Ready or Not...

We have started a new chapter in life...SCHOOL! Hannah started preschool on September 4th! She is in the two's class and going two days a week, for 3 hours each day. It was definitely bitter-sweet seeing her start "school". She was so excited on her first day and thankfully the excitement has continued.  She is in a class with one of her best friends (the "other Hannah") and she loves her teachers!  I love that she has something fun to do twice per week since there aren't a lot of fun things happening here with a newborn around.  I love that she is becoming independent, but I hate it too! :-(  My baby is growing up and there is nothing I can do to stop her.  Boo!

August 29, 2012 - Meet Your Teacher Day

Hannah did great!  I dropped her in her classroom for one hour while I went to a meeting for the parents.  She was happy when I dropped her off and happy when I picked her up!  I was pleasantly surprised!

 

 

 

September 4, 2012 - First Day of Preschool

Hannah had a GREAT first day.  Mommy and Daddy took her in for her first day of school and she walked right into her class, without hesitation!  A huge success!

 

September 18, 2012 - 5th Day of School

Showing off her "I Love School" shirt!  It's true! :-)

 

 

September's Art Work

I am taking a picture of each of Hannah's creations that she makes at school.

 

 

 

 

Emma: 3 Months Old

Emma,

You are officially an infant and no longer a newborn!  I'm just going to say it one time...SLOW DOWN!  It is baffling to mommy how fast time is flying by.  I thought time went fast when your big sister was a baby, but it is SO much faster now.  You have grown so much this past month and are even more squishy now!  I love it!  3 months really is the perfect age.  You aren't moving very much (just the occasional roll and wiggling) so you stay where I put you and you are full of smiles and giggles.  The smiles are a welcome addition after 3 months of being very serious! :-)

Here's what you were up to each week during your third month of life:

Week 10 (August 24-30)

 

• Diaper size: 1 or 2, Clothes size: 3 months, Shoe size: 1
• This week you discovered your hands!  They became a favorite play thing. :-)
• At the beginning of the week you had wonderful naps!  You were going down very easily for every nap and sleeping the full 2 hours!
• Nights were better too, with several nights of 6 hour stretches and only one feeding in the middle of the night every night this week!  We are turning a corner!
• You wore footed pjs for the first time this week.  It's been so hot since you were born that I have only been putting you in short sleeve onesies.  You look so cute in those footed pjs!
• The paci started to be an issue this week.  You are now very reliant on it to fall asleep (our fault because we really don't like to hear you cry at all!) so every time it falls out we are running in there to pop it back in.
• At the end of this week, MeMaw and PaPaw came to visit while Daddy was in NYC for work.
• Bedtime was still a battle this week as you were most fussy after the 7:15pm feeding.  We did a dreamfeed around 10pm, if you weren't already awake, but most nights you were still awake, fussing.

Week 11 (August 31-September 6)

• Diaper size: 2, Clothes size: 3 months
• You had a spinal canal ultrasound this week (on September 2) at Scottish Rite Children's Hospital.  Everything is fine, you just have a curved butt crack. ;-) 
• We took you to church for your third visit and you were still so noisy.  I ended up having to take you into the hallway during the service where you slept in my arms.  (I secretly LOVE that!)
• You had your first cold this week - a stuffy nose and lots of sneezes.  Thankfully you handled it like a champ!
• You went to the playground for the first time this week (Chamblee Methodist Playground).  You slept in my arms for most of the time we were there.  It was HOT!
• We had a few rough days this week, with short naps and fussy evenings, but overall it was a good week!  We saw some improvement at bedtime.  You still didn't fall right to sleep after your 7:15pm feeding, but if we went in several times to reinsert the paci you did eventually fall asleep.  This meant that I was able to restart the dreamfeed around 10pm.  This became my favorite time of day with you!  You would stay asleep the whole time (6-10 minutes total) and were so sweet and cuddly.
• One night this week you slept from 10:30pm until 5am with only one paci insert around 3am).  This was huge improvement!  Another night you slept 5.5 hours straight overnight!

