Parenting Ups and Downs

Things are going really well for our family as of late.  I am so excited for Joe to be home for summer break this year.  I feel like it has become much harder to be motivated to exercise with little ones around and I'm looking forward to more time to be able to get out on my own.  Maybe then I will finally lose this last bit of baby weight!  Here is a bit of an update on our little ones:

Parenting Ups:

1.  Jack has started to learn a few words. This has been super encouraging, since he has a little friend he plays with (a week younger than him) who knows at least 100 words.  Just hearing him try to sound things out and discovering that he is saying a few new words, just makes me so happy.  As of now Jack can say the following words: hi, bye bye, night night, Dada, mine, beep beep, and bike.














2.  Ella has started to sleep through the night.  I hope I am not jinxing myself, but for the last two weeks she has slept from 8pm until 5-6am.  I think I have had to wake up twice for a feeding at night.  This has been so great.  I am still waking up because of Jack, but it just feels nice to not have to train her to cry it out and learn to fall asleep.  I love that she is learning to self soothe!  Oh, and she always wakes up happy in the morning just calmly making noises in her crib.  Then she greets me with a big smile. 

Parenting Downs:
1.  Jack still does not sleep through the night.  He finally has his own toddler bed, and he will go to sleep there each night, but he wakes up around 1am every night and cries because he wants to be in bed with us.  At this point, it is a habit and we let him into our bed for the second half of the night.  I have a goal to eliminate this trip to our bed each night and also to have him stop using the pacifier for naps and bed.  I want to get this done during the summer...I'm just dreading the cry fest that we are going to experience when he learns to sleep through the night.  Maybe I will get rid of the pacifier first.  Ugh, it is already ripping at my heart strings.


 2.  Sometimes being a parent makes you fight with your spouse.  I hate that there are times when we argue about how much free time we each get or if we should just let Jack cry it out at night without any comfort.  Life would be easier if there was one perfect way to raise your kids.  A simple manual to point out how to make it work.  Yet we all know that it doesn't work that way and we are still figuring out our needs.  Thankfully I know that I married a man that is a great father and wants to make his children happy.  That will always make me smile!

Ella is 4 Months Old

I am staying up late to complete this (late is past 9pm...I go to bed early these days) since I can't seem to find any time during the day.  Jack has been taking very short naps lately, so that time is usually taken up with cleaning.  So here I am now, in the quiet of our living room typing away.  Time really seems to be flying by and my little girl is not so little anymore, she sprouted a few extra pounds!  Here we go with the updates!

Nicknames:  Little Turtle, Ella Bella, Wiggle Worm
Weight: Ella has gained quite a bit since her last weight check.  She was 14 lb 3 oz. when she was weighed last week.  She has definitely become a chunky monkey.  I'm happy about that though, because she looks so cute and content.  Right now she eats about every four hours.  I breastfeed first and then give her a 5.5 oz bottle.

Temperament: I feel like she is becoming an easier baby.  She still has her moments, for example, she cried a lot on our drive back from Northern Virginia this past month.  It was rough.  She just wanted some company and since she was learning to move more, I think being stuck in the car seat did not make her happy.  We still haven't heard a full laugh yet, but she smiles and wiggles with excitement all the time.  Her favorite thing is to be held, so as long as she is in someones arms then she is quite content.  If I lay her down on a blanket to play with toys she will only last for a few minutes before she wants attention.  Usually it is because she has rolled over and can't quite make that full rotation and she doesn't like being stuck on her belly.

 My grandparents made a visit to finally meet Ella this past month.

First Experiences:  She has had quite the learning curve this month.  Ella learned how to roll over in both directions (tummy to back and back to tummy).  It is quite impressive that she has learned so early, however it wrecked a little havoc on our sleep patterns since she kept waking up trying to roll.  I would have to go back into the room and re swaddle her to sleep.  She is still being swaddled, although I usually take one arm out during nap time.  She just does better when she is wrapped up at this point.  Ella also learned how to make a new noise with her mouth, almost like she is blowing bubbles and cooing at the same time.  She does it all the time, especially if she is happy.  We also broke into her 3-6 month clothes. 

