Clara in December

We had lots of fun in December!

St. Nick brought both the kids lots of fun new toys and books.

We also had our first major snowfall. Clara was excited to put on her snowpants and jacket and help Daddy shovel the driveway.

I just checked the other day and she has 3 of her 4 2-year molars finally. Almost done!!

She is getting really good at going to sleep in her own bed...even for naps. She rarely wakes in the night anymore and when she does she almost always is able to get back to sleep without anyone picking her up. She has been sleeping about 12 hours a night.

Shs is also quite the big helper. I was unloading dishes the other day and she said she wanted to help clean up so I asked her to put away Sam's baby food. And she did! She also likes to help me throw clothes in the hamper, get toys or a cup for Sam, and lots of other very helpful things.

She is just filled to the brim with love and silliness. I love this girl so much!! The big picture in the collage was taken when she was laying in my lap being really silly. :) I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Sam's 9 month survey. How is this kid almost a year old already?

Monthly Survey

 

How old is baby? 9 months

Doctor’s appointments?: January 11, 2013

Stats:

• Weight: 21lbs
•  Height: 28 inches
• Clothes size: Mostly 12 months, still some 9 month jammies.
• Diaper size: Still in 3’s.
• Hair color: Blonde. He’s also had 2 haircuts already!
• Anything else?

Milestones:

• Verbal skills: Nothing new on this front. He still makes lots of different sounds, just not words. And he still loves to scream.
• Teething: God help us…he has almost 8 teeth. One of the lower incisors is just barely through and one molar on top. Yes, I said MOLAR. Really kid? 1-year molars at 9 months? Ok, just hurry up because you’re a real BEAST! *update-he now appears to be cutting not only molars but canines as well.*
• Rolling: Nope. Doesn’t want to anymore. Crawling is way faster!
• Crawling: Like a crazy man! He’s a little speed demon.
• Walking: He cruises the furniture. He also has a toy he can push and walk behind. He’s getting the hang of that, too. He did take one step unassisted the other day…scary!
• Anything else? He can clap!! He just discovered this talent on Christmas Day. We’ve also since discovered he knows how to wave, though he doesn’t like to do it all the time. *update-he also knows how to do “So Big!” He can use a sippy cup, too. He likes to have water in it. We haven’t put anything else in it yet, though.

Things he likes: His family. We’re his favorite people. If we’re all home but not in the same room, he’ll go search out the people who are missing. It’s like he needs to have everyone together all the time. He has had so much fun playing with Clara lately, too. It’s really cute to watch (and listen to!). Other than that he’s just enjoying his new toys that he got for Christmas. Oh, and hanging upside-down.

Things he dislikes: He does not like green beans. I’m trying to start giving him actual food that he has to chew, but I think he’s still having trouble with textures.

Sleeping: Ugh…not great. He has really bad nights when he’s up a lot (probably because of his teething) and other nights where he’s only up once. And he’s starting to sleep in more. Naps are ok. He either takes one big nap per day or one very short one and one semi-long one.

Eating: He’s a great eater. He loves purees. He’s getting really into puffs and cereal, too. I think we might start giving him toast soon, too. He usually eats 1-2 jars of purees 3 times a day. He’ll take a bottle before naps and before bed (or he’ll nurse sometimes). We’ve also been giving him water in a sippy during meals and snack times.

Nicknames: Um, I don’t think there are any new ones. He’s still the Captain, little buddy, little man.

Things we’re looking forward to next month: His 9-month check-up, Papa’s birthday, Uncle Kenny’s birthday. Not much else going on. I’m sure we’ll find some fun things to do in the post-Christmas lull.

How I like motherhood: OMG, for as much as I thought having 2u2 was going to be hard, it’s totally paying off right now! They love to play together. It just warms my heart to hear them laughing and playing together, even though they’re still small.

• Likes: Being a mom is the best thing ever. It isn’t easy and being a good wife at the same time is difficult, but nothing that’s worth doing is ever easy, right?
• Dislikes: I don’t like Sam’s erratic sleep schedule right now, but I know it’s just because he’s teething. I hope that once he finally cuts all his teeth (which I can’t imagine is going to take long at this point) he’ll be a whole new kid. I just love the little guy so much and I hate seeing him so uncomfortable. :(

 

Pictures!!

 



Sam's 8-month Survey

Monthly Survey

How old is baby? 8 months! Slow down, buddy!

Doctor’s appointments?: January 11, 2013 at 10 months (technically his 9 month appointment).

Stats:

Weight: 19lbs

Height: Didn't measure this month.