Week 12 (September 7-13)

 

• Diaper size: 2, Clothes size: 3 months, Shoe size: 1
• Naps are still hit or miss. Some days are great and some days are awful.  I guess this is just life with a baby!
• We moved the straps up on your car seat...you are getting so big!
• One night this week, we were forced to let you cry it out at bedtime (which broke my heart!) because nothing else was working.  We tried giving you the paci (over and over and over again), rocking you, burping you, changing your diaper, feeding you more, and nothing worked.  You cried (screamed really) for 15-20 minutes until you were finally asleep.  I hated every single second of it, but there truly was nothing else that was working.  :-(
• You had several amazing nights this week where you slept 7-7.5 hours straight!  I didn't do the dreamfeed one night (in the beginning of the week) and you slept for 7.5 hours (the longest you had ever done).  This made me realize that the dreamfeed was actually making your sleep worse.  So we dropped it!
• While I was watching you on the video monitor during nap time this week, I noticed how strong your neck is.  You can hold your head and chest up for several minutes and are so very close to being able to roll over from your belly to your back (yes, you sleep on your tummy).  You spent 25 minutes practicing these skills in the middle of your nap on September 11.
• Hannah's preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays is really messing you up.  Pick up and drop off both fall during nap time and you no longer sleep well in the car seat.  It will be better when you can have a longer wake time, but for now we are just adjusting your schedule as best we can.
• You may have had a growth spurt this week (near the end of the week).  You were very hungry and even ate from both sides for some feedings (this never happens).
• You are officially dependent on the pacifier to fall asleep now.  Reinserting it is a bit annoying.  I look forward to the day you can pop it back in yourself!

Week 13 (September 14-20)

• Diaper size: 2, Clothes size: 3 months & 6 months (footed pjs)
• You rolled over this week (tummy to back)!  It happened in your crib after I put you down after a middle of the night feeding. 
• We brought out the exersaucer this week and let you try it out for the first time.  You are still too small for it, but seemed to like it.
• Bedtime was a battle again this week, with us having to replace the paci 30+ times before you fell asleep.  Very frustrating!
• Another week of some good and some bad nap days.  I realized this week that I have another bad sleeper.  You just aren't a sleepy baby anymore. :-(
• Night time had HUGE improvements with two nights of 10 hours of sleep! (8pm-6am)  You slept solidly for 10 hours one night and the other I only had to give you the paci once around 1:30am.
• The swing is no longer my go-to when I can't get you to fall asleep.  It doesn't work anymore to put you to sleep.  We still use it from time to time for entertainment, but I think I will be ready to sell it soon.
• You started to swipe at dangling toys in the middle of this week.
• Uncle Brent and Aunt Lauren came to meet you at the end of this week.  They stayed for 3 days and it was a blast!

Week 14 (September 21-27)

• You turned 3 months old at the beginning of this week!
• Diaper size: 2, Clothes size: 3 & 6 months
• Bedtime was easier at the beginning of this week....a welcomed change!  But by midweek it was a mess again.  One night you were up and down several times, screaming hard.  I rocked you to sleep (you never let me actually sit down, but insist that I walk around and bounce you) multiple times but each time I put you in the crib you woke right back up, crying.  Thankfully things were very good again by the end of the week.
• Overnight you did pretty well this week with just one night of lots of wakings.  But every other night you wake around 1-2am when I give you the paci and you fall back to sleep.  Then you wake again about an hour later and I feed you.  You usually wake again around 6am and I give you paci one more time until you wake for the day at 7am.
• You had lots of drool this week!  Teething??

Our schedule this month remained fairly consistent.  Our morning wake time was between 7-7:30am, with a one hour wake time (including feeding) before going down for a 2 hour nap after the first 3 feedings of the day.  After the 4th feeding (around 4pm) you would take a cat nap for about 1 hour and then we would reverse the eat, play, sleep routine to play, eat, sleep before you last feeding of the day.  You remained on a 3 hour schedule the entire month, with 60 minutes being your optimal wake time for most naps.