Ella seems to be grabbing at toys quite a bit and will now grab for things that are in my hands if I am also holding her.  I was trying to eat some ice cream tonight and she kept reaching for the spoon, maybe she is trying to tell me that I need to eat better.  I will have to watch her around hot things!  She especially loves to grab my hair.  I have officially decided that a high ponytail/bun is the best option at all times.  Today we also had a first when Jack decided to bring toys to Ella.  He has seen me giving her different types of rattles and today he was trying to hand them to her, but he didn't have much patience to wait for her to steady her hands onto each object.  It was still cute to seem their first playful interaction.
 
Who doesn't love a little baby cleavage?

While my parents were in town this past weekend we made a day trip to Hawk's Nest and took a ride on the aerial tram.  She loved it, well, she didn't cry, unlike her brother.  It was a fun experience and I will definitely have to do it again! Oh, Ella also got to meet her first cousin.  Joe's sister had her baby and we made a quick trip home to meet him.  It was amazing to me to see what four months difference could do with babies.




Items/Toys We Love: Let's see, the stroller has seen a lot of use lately.  We try to take a walk most days.  I think it makes Jack happy, but Ella enjoys the outside time as well.  I have also tried out the activity jumper and even though her feet don't touch the ground yet, she seems to like it.  Baby rattles are a big hit right now too, since she is trying to hold them.  I must admit I also really love her calming sounds stuffed animal that puts her to sleep every night.  I also bought black out curtains for her bedroom (it works wonders I tell you!). 

That's all I can think of for the moment.  On the bright side, I remembered to take lots of pictures and video of both children this month.  I will be posting a few more videos and such with Jack too.  Tonight he is sleeping in his toddler bed (we finally painted the frame)!

Parenting Ups and Downs

Right now we seem to be getting ourselves into a family routine.  Joe and I are learning to trade off our free time so that each of us can get some exercise and play time.  So since I have been having a good week, I thought I might be able to find some time to write on my blog.

Parenting Ups
1.  Yesterday Jack cried because he didn't want to take a nap.  Although that wasn't so much fun, after letting him cry it out, I gave him a hug and sat him in my lap for a short snuggle time.  He melted into my arms and actually fell asleep within a minute and I just kept thinking, I love my baby boy.  We are constantly thinking he is so big, because we now have Ella, but really he is just another baby and that little moment it was just him and I.  It was a great moment.

2. I love my little girl. This morning, as I sat on the couch, grumpy and tired after waking up at 5 am, I just looked at Ella.  She has the cutest cheeks and a button nose.  Her smile can make me so happy even when I am tired.  Her lips are so little and perfect.   Honestly, do they ever make a baby that doesn't just melt their momma's heart?  I just love her to pieces.

3.  Jack was awesome at music class and Ella was great too.  We go every week and almost every week there is an obstacle.  Last week Jack knocked over a curtain and seemed so uninterested.  The week before I was chasing him in circles or trying to balance two babies in my arms.  Sometimes I wonder if it is worth the effort to go.  Then today, it was like every thing clicked just right for our little family.  Ella watched  everything in wonder and my friend Harriet helped hold her a few times so I could spend a little one-on-one time with Jack.  And Jack was great.  He danced, or sat in my lap when he was asked to, and he loved playing with all the instruments.  It made me so proud!

Parenting Downs:

1.  We are still figuring out our sleeping situation.  Ella is starting to kick her way out of a swaddle, but if I leave her arms our then she wakes right up.  I'm not sure if I should keep her in a swaddle and go into the room every other hour to re wrap her up or if I should just endure a few rough, ROUGH days until she just learns to sleep that way?  Ugh, I just don't know what to do.

2.  Jack is hitting a lot.  All the time!  He hits when he doesn't get his way or just because he thinks it is fun?  I don't know what is causing it, but I hate it.  He will hit me during a diaper change, or hit Ella when she is on her play mat, or even hit the dog just because he wants to.  We have been using time outs, but it just feels like this is getting worse!  I hope it is just a phase and he will learn that we mean it when we ask him not to hit.  I try to protect Ella as much as possible, but he is fast and I feel terrible any time he gets her.  This is definitely a challenge for us right now.  Darn these terrible twos!

