better. I know how hard it is for any parent out there suffering from sickness or injury trying to care for others. It's Hard! My dad happened to be in the area yesterday and lent a huge helping hand by watching after the littles. Out of 8 days with his new big boy bed, he's slept in it 5 times and in his crib 3. He's doing pretty good. If he's tired enough he'll stay in his big bed all night. When he's still a little wound up from the evening, he keeps getting up to try to go to the bathroom. We think it's just a ploy to get out of bed but it's hard to say. Sometimes on the second or third time getting up, he actually goes potty. He's getting much more independent too! He finally started taking his own pants off to use the restroom and a few times he's put his pants or underwear back on!! Hooray! One night he woke up at 4:30 to use the restroom and that time and when he woke up in the morning his diaper was dry. What a big man.
Today is Weston's first day using his big boy bed! It was also his first nap in three days. Usually he goes down for a two hour nap in the afternoon. Recently, he would talk and yell up to an hour in his crib before nap and before bed so I eliminated nap time. Our exciting day and lack of naps probably just wore him out. We put his brand new Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater sheets on his bed so he was pretty excited for nap and bedtime. We even got him a new nightlight that can double as a reading light. I am super excited to see what the night will bring. Will he wake up and come in our room? Will he sleep all night? We woke him up after only an hour of nap and he was so sleepy and grouchy for another hour. He sure likes that two hour nap when he takes one.
Today is the start of Kyle's one month baby leave. We used two weeks when our daughter was born and are so happy to use the remainder now. It really feels like vacation now that the hard young infant stage is done. I recommend it for anyone trying to decide if they want to break up their leave. I got Maggie to full on laugh twice yesterday! So adorable. She's growing up so fast. Sometimes she'll laugh at brother when he plays with her. It's so fascinating seeing that dynamic because all I've known up until now is just one baby. There's already a special connection between the two of them. Weston wanted her to take a bath with him that night so I stripped her down and held her in there for him to play with her. He washed her belly with a washcloth and poured water on her feet and belly. She was all smiles.
Tonight is a BBQ with some friends. I made low sugar low carb cheesecake and a dish of some baked veggies. Hoping the weather is good. Last week when we had a BBQ it was super cold and windy for my taste. Super excited for warm summer days and lots of future BBQs! I was torn on if I should take Weston to gymnastics today. He was cranky, uncooperative, and seemed sleepy. At the very last moment he shouted "Gymnastics!" (well actually he said "Mashticks") so I threw everyone in the car and went. I must have looked like a wreck...no makeup, hair not done, and wearing all black. Maggie goobered snot all over my shirt too throughout the class. At least Weston was willing to try the backwards roll (only the second time he's ever gone over when they teach a skill) and he got stamps on his feet at the end of class. He loves getting stamped but two classes ago for some reason he refused to get them. Once the teacher put them away was when he decided he wanted them and whined and fused the whole way home. Typical I guess of a toddler. He's been unusually cranky and tired for his normal self. Maybe he's growing again. LeeAnn brought over a big boy bunk bed. She's going to build it today for the little man. He's so big now! I went in after his nap once and he was awake looking at a book laying shortways in his crib. He barely fit. His legs were all bent to the side so he could lay that way. Good thing we're switching beds because Maggie is not only outgrowing the side width of her bassinet but also the long length. The doctor at her two month check up said she's as big as an average 6 month old. She's easily wearing 3-6 month clothing now. It'll be a big transition with a bed Weston can get out of. We'll try it out and see how he does. He already has nights where he throws a huge fit right as we're saying goodnight to him after his last story. We'll keep the crib in there as a backup if he doesn't stay in his big boy bed. I'm thinking we can get Disney Cars movie sheets since he's super into that show right now. We watch some of the Cars movie or Mater's Tall Tales almost everyday. Last night was one of the easiest nights with the two little munchkins. They both went to bed relatively easily, giving papa and mama bear some movie and wine time. I can't seem to make it through a full length movie anymore but I don't care. Getting to watch any part of a movie makes me happy, especially with the one I love.
Multiple times yesterday Weston said, "Wake the neighbors." Maybe he learned this phrase at daycare? We have never said that to him but he was intent on waking the neighbors about every hour starting at 6pm. Maggie had two big blowouts yesterday...one of them resulting in a bath. Babies are crazy machines. She's been sleeping 4-6 hour stretches most nights. We think she may have allergies because often she coughs and sneezes. I used that terrible nose bulb on her because she was all stuffed up. Babies really hate that thing! While driving home yesterday, I saw that Vallartas mexican restaurant was closed in San Luis Obispo. I remember that place being around since I was a kid. More and more of these businesses are closing. The other two that stand out in my mind are Mondeo's restaurant and the BBQ place we liked in Atascadero. It may just be that I don't get out as much anymore so when I do walk around downtown SLO I notice the changes more. I would like to think our economy is getting better but seeing businesses go out just reminds me that maybe it's not as good as I thought. We had a busy weekend!! We drove out to Los Olivos to see family at the Chamberlain Archery Shoot. Weston loved exploring the grounds and Maggie was content or asleep most of the trip. On our way home we swung through Solvang and acted like tourists. I don't think I have ever walked around that city before despite living so close to it. The facades are gorgeous and all of the shops have a similar Danish feel. Driving back home we stopped over at dad's house for dinner and grandma got to see Maggie for the first time. Maggie was all smiles and coos.
