We have started eating the props. There's not much that doesnt end up in her mouth. please excuse the double negative I hate it when people use them.....sorry Nicole
I am loving 5 months! She is so much more portable than the big girls at 5 months. The biggest difference is that she doesnt mind her car seat. By this age BOTH big girls had moved out of the infant seat, in an effort to get them to "like" the car! Brynlee does fairly well in the car and that makes me happy considering how much time we spend in it. Some days her hair seems super curly and others it is so straight, I am still putting my money on curls for her though! She loves her bath, and would stay in it for hours if I let her.....I cant wait to get her in the pool and see what she thinks. She still isnt sleeping near as well as the big girls did at her age, but I probably shouldnt complain, because it could always be worse! She started solids, when I say started i really mean we tried them for a few days but she stopped poo'ing so we stopped the solids. She is good with her diet breastmilk for now. She has rolled over a few times, still isnt too fond of her belly, sleeps on her side (arms swaddled, darn you startle reflex!), seems super ridiculously interested in my cup when I drink. Is most happy in my arms, but will go to just about anyone. She will watch her sisters for hours and be completely happy. She doesnt nap consistently (my fault) but when we are home she likes a super long afternoon nap which is quite nice. Overall I couldnt ask for a better baby. We love her to pieces! I cant believe she is on her way to being 1/2 a year!
This post is ALL OVER THE PLACE! I had some pictures and videos I wanted to share so I just threw them all into this post! But I have to admit the reason why I've been able to get all these blog posts together is because of these first few pics.
My parents took Kaylee OUT OF TOWN with them! They are a bunch of travelling fools now that my dad is retired, they are always on the go! I mentioned on FB to my mom something about Kaylee wanting to join them on this trip and sure enough mom called later that day and told me they wanted to take her. What was even better was that the trip was A WEEK LONG! Dont get me wrong, I love my little girl, but in most cases (especially this one) absence makes the heart grow fonder. Here is what my big girl has been doing with Amma and Abba. Im sure there are WAY more things that have happened that I havent been told about ;)
on the steps of the castle at Ha Ha Tonka State park where they went hiking
riding a ride......because thats what Amma and Abba let her do
outside the Mexican restaurant where they ate
in the condo before bed, she has gotten to stay up WAY past her bedtime every night, I hope she doesnt think she can do that when she gets home
Amma did put her to work......she has to earn her keep
playing a photo scavenger hunt inside on a rainy day, mom has even been squeezing in some of the school work i sent
there is a playground on the property, Kaylee has been a regular visitor
out to eat AGAIN
Then she got to drive the boat, and everyone survived
AND drink a ROOT BEER!!! This is a big deal since she never gets drinks like that!
Needless to say she isnt missing us too much. And we have had a productive week at home. It is amazing how much of a difference one child makes when taken out of the mix. I am ever so thankful and grateful to my parents for this opportunity not only for me but more importantly for her! She is making memories that will last a lifetime and that is just plain awesome!
Ainslee's 1st swim of the year, the water was FREEZING cold! But she still tried to talk me into getting in with her.
The girls saying the "Our Father"
I converted Ainslee's crib into a day bed. She wasnt too thrilled with it at first. She demanded her crib back, but overall it was a pretty smooth transition. And she now sleeps in the big girl bed at Amma's house. We are still waiting on her's to arrive so I can move her into her new room.
Kaylee came down from playing in the playroom one day with this get-up on. She claimed she was "wearing" her baby, and she made this wrap. I did not approve of the strap tied around the baby's neck, I have no idea where she got that idea.
Brynlee chillaxin' in the wagon on a walk
We've been clothing diapering around here! And LOVING it! It started when I borrowed a few diapers from a friend and I fell in love, so we bought some. So we are officially cloth diapering. Im so thrilled that Marcus is totally on board with the whole diapering thing too. I am just regretting not going through with it when Ainslee was little like I wanted to.
Could she be any cuter/fatter?
I always knew about sunning diapers, but Ive obviously never tried it until now! Do you know the power of the sun? Holy Crap it is amazing how it just zaps those stains right out of the diapers!