Clothes size: Out of 6 month clothes. Mostly in 9-12. Shoes size 3-4.

Diaper size: Still in 3’s and we’ve started putting him in overnights, too.

Hair color: Still reddish-blond, though more blond than red now.

Anything else?

Milestones:

Verbal skills: He has been making “ma ma” sounds and now has added “ba ba” to his consonant sounds. He also likes “buzzing” his lips so he sounds like a little motor.

Teething: He has 4 teeth now and is working on more (lower central incisors, top left central incisor and left lateral incisor).

Rolling: Yep, though only if he falls down.

Crawling: All over the place, and quickly!

Anything else? He is officially pulling up on stuff and is starting to cruise the furniture. He’s also quite the adventurer. It’s quite unlikely that if you put him down on the floor that he’ll stay in the same room. He likes to wander and explore.

Things he likes: He loves his LeapFrog table, especially since we put the legs back on it and he can pull himself up to play with it. He really likes books and music. It’s difficult to read a book to him, though, because he still wants to eat it. He loves playing with whatever Clara happens to be playing with, too. It doesn’t matter if she wants to share or not.

Things he dislikes: Being restrained and having his diaper changed.

Sleeping: He started sleeping like crap again. He’s taking 1-2 naps a day-usually one really long one and one shorter one (if he takes a 2^nd nap), but at night he’s up sometimes 3 times. I think he’s going through a growth spurt, though.

Eating: A TON. He loves Cheerios. He gets most of them in his mouth and less of them on the floor or in his high chair. He eats 1-2 jars of baby food 3 times a day. He’s also still nursing (yay me!) when I’m home and getting pumped milk when I’m not.

Nicknames: Nothing new from last month, at least I don’t think there is.

Things we’re looking forward to next month: CHRISTMAS! It’ll be Sam’s first Christmas and I’m excited for it. I think mostly because Clara was only a month or two old for her first Christmas so she didn’t really get to enjoy it until she was over a year old.

How I like motherhood: Wow! It’s exhausting and exciting, and fun, and challenging, and a lot of work, but OH so rewarding!

Likes: Even though it’s a lot of work, it’s getting more fun as they both get older. They’re actually playing together more and I can just picture what life will be like at this time next year! Oh boy! Better fasten our seat belts!

Dislikes: I still wish I had a clone, so I could get more done around the house, pick up more hours at work, and still be able to be home with my kiddos, but I need to do what I need to do to keep us afloat right now so I guess if that means no one has clean underwear for a couple days until I can get to laundry, then that’s what has to happen…that or we need to buy more. J

Pictures!!

 

Clara in November

Since Clara has turned 2, I'm only going to be publishing the surveys every few months. But I thought it would be neat to do a collage every month with her pictures. These are from November. Most of them are from her birthday party.

Clara's 2nd birthday party!

November 2, 2012

 

We celebrated Clara's 2nd birthday at home, just the 4 of us.

 

After breakfast we let her open her presents from us so that she wouldn't get overwhelmed with a ton of new things all at once after her party the next day.

 

From us she got:

A new Elmo outfit that I found on Zulily

A LeapFrog Scribble & Write

A My Own LeapTop

A stroller for her Abby doll (the doll she got from Great-Grandma Ruby)

A Skippy Jon Jones book

Cinderella on DVD

 

Once she was dressed, I took her with me to do a little last-minute party prep shopping. We went to Hobby Lobby, Shopko, and the grocery store. She was really good for all of our stops! I even picked up a little birthday cake that we could eat for dessert that night.

 

Here she is blowing out the candle (in her new Elmo outfit)

Saturday, November 3

 

We packed everyone up first thing and headed for Mimi's house. We decided to do all the prep work there, since that's where we were having the party...and it would just make transporting all of the food a lot easier. We would be able to eat lunch and the kids could go down for a nap before people started showing up for the party.

 

We stopped to fill up some cute Elmo balloons on our way there.

 

Once the kids were down for their naps, I started assembling the cupcakes.

 

Anita frosted while I cut the marshmallows and Oreos in half and put the chocolate chip eyes on.

 

Here they are all finished and on the stand

I also cut up strawberries and added grapes, blueberries, and mandarin oranges to make an Elmo fruit platter

 

 

Auntie Jessi was the first to get there. She and Clara opened presents right away. And it was a good thing, too, since she got a tiara! No birthday is complete without one!

 

 



 



She also got a Cinderella book (that came with a fun wand) and a box full of fun jewelery that she LOVES to play with!

