Memorial Day Weekend

What a fun weekend our little fam had!

It started Saturday morning when we made our annual trek out to the blueberry farm - apparently with the rest of Houston.  This was our fifth year and we have never seen it even close to that crowded!Sam asked if it was June because we told him, months ago, when he asked if we could go that he had to wait until June.  Good memory!  Sam picked for about 20 minutes before got bored then ran back and forth between us for awhile, before Dad and Sam had to eventually bail to playing instead.  So yes, I picked most of our 8.8 pound crop by myself (part of it while bottle feeding!), but that's ok.  Sam enjoyed his treat afterward and we were on the road home before it got brutally hot for the day.  3/4 of the berries went straight into the freezer and I am looking forward to another year of farm-fresh berries!

Saturday night I got to head out to the ballet with some girlfriends!  While I was gone, Chris informed Sam that he was getting ready to feed Annabelle.  Sam replied, "But you're not a girl!"  Ha!  The boy agreed that bottle would probably work just fine.

Sunday was church, chores and a yummy grilled dinner.

Monday morning was split between the baby pool and the splash pad.  It was Annabelle's first time in a bathing suit, but she was displeased to have even her toes dipped in the cool water.  She was perfectly content on a shady blanket in the breeze.  Sam actually only lasted about 5 minutes in the splash pad before announcing he was cold and wanted clothes.  He wasn't kidding - he had goose bumps.  These must be my children if the get cold in 90 degree weather! 

Chris and I sat in the baby pool while the kids napped in the afternoon.  Because we're cool like that.  But it was nice to just sit and chat.

We ended the weekend with a fun cookout at some friends' house.  So many little people (Sam was one of the oldest!), so much fun. 


And now its officially summer.  The calendar is filling up, so stay tuned!

3 Months

Lady A is 3 months old today!  I write Lady A a lot more than I say it to her.  We're still working out the nic name thing for her, and that bothers me a little bit.  I keep trying to call her Annie, but Sam always corrects me and tells me, "No, Annabelle!"  Ah well, time will tell.

We celebrated her "birthday" today with our first trip to the gym as a three-some.  Her first nursery experience anywhere, actually.  Sam and I had a talk about it, and he decided he would like to take on the role of Big Brother and help her out if she needed him.  All accounts are that they both did well.

Right now she is playing on the floor next to me and actually holding on to one of her toys.  This is new!  So I guess that's a development for ya.  Still no more progress on the rolling, but she is alert and interested in everything around her.  She is without question the happiest when she is able to observe the craziness around her.  One day she was up on my bed all fussy, so I put her on the floor.  As soon as she could watch her big brother and all his craziness, she was perfectly content.

She is our laid back child.  Really, I noticed this before she was even born.  Sam was more active in utero than she was!  She is content unless she is gassy, hungry or tired so it is really not hard to please her.  In fact, is you want a smile, all you really need to do is smile at her first. 

The poor girl may never get on a nap schedule.  Such is the life of a second child.  Always coming and going, or playing outside, she naps in the car seat or swing far more than her brother did.  Fortunately this isn't affecting her night time sleep yet - still falling asleep around 8:30, enjoy a dream feed when I go to bed, and then going through till about 6:30/7.  About 40% of the time she needs a paci around 4 or 5am to fall back to sleep, sometimes I have to help her several times over the course of an hour, but we are hlding firm on not feeding her.  We shall not look back!

I weighed her on the bathroom scale today and that's showing her right around 11 pounds.  If I had to guess I'd say she's 23 inches long.  She is still in 0-3 month clothes, but is just about maxing out the length on most of them.  I'm ok with that though, because she received a lot of little clothes when she was born and we are getting plenty of wear out of them!  People keep telling us she looks like a little doll, and I must say that I have to agree.

I like having her around.

So here is her 3 month list:
Likes:
-Watching Sam play
-Anyone who will smile at her

-Kicking, kicking, kicking

Dislikes:
-Laying down when gassy
-Feeling left out
-Hanging out in a non-moving car seat

School's Out For Summer!