While on the diapering subject, I might as well update you on the potty front. She goes on the potty EVERYDAY! Some days she doesnt poop in her diapers at all. I would like to think that she doesnt like to poo in her diaper, I mean who does? But she will tell me when she needs to go, and if I happen to miss her cue she will only go a little in her diaper and then finish in the potty. She gets so proud of herself when she goes. Here she is on the throne in all her glory
This is evidence of our first attempt at a new hairdo. Ainslee took it upon herself to cut this chunk of hair off her sister's head. This wasnt even all the hair
And this happened 10 minutes after the hair cutting incident
can you see the huge dent in the wall? That was from Kaylee's head hitting it!
I went to the homeschool conference a few weeks ago. This is the stack of paperwork I came home with on the 1st day. It was so fun and informative, and I was SO happy I went. A lot has happened in my head over the past few weeks. I have made up my mind to change a lot of things in my life and approach things differently. And I have to say that the changes have made a huge impact on our family. It has been nice!
oh and Kaylee's curriculum arrived in the mail yesterday! I am so excited about the coming year. While at the conference I also decided to not be so consumed by all the hype that can come with homeschooling. I am not going to try and cram 5 subjects and a foreign language down her throat when she is 5 years old. We are taking it slow and easy and just taking time to be a kid and grow as a family. I dont think that this approach will put her behind in any way should we eventually put her in school. But the more I delve into this whole lifestyle Im beginning to become more open to the idea of continuing on the homeschool path longer than originally planned. Im not saying for sure what will happen in the future but i know that for now i have an open mind.
Valentine's Day this year was quite an exciting day for us! I am typically NOT a fan of this "Hallmark Holiday". I feel like you should show the people you love how much you love them EVERYDAY, not some random day in February. And I especially dont like getting fresh cut flowers, i feel like they are just another thing I need to take care of and remember to feed and no matter how good I care for them they die in a matter of days. They are such a waste of money!
i had a not-so-typical day planned that included a visit to the pediatrician for ALL THREE girls. Kaylee needed her 2nd 5 year old shot, Ainslee needed her 3 year old check up, and Brynlee needed her 2 month check up and shots. But before we could get out the door, daddy came home with a few surprises for us. He brought me some lilies (he didnt get the memo the first 14 years we were together, about the fresh cut flowers wink), some chocolate and white chocolate covered strawberries, and 2 gluten free goodies from a local bakery. We were literally minutes away from walking out the door and I didnt really have time to enjoy all my goodies. The girls and I shared the strawberries and I asked him how I should store the gluten free treats to eat later (in the fridge or out on the counter). Thankfully he didnt know so I made him call the bakery and ask. The owner was SO relieved when he called because they had made a HUGE mistake and given him something that was NOT gluten free! Had I eaten one of the treats I could would have gotten really sick! The owner urged him to return to the store for a replacement treat.
Marcus also wanted to get a picture of the girls wearing their Valentine's shirts. Ainslee wasnt being very cooperative, so I ended up having to be in the picture too. Here are all his girls......
Then off we were to the doctor. Let me just say I will NEVER schedule all three appointments at the same time if I have to go by myself. I didnt feel like I could ask questions, listen to answers, or even think straight during the mass craziness! But here are the results from the visit......
Brynlee---
12lbs 11oz which they said is the 29th percentile (I think this might be a mistake, I dont know many other nearly 13lb 2 month olds)
24in long which is the 95th percentile
24cm head circumference which is 19th percentile
She got one vaccination since she is on an alternative schedule, she cried for a few seconds until I picked her up. Overall she did great. The doctor was amazed by how much she was trying to "talk". She said she is growing perfectly, and we are going to continue the reflux meds for a little longer.
Ainslee---
34lbs which is the 80th percentile
37in long which is the 56th percentile
Ainslee seems to be in a weight growth spurt which has caused her BMI to be not exactly ideal (too high). The doctor doesnt seem concerned at this point but says it is something we are going to need to watch in the coming months/year. She really seems this is due to the fact that we caught her at the wrong time. Besides that she is perfect, as I already knew!