3 Month Stats:
- Diapers: Size 2
- Clothes: 3 months and some 6 months
- Shoes: Size 1, but you didn't wear them often this month
- Weight: 15 lbs.
- Height: 24"

You truly are such a joy, Emma!  You remain very easy going and sweet.  You love to be around people and rarely cry.  We love you little squishy!

My Little Squishy

Enjoying some mommy and Emma time while Hannah is at school. Love this little squishy!

Hannah: 2.5 Years Old/30 Months

Sweet, Sweet Hannah,

I can't believe it...2.5 years old!  Really?  I know I've said it before, but please slow down!  We have spent the last month adjusting to a new routine...Preschool!  You have far surpassed my expectations with how you have handled the transition.  I was so surprised with how well you handled the separation and am proud to say that you have not cried one time!  Amazing! 

You continue to amaze me with how well you are doing in the toddler bed.  You have continued to stay in your bed until we come to get you up (from naps or in the morning).  Even if you don't sleep, you lay in your bed the whole time.  Such a good girl! :-)  You also love when Mommy lays in your bed with you to read bedtime stories or say bedtime prayers.  It's my favorite part of the day too!  You and Daddy started reading the bible together every night, which is absolutely precious.  You always request the same stories - "Baby in a basket" (the story of Moses) and "The Garden Story" (Adam and Eve).  I wanted to give you a snapshot of our bedtime routine: We start the process at 7:15 or 7:20pm with a new diaper (an overnight diaper), pjs and "naked baby" time (where you run around like a crazy person).  Next we brush your teeth (Mommy or Daddy brush them first and then it's your turn).  Then you drink water from a small paper cup.  We then go back into your room and Daddy reads you one book and several bible stories.  Next we do bedtime prayers.  We ask you what you want to pray about (usually MeMaw and PaPaw, Grandma and Grandpa, your friends, or whoever you say that day).  Then you pray, "Heavenly Father, thank you Jesus for ______.  Amen."  Then one of us prays and you are sure to interject your requests the whole time. :-)  We then sing you two or three songs (always the Barney song "I love you" and our version of "Lullaby and Goodnight" and sometimes "Goodnight Sweetheart").  We tuck you in by 7:45pm, turn on your sound machine, fan, and clock.  We usually have to come back in at least one time to tuck you in again or threaten a spanking before you fall asleep around 8:30pm.  Thankfully this back and forth seemed to subside by the end of the month.  You are sleeping for 11-12 hours each night and 1 hour tops for your nap (every couple days, but for the most part you are just playing in your bed).  But I'll take it!

One thing that you surprisingly haven't ever been interested in is choosing your outfit each day.  I have talked to several friends and am always surprised with how opinionated their children are and what a struggle it is to get them dressed every day.  Thankfully we have never had any issues with dressing you!  So this month, I decided it was time to start giving you some options with your clothes.  I let you pick between two choices for either the top or bottom half of your outfit and then I pick the rest.  That way you are gaining some independence, but still matching! :-)  The only thing you are slightly opinionated about is that you LOVE to wear pink!

Your favorite toys are your new wooden blocks (love making "castles"), playdough, babies, little people, little animals, "teeny tiny baby" (a little plastic baby from the King Cake that Grandpa gave you), and reading.  Your favorite foods are beans, pita chips, cheese, raspberries, dried fruit, Annie's organic snack crackers ("bunnies"), cottage cheese, broccoli, carrots, frozen peas, ice cream, cake, cauliflower, bread, and pizza.  You continue to love water only to drink!  Your favorite TV shows are Super Why, Barney, Curious George, and Clifford.

Favorite sayings this month:

- "I have milk in my boops (boobs) now" - as you nurse your baby dolls

- "I'm so sared (scared)" - while you run away from Bubbles

- "Oakie milk" - for oatmeal

- "Mommy said ____" - you always remember everything I tell you!  Always keeping me in check!

- "Having a little sister is the best!" or "I love having a baby.  It's the best!"