 

Mimi and Papa got her a stroller for Abby, which is awesome because now she'll have one wherever she goes. Anita made her another photobook with pictures from the last year. It's awesome!

 

She got some Elmo pajamas, a Sesame Street DVD, a couple really cute outfits (one of them Elmo), some new books, some cute scarecrow bowls, and some money from the Great-Grandparents. She had such a great time.

 

 

We had a yummy dinner and for dessert we had Elmo cupcakes! She even blew out her candles.

 

 

Thank-you cards are going in the mail soon, and I'm kind of glad all the craziness is over, but I am SO glad that she had a good time. She loved all her gifts and she loved spending time with her Aunts & Uncles that she doesn't get to see that often.

 

It's amazing how much of a difference it made from her last birthday to this one!

 

Clara's 2-year survey!

Monthly Survey

How old? 2 Years!!! Oh My God!

Doctor’s appointments?: November 7

Stats:

Weight: 28lbs (70th percentile)

Height: 36.75 inches (off the charts!)

Clothes size: 2T-3T in pretty much everything.

Diaper size: Size 6 in diapers and 2T in Pull-ups (when she wears them)

Hair color: Strawberry blonde.

Anything else?

Milestones:

Teething: Last I checked there were still no molars. Her sleep has been disturbed again lately, but I didn’t look to see if it might be her teeth on top of the cold she just got over.

Talking: She’s speaking more and more clearly all the time…either that or I’ve just learned to translate better.  She can also say her name (not real clearly, but if you know what to listen for you’ll hear it).

Anything else? She sings ALL.THE.TIME. She has become pretty demanding. She won’t sit in her booster chair at the kitchen table anymore. We’re also working on potty training. Some days are definitely better than others, but it’s pretty exhausting and I’m not even the one doing most of the work.

Things she likes:

Toys: She’s really into dolls lately. She also likes her play kitchen at Mimi’s, swinging, playing outside (especially in the leaves).

Books: She still loves to read. I think one of her all-time favorites is Eric Carle’s Ghost Story. I’m not sure if it’s the actual story or the way Grandpa reads it. :)

Songs: She sings lots of songs. Some she learned at story time, others we (or others) taught her.

TV Shows/Movies: Caillou. Caillou. Caillou…seriously. It’s almost all that we ever watch. That and LeapFrog.

Other Activities: She’s still going to story time on Mondays. I’d like to get her back into swimming again, but we’ve been pretty busy and disorganized lately. She loves to feed the birds outside at Nama & Grandpa’s. She also likes feeding her new fish!

Things she dislikes: Sitting in her booster chair at the table, using the potty, being told she has to do anything (lol).

Sleeping: Sleeping has been hit or miss lately. It seems like she’s been waking up a lot again so I don’t know if there’s something going on developmentally or if she’s just a crappy sleeper. Naps are ok. Usually Adam and Mimi are the only 2 people who can get her to nap.

Eating: She hasn’t been eating very well again. Some days are better than others, but there are some days where it seems like she won’t eat anything. Or she won’t eat anything but garbage.

Favorite Foods: CHEESE!

Not so Favorites: Everything else. Lol Just kidding.

Nicknames: Nothing new from last month.

Things we’re looking forward to next month: Her birthday party is November 3. Other than that we’re just getting ready for Christmas and celebrating Thanksgiving. I think we’re doing the Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving day.

Pictures!!

 

Clara, you're 2!

Dear Clara,

Happy Birthday, big girl! You're 2 years old! I can't believe how fast the last year has gone! You're such an amazing little girl and I'm so glad you're ours!

You are getting easier to understand every day. It's so nice now that you can tell us things. I love it when I come home from work and hear you yelling "Mommy!!" when you see me in the driveway. And as much as I don't like you mooching food from me, I can't resist when you say "peeeeeeese!" with that cute little smile on your face.

You have an infectious laugh. Your brother was gifted with it as well. You guys both love laughing! And I think you might be the only person I know who asks to be tickled!

You're so smart. I'm amazed at the things you already know. You can sing your ABC's, you can count to 20 (which I heard you doing in the car SEVERAL times on the way home from your birthday party), you know shapes and colors, animals, animal sounds and so so so much more! And I love to hear you singing songs in your cute little voice.

You're such a sweet big sister. It's been really amazing to see how much you love your little brother and how much he just adores you. I know you  might get annoyed with him when he wants to play with your toys, but I hope you two stay close and are each others' best friend.

Daddy and I love you so much. We can't wait to see what fun and interesting things this next year has in store for our family!

Happy 2nd birthday, sweetheart! We love you!