I recently checked out a few more Baby Signing Time DVDs for our family so we could brush up on signs we knew and learn some new ones. I made sure to get the disk of School signs because Weston is very into the idea of school especially since he got to see his cousin's preschool a few weeks ago. Sometimes we ask him to do a sign he hasn't done in a few months and it takes him a second but he usually remembers. If he doesn't do the sign perfectly, he usually has the general idea of it but the placement might be a little off. Toddler's memories are amazing. On and off we tell him mommy and daddy's "real" names. One day we asked him and he recited our names! Usually we have to remind him and help him pronounce them correctly. The next day after his nap he was pointing to the letters on his shirt that spelled out "Dad's" and said daddy's name, mommy's name, and his name. So cute! The last two weeks I've been thinking my son has been saying "matches" and I had no idea if he meant actual matches or was trying to say mattress. We've had a few fun days playing on air mattresses and thought that might be what he was talking about. Turns out it's how he says gymnastics! All of those gymnastics days were paying off! He actually remembers and talks about it throughout the week. Today when I woke him up (since I had to go to work early doing face painting at Kennedy Club Fitness), he asked, "gymnastics?" We've had such a blast celebrating Easter. We got to do three Easter egg hunts! We did one at Atascadero Lake Park, the next weekend at Sunken Gardens, and then on Easter we used the unopened eggs from his most recent hunt and hid them in our yard. What a lucky little fellow. We hid them in all of his favorite places like on the hose and in the leaf pile. He certainly enjoyed all of the candy. Our new family structure has a schedule now. Not only does this give me something to look forward to everyday, it also gives both Weston and myself much more exercise. We go to gymnastics twice a week and go to the park, beach, or other outdoor activity pretty much everyday. Boy oh boy am I tired by bedtime. Chasing a toddler with a baby in tow is really a great way to get in shape. This last week we went to Morro Bay way north of the rock and ran around on the beach and in the baby sized dunes. It was quite a hike pushing the stroller through all of that soft sand near the Snowy Plover preservation area. We also went to a local park for a BBQ and ran around playing soccer, ultimate Frisbee, and general playground fun with some friends. Weston is much more worn out each night which is great in getting him to go to bed. Kyle and I used to stay up as late as 11 watching shows or movies but now we're both nodding off around 9 or 10.
The last two months have been an adjustment to our new "quad-pod" family. Our little girl is so easy! Big brother loves her and for the most part, is sweet and loving towards her.
Our daughter got flying colors on her well-check today. She had to get 4 shots and an oral vaccine. Her height and weight placed her as an average sized 6 month old. That explains why at 2 months she's growing out of all of her 3 month clothes! Big girl just like her brother. Bigger babies are so much easier. She's sleeping a solid 6 hours each night. Granted, her crying and fussiness starts just as Weston goes to bed and lasts a few hours. She has beautiful long eyelashes, cute chubby thighs, and super amazing long fingers and toes! She could play the piano with her hands... or her feet! I wish I had a perfect memory so as to never forget our amazing family moments. Since I often feel like I have "pregnancy brain" and forget even the most recent details, I decided to record some of our highlights here. Daddy bought Weston a Lightning McQueen flashlight from our family outing at Home Depot. The next day Weston and I went all over the house finding dark areas and shining the flashlight around to explore. We ran into his bedroom, closed the door and he spent a few moments shining the light on the ceiling. At first I didn't know what he was saying and then I realized he was saying, "Amazing. Amazing." It was the first time I had heard him using that word. So cute! Later that day when daddy came home, Weston came running out of our bedroom saying, "Show Me" (since that is what I say to him. He doesn't yet know to say "I want to show you something"). It sounded like Weston was shouting with enthusiasm "Large Pickle" but neither of us knew what that meant. We knew he was looking under our bed but thought there wasn't anything under there. He grabbed daddy's hand and pulled him to the bedroom. They both ducked down and Kyle immediately busted up laughing. The "Large Pickle" was a huge 3 foot gourd my mom had given me with a tikki man's face wood burned on the surface. We had totally forgotten it got pushed under the bed! Two days ago we received an Easter package from Grandma. Not realizing what was inside I had daddy open it with Weston before dinner. It was like pulling teeth getting Weston to eat anything for dinner knowing he had a huge amazing basket full of candy waiting for him. Part way through dinner he said "I love you mommy" unprompted!!!! He had never said that to me before without some coaxing. He started singing "The Mommies on the bus say I love you, I love you, I love you." So clever. It didn't however get him out of finishing his dinner (veggies and meat) before eating 5 pieces of candy. He had a peep, 2 Reese's Pieces, a bite of a chocolate bunny, and only got halfway before another peep. When we put him down for bed he cried and cried. After about a half hour he was so worked up that when I went in to check on him, he started asking for a "bucket" so he could throw up. Turns out the combo of lots of candy and lots of crying made his stomach hurt. Once I calmed him down he was ok and didn't need a "bucket." Weston likes to say: Hold her - when he wants to hold his sister Hold you - when he wants us to hold him Maggie wake or Weston wake - means awake, usually though, Maggie is asleep when he shouts "Maggie wake" in her face Cat n daHat - when he wants us to read Dr. Suess' Cat in the Hat to him Bumby - what he used to call the "scary" monster outside his room Weston's favorites: Peanut butter sandwich Cheerios Cars Movie, Lightning McQueen, Tow Mater Tall Tales of Tow Mater Curious George - I'm quite grateful we haven't watched Blue's Clues in two months Tractors, Dump Trucks Candy - well at least he thinks he likes candy/chocolate, on many occasions though he'll just hold the cookie he gets from daycare and never eat it Park, Beach, Soustside - as he says (meaning Outside) |