Kaylee---
47lbs
46.5in
She threw a massive fit when it was time for her shot. She has NEVER cried for her shots. Even as an infant she would fuss for a second (literally). She gets a shot EVERY week for the past 2.5 years and doesnt bat an eye! Her fit this time was so bad that they had to call in another nurse to help. It took 3 of us to hold her down. I dont know what had gotten into her. Besides that fiasco she was good at the doctor. Her fit did continue in the car so we had to skip our special lunch plans and go straight to Amma's for nap. I put her straight to bed with no lunch and she slept over 2 hours, which is unheard of these days.
My mom was headed out to run errands and I asked her to stop by the bakery to get me my free GF treat. She came back with not only 1 but 2 delicious treats!
this was one of them, I'm not exactly sure what it was but it was DIVINE, the other was a slice of coconut cream cake that was so delicious too!
If I could eat gluten I swear i would weigh 500 pounds
EXACTLY 2 Years ago today I was lying in a hospital bed waiting (but not for too long) for Ainslee to arrive. We didn't know if she was a boy or a girl, and how fitting cause apparently the public still doesn't know if she is a boy or a girl. I was SHOCKED when I was told she was a girl! I am even more shocked by the way she has changed my life. She is such a joy to have around, she is such a lovable, fun, happy, funny, sweet, energetic, and most of all EASY baby! Not a day goes by that she doesn't surprise me, she makes me smile and makes me a better person. I am sure I have aided in the fact that she is such a momma's girl, but I still love it! I love that she wants me (instead of daddy or anyone else) and cuddles with me all the time!
(above pictures were all taken at Ainslee's birthday dinner with Marcus' mom and sister, and family friend)
I searched and searched for a website that had a Happy Birthday Ainslee song (like I found for Kaylee) but I came up empty handed. So I decided to list a few of her recent accomplishments and newest behaviors.
Her favorite words are "self" and "own". As in "I want to do it myself" and “I want my own”. These words get used frequently throughout the day. Most of the things she is actually able to do by herself, but when this next particular situation began unfolding I was a bit skeptical. She announced that she had to go to the bathroom, so off she ran while I trailed behind her. She immediately pushed the stool over to the front of the toilet and pulled down her pants, that's when I came to her "assistance" like I always do, to put her on the potty. She looked up at me and said "self, self". She then proceeded to push me out the door saying "out out momma, SELF". I was crushed, she didn't want my help, but she NEEDED my help. So I stood there outside the bathroom door watching as she climbed up on the stool with her pants around her ankles. She tried to figure out the best way to actually get onto the potty, her way didn't quite work out so I stepped in to assist (and i am confident she was ok with that since she was basically stuck). So now almost every time she has to go to the bathroom she wants to do it by herself, that makes me kinda sad.
She was determined to make her last meal as a baby 1 year old a big one. Last night, unlike the past 3 nights when she had about 3 bites for dinner, she ate 2 HUGE plates of food, 2 bowls of applesauce, and dessert. She probably would've eaten more had I offered it to her. I'm telling you this kid must be going through some sort of growth spurt because she can put away more food than me most days, I swear she has a tapeworm!
She decided to be the first to rise on her birthday. She wanted to enjoy EVERY bit of her special day! She woke up a good hour before her usual time, but I was happy to spend some cuddle time with her in my bed before we started the day.
She is able to put together all the puzzles we own. She LOVES puzzles!
She knows at least 25 body parts
She has her favorite books that she asks to read nearly every night before bed, and she has memorized them!
She still is very attached to her mana (blanket)
She loves and admires her big sister! While I am usually 1st on her list, sister is a close 2nd, Ainslee is very concerned when they are separated.
She loves watching TV and probably wishes I let her watch more often, Dora and Curious George are all she watches. Although I have saved the Oprah when Sugarland was on and she LOVES watching them sing "All I want to do". She usually sits on the couch and dances/moves around while watching intently. I don't think she even blinks throughout the entire song.
She does the "we did it dance" after each Dora and it is super cute
She still goes to bed about 6 every night, some nights it is a little later depending on our schedule. And she still wakes up after 8 nearly every morning (except on her birthday) I'm not even alarmed anymore if she sleeps past 9.