Ella Makes Her Move

Ella is determined to get around and be just like her big brother.  The first step is learning how to roll, and she is doing that in this video.  She can also go from her tummy to her back, but she does not get it very often.  I figure in a month she will be rolling around the room to get to things!  We will just have to wait and see!

Great Grandparent Visit

 We have been keeping ourselves busy.  I spent a lot of time cleaning the house in preparation for my grandparents visit this weekend.  They had not met Ella yet, so we were excited to have them stay for a bit.  Friday was really our only dry day, so I weeded the garden beds during nap time.  Other than that, we have had a lot of playtime in the house.  We also made one trip to Tamarack, a shop with items made by West Virginians.  Jack is in love with Maple, my grandparents dog.  She has been a real treat to have around.  You will see in the video how much he likes her!

Video Footage of Ella

I am being more proactive about taking pictures and videos of both children.  I look at so many blogs where people are great about getting footage of their children.  I want my kids to be able to look back and see how they were as kids.  Jack does so many fun things and I always say to myself, "I wish I had my camera right now."  I am thinking about getting a better phone to take more pictures on the spot, since I usually have that with me.  However, sometimes you just have those moments, for example, last night Jack ran into his bedroom after taking his bath, and put his Yankee helmet on his head while in the nude.  It would have made the perfect picture.  And Ella decided to roll over from stomach to back while we were upstairs playing in their room.  When I tried to film it later that day, she wouldn't do it.  So I guess I will just have to try and keep that camera at the ready more often!

Ella is 3 Months Old

Another month has gone by and I'm still not taking enough pictures...I think it is because my camera is not working so well anymore. I do have another one that takes pictures although it is more for taking video footage, so the pictures sometimes turn out grainy. I don't seem to get the camera out as much for Ella. Poor thing, even when I do use it I'm taking pictures of Jack. I took a bunch of him during his Easter egg hunt, but neglected to even take one picture of Ella is her cute dress. I really must get better at that. I should probably take some video footage, since she is now cooing and really getting interactive!

Nicknames: Turtle, Ella Bella

Weight: We are not going to the doctor this month, but when I stepped on a scale at my parents house with her, I estimated that she was about 11 lbs. Just the other day I was looking and thinking that she is bigger. No more newborn look for her...I have a full fledged baby!

Temperament: It seems like she cries less everyday. Maybe we are finally getting things figured out, at least I would like to think that is the case. However, she has taken to a sort of angry coo at times. If I set her down on a blanket or the play mat, and she is tired of being there she will make the angry coo. It almost sounds like she is going to make a high pitched sound, but it just sounds more frustrated that excited! I guess she just knows what she wants. I always felt like Jack was my independent little man, and she is more like my vocal child. She will let you know exactly how she feels. However, she seems like a happy baby, so we must be doing something right. She grins a lot at us and really anyone that can make eye contact with her. Sometimes she will even coo a conversation with lots of smiles in between. That is my favorite.

New/First Experiences: I am wondering if Ella will be a thumb sucker, because she is always trying to get a fist into her mouth. Now that she is becoming a bit more coordinated, it seems like those hands get into her mouth all the time. And she seems to use the pacifier less and less. In fact, I don't think she really needs the pacifier, but it helps her to fall asleep and then she will spit it out right after getting into a deep sleep. I don't think she did too much new experiences this month (expect maybe that she got her first shots...she did really well at soothing afterward). Oh, she did start to swat and then grab at the toys on the play mat. Ella must have figured out she had hands this month. She has also started to roll onto her sides...maybe rolling over is sooner than I expected.

Items/Toys That We Love The Most: I think she is especially interested in people. Since we are around toddlers a lot for Jack, she seems to really love to watch the children. Oh, and she loves to watch me when I am singing. We are still using the swing on a daily basis, but I think it might be time to start her transition into the crib for nap time. I have also been swaddling her when she sleeps, but now it seems she wants to have a hand out...I'm not sure if I need to transition to no swaddle, because those darn hands still seem to wake her up. So maybe we will stick with the swaddle for another month. Oh, and I love that I can put her in cute dresses. I just need to remember to take pictures of them!