Thursday was Sam's last day of his first year at preschool.  Although I probably shouldn't be, I was surprised at how sentimental the day made me.  We've really grown attached to his teachers, and I have so enjoyed watching him grow through his experiences there this year.  Fortunately the group of kids will be the same next year, so we should slide right back in to a happy place in the fall.

They sent home a cute little book they made with growth stats and hand prints from the beginning and end of the year - a keeper (not everything that comes home is)!  Unfortunately we missed the end of the year program when we were out of town, but I'm sure he would have made an excellent blue triangle!

He could have gone all summer if we wanted, but I chose not to for several reasons.  I am looking forward to laid back mornings, pool time and playdates.  We'll also be spending a week at VBS and a week on vacation.  Plus, its more of Mothers Day Out in the summer, not really "preschool."  Hopefully I don't regret my decision...this will be my first few weeks with two kids to myself for 5 whole days in a row!  Now, he will get to go for a few weeks in July because, y'all, its hot here and I think we may be ready for some inside entertainment by mid-summer.

And because some things never change, even after a year of learning and growing, the boy still loves watching for the trash trucks.

Milestone Update

Sorry I'm a bit behind...finding time to keep this updated is proving to be challenging.  But it has turned into a very important record of my babies' development, so I shall keep at it even if I am delayed.

On May 12, Little Lady rolled over for the first time!  It was after Sam had gone to bed and Mommy, Daddy and baby were all sitting on the big bed.  She did it once, but that didn't count because the covers had already helped her get part way there.  The second time was all her.  And no joke, she stopped half way through to pant for a few seconds before finishing the journey.  So funny!

She had yet to repeat the feat.  She has actually come close to rolling the other way a few times, but that seems to really freak her out.  Guess she REALLY doesn't enjoy tummy time.

Silent Night

So, how's she sleeping?

REALLY WELL!!!

4 nights in a row she has slept from 11-6:30.  That's 4 full nights of sleep for Mama.  That makes our household a happier place.

I have full confidence that there will be a regression, but for now I am pleased.  Our pediatrician says I should drop the last feeding and push her all the way through from 8pm, but I say why mess with a good thing?  Plus, I kinda like the quiet time that Daddy and I get with Lady A after we put her brother to bed. 

That's all.  Just a milestone worth sharing :-)

One Mold

It appears that Chris and I have one mold for our children.  Sam and Annabelle came out looking almost identical, with only a slight difference in head shape.  Don't believe me?  Can you put the right name to a face in these two pictures?

Well, it seems we produce only small children as well.  Given the fact that Chris and I were tiny as young children, my pediatrician says our kids don't have much hope, but that he does expect Sam to have a growth spurt at some point.  My money is on late middle school.

So just how small are they?

At 3 years old, Sam is 28.5 lbs (17%) and 36 inches (17%).  From a weight perspective, that's actually an upward trend for him, but its down a bit on height.  I care now less than ever before because not only is he hitting every milestone (now confirmed more by his preschool teachers than his pediatrician - I got his first "report card" at a parent teacher conference the other day!), but he is also eating better than he used to.  In case you're curious, his blood pressure is 88/58, pulse was 92 and his BMI is 15.46.

At 2 months old, Annabelle is 9 lbs 9 oz (13%) and 21 3/4 inches (22%).  I put zero stock in the length measurements until they stand the kid up, and I'm pretty confident that Lady A is actually longer than that.  She's still half a pound skinnier than her Uncle Matt was on his birth day.  He head circumference has grown almost 2 inches, which is crucial in getting those bows to stay on!  The comments on her head's beautiful shape continue to come from all medical professionals.

The dueling well-visit went really well.  Night and day from last year's screamfest, Sam walked in like he owned the place, doctor kit in hand.  Yeah, that was pretty cute.  He and Dr. Jung compared tools.  He held a conversation with both doctor and nurse, sat perfectly still with the blood pressure cuff, followed directions for deep breaths and the scoliosis check.  And he made sure we all remembered his lollipop at the end.

Annabelle got her first shots, which of course was not pleasant.  She recovered quickly, but like her brother, skipped her afternoon feeding.  I thought she was fine after that, but she did throw up last night, a rather rare but minor response to the vaccines.

At the end of the day, we had one pleasant visit and two healthy kids.  All is well.