She eats a RIDICULOUSLY large breakfast EVERY morning. Actually she eats solid for about the first 2 hours she is awake. When I say ridiculously I mean ridiculously! She puts away more food in the morning than most children eat in 3 days. Like this morning.....she had her usual bowl of oatmeal which is 1/2 cup dry oatmeal (when cooked is more like 1 cup) with 1/2 cup mixed berries mixed in (because I don't add sugar to their food, the berries are a good way to sweeten in up). Then she had 2 decent sized bowls of cereal, a glass of OJ with prune juice mixed in, and a clementine. This was all before she even wanted to get down from the highchair. About 30 minutes later she was asking for more food! My dad says he is going to start charging me when she comes to his house because all she does is eat all their food!
She loves putting on chap stick and Aunt Mary has given both of them a 6 tube chap stick set that gets applied about 4 times a day. She says "Yip Yip" when she wants some more
She had her 2 year check up and she is 34 inches tall (58th percentile) and 28.6 lbs (73rd percentile). So basically she is short and fat. HA! just kidding, she is perfectly proportional, unlike her giant big sister who was always off the charts in every category.
When the doc asked me if she had at least 50 words in her vocabulary I stopped and thought for a second "man 50 is a lot, does she have 50 words? I have been a bit worried about her speech. She does vocalize a lot, but does she have 50 words. Are there 50 words that anyone besides me understands?" I told the doc I thought she did have 50 words and that evening we were at my parents house for dinner. As my mom, sister, and I were preparing the table I nonchalantly asked them "Hey how many words do you guys think Ainslee has in her vocabulary?" They both stopped, thought, and looked at me like "crap I don't want to say the wrong thing, I wonder what the answer she is looking for is." Then I explained why I was asking them and was wondering if she really DID have 50 words in her vocabulary. Mary looked at me like I was crazy and said "Michele she says 50 FOOD words, that's not even counting all the other words she says!" Then it hit me, she TOTALLY has 50 words, she has WAY more than 50 words, and they are getting clearer and clearer as each day goes by.
She has cut teeth number 13, 14, and 15 in the last week.
She is NOT a fan of the snow. As in could not care any less about any snow experience at all!
She is still rear facing in the car, and I have no intention of turning her around. She likes it that way and she is safer too......win/win for everyone
Anytime she wants something to eat she says "bowl bowl," for us to put said food in bowl that she gets out of the drawer by herself
Her kisses are the sweetest thing you can find ANYWHERE around! If you dont pucker up and make the smack sound she puts both hands on the sides of your face and pulls you in. She kisses until you kiss back. And she isnt stingy at all with her kisses!
She can be very shy and she definitely is NOT a performer. When I ask her to show daddy her lastest accomplishments she almost never does.
She counts to 5 and is very proud of herself
I am sure there are more that I am leaving out, but this post is mighty lengthy already.
(pictures taken below are from her combo birthday celebration with my dad whose birthday is the 15th)
Big Girl eating her own bowl of YoLo for her birthday dessert
to protect our privacy I cut off the bottom of the invitation which basically was just our address and phone number
We had Kaylee's birthday party 2 weekends ago, after being sick all last week, I am just now getting around to posting about it. When asked (MONTHS ago) what she wanted for her birthday all Kaylee said was to stay in a hotel. I thought at first we would try to have a SMALL swim party at a hotel. But living in the fabulous area of the US that we live, that just couldn't happen. So we decided instead to throw Kaylee a party at the house. This is the first non all-family party for either of our children. I am new to this children's birthday party thing. And you will soon learn ALL the mistakes I made! My friend (ok more than one of my friends) kept telling me I must have been smoking crack the day I decided to invite like EVERYONE! I cant tell you exactly how many of those cute little invitations went out, I can tell you that it was a few too many! I had no idea that when people get children's birthday party invitations they actually COME! We have had MANY MANY parties at our house over the years, and this was by FAR the largest percentage of people that has ever shown up, as in like DOUBLE the percentage of our other parties! We had like 20+ children in our house, plus all the adults to go with them, which was like 25-30. It was mass chaos/craziness, it was a mad house! So much so that we forgot to even sing happy birthday to the birthday girl!.........ooops!
Here are some of the pictures from the craziness
another one of my "out of my mind" decisions, to have the children decorate their own cupcakes one of the creations
Ainslee eating hers with a spoon
she realized quickly her hands where much more effective
Then she tried the "hands free" approach
Some of the moms thought my idea was not great, so they made their children's cupcakes for them.
Then we had to figure out where all these kids would sit while they ate their cupcakes, they pretty much figured it out by themselves........whenever they could find a space!
And here are all the gifts, after about the 3rd child who walked through the door, I wished I had put "no presents" on the invitation. This picture doesn't show all of them, it was taken after she had already opened like 6 gifts.
she sure enjoyed opening all those, and even let Ainslee open a few for her too!
It wasn't that I was completely unprepared for the party. I had multiple games ready, and ideas on how to entertain the children. But I never thought about the parents. Most of them just came and either sat down on the couch (or stood in the living room) the entire time talking to each other. Not many of them even ventured up stairs to see what their children were playing up there. It was like they dropped them off and went "off duty". Don't get me wrong we didn't have any crazy behavior from the children or anythings, we didn't even have a single broken toy, a few injuries YES (nothing serious). It just didn't go as I had thought, we will definitely be changing our strategy for the next party, not sure what yet, but something different! It was fun, I wish I would've been able to socialize more. I feel like I say that after every party though. Oh and another thing I learned from the party was that I am SO glad I have the children I have! I have seen all different types of children, and I am glad they are just the way they are!
Where have I been for the past.......ugh........(sigh)........3 MONTHS?
I dug myself a hole so deep with this blog I dont even know where to begin. Lets just say we have been busy, busy, busy, going, going, going, ALL the time. We have been on many trips, seen new things, learned lots of new things, and grown so much! I cant wait to tell you all about it! I hope I dont leave too much out because it has all been so much fun!
In June/July we went to Florida with my parents (and little bro). Our trip ended up being almost 2 weeks, and it was ever so fun! a few highlights from June/July:
-Kaylee learned to swim
-Ainslee found her LOVE of the water, not quite as much "love" as Kaylee but pretty much "love" (see photos and videos below)
-we conquered another trip with countless hours in the car.......and survived!
-I managed to get Ainslee potty trained during the day
-we had an AWESOME party at our house, with many friends, lots of food, and a super fun water slide
-and thats about all I can remember here is some of the evidence (thank god for pictures, if not for them I might forget all my experiences!
these pictures are completely backwards (I hate how blogger uploads pics!) so you will be taken on our trip but starting from the end going back to the beginning.
kaylee being thrown around the pool
Kaylee jumping off the side and swimming BY HERSELF!
The beginning of the jump
Ainslee enjoying being thrown around too
One of the best pictures of Ainslee
Kaylee flying the airplane.....watch out you guys, she might just be YOUR pilot one day
Kaylee swimming 1st time
Kaylee with a crazy look on her face
Kaylee holding the gator
Family photo at the gator show
Mommy and Ainslee at the gator show
Ainslee surfing at Ron Jon
One of the best photos EVER of Kaylee
Kaylee took this lovely pic of her parents, she is a budding photographer
This picture cracks me up everytime i see it! Kaylee all calm as she chokes her sister, so typical! (I promise no one was injured or harmed during this photo)
a rare sweet pic of the 2 of them
Ainslee in her swim suit and sun glasses stealing Uncle Johnny's breakfast before she heads to the pool
Daddy working, Ainslee showing off her sun glasses
Kaylee eating, besides swimming, this was her favorite pasttime on the trip!
Kaylee and Uncle Johnny in the pool
Kaylee eating her popsicle
Ainslee eating her popsicle
Ainslee on the carousel with Uncle Johnny
Family photo on the beach watching the fireworks
The girls on the beach (despite the hugeness of my belly, I am NOT pregnant! Looks like I have some work to do in the belly department)
another impromptu family photo on the beach
At the carnival before getting on the ferris wheel
And here are all the gifts, after about the 3rd child who walked through the door, I wished I had put "no presents" on the invitation. This picture doesn't show all of them, it was taken after she had already opened like 6 gifts.
she sure enjoyed opening all those, and even let Ainslee open a few for her too!