- "It's a little bit spicy" - different foods you try, like Daddy's special chicken

- "Whatever" - thank you daddy

Speaking of sayings, you are so funny when it comes to following the rules.  Whenever anyone says "What the heck", you immediately snap your head around to look at me and say, "We don't say heck!"  I told you once that you shouldn't say that because it's not a nice word and you have never forgotten that "rule".  The same goes for "poopy" and "pee pee" because one day you were saying those words over and over, being silly and I told you that it wasn't nice to say that.  Now you have taken it to an extreme and anytime I say "Emma has a poopy" or "Let's change your pee pee diaper" you are sure to let me know that "We don't say that".  HAHA

Mommy is a little embarrassed about this, but we made your first blanket tent this month.  Yes, I know, I should have done this a long time ago, but it's one of those things I kept forgetting to do.  You loved it!  You brought all your babies into the tent and hung out in there for quite some time.  We made several tents this month.  And just to clarify, while this may have been your first blanket tent, it wasn't your first tent experience!  You have had your own pink tent for nearly a year now!  So you haven't been completely deprived! ;-)

Sharing has been a big struggle lately...go figure, a two year old that doesn't share well. :-)  While I'm not concerned, it is a bit embarrassing to have the child that cries every time someone takes something you want to play with (which always is whatever they have!) or that will have a meltdown every time your friends come over to play because you just don't want to share anything.  I know this is a phase though and am hopeful that preschool will be beneficial in this arena.

One thing that I have started to be concerned about is your love of walking on your tip toes.  You have been doing this for as long as I can remember (probably since you started walking, but I'm not 100% sure).  I made the mistake of googling tip toe walking and have now been working with you everyday to teach you to walk correctly ("heel/toe").  You can do it, but it is definitely not your natural inclination.  You always walk on your tip toes unless I constantly remind you to walk correctly, which drives us both crazy.  I am pleased to see that you can walk on your feet flat, but I don't like that it is so uncomfortable looking when you do it.  I need to call the pediatrician to see what she thinks, but I am hoping that this is just a little quirk that will fade in time.

A major point of contention this month was potty training (AGAIN!).  I was determined to get you trained (since you are definitely ready physically and you actually asked to wear panties!), so I started on August 17 with nothing but panties.  You were excited as well!  On the first day you had no accidents (YEAH!) but also no successes.  You literally held it all day, from wake time until nap and then from nap until bedtime.  You soaked your nap time and bedtime diaper!  I knew that couldn't be good, but I continued on in hopes that it would click.  On day two you had two pee accidents (one at our friend's house!) and 1 poop accident (also at our friend's house!).  Another day of no successful potty trips.  Frustrating!  On day 3 you had two successful trips to the potty!  You peed twice in the potty, but did have two poop accidents.  I was very excited for progress!  Day 4 was another bust.  Once again you held your pee all morning, until nap time (5.5 hours!) and then after nap time you peed all over the kitchen floor while running around saying, "I don't want to pee on the potty!".  UGH!  This fear of peeing on the potty is very frustrating!  I gave up on Day 5, seeing that you really weren't making any progress and were seriously afraid of going on the potty.  I decided to take a new approach and let you decide if you wanted to wear panties or diapers.  You went back and forth all day and even peed in the potty once!  But you were VERY scared.  You also peed on the couch once.  Oops.  I decided that a good compromise would be to use cloth diapers in hopes of you not liking how they feel and wanting to wear panties. Unfortunately it didn't work and the laundry required was just too much.  I tried for two more days (on and off) and you simply aren't ready.  It has been a VERY frustrating thing for Mommy, but I know that you will get it one day.  I just hope it's sooner rather than later!

On August 19, we asked you what you want to be when you grow up.  The first thing you said was, "A Mushroom".  Silly girl!  Then we asked you if you wanted to be a doctor, to which you replied "No".  We then asked if you wanted to be a Mommy, to which you replied "No".  What about a nurse at the hospital?  "YES! And I'll help the newborn babies and take them to my house and give them all a big, big hug."  HAHA  You are so silly and so precious!  I hope you chase your dreams sweet girl, whatever they may be!

Other 2.5 Year/30 Month Stats:

- You wear size 3T or 4T clothes (majority 4T)
- You wear a size 8.5 shoes now
- You wear size 6 diapers, day and night

2.5 is a very fun age!  We love you so much Hannie!  It is such a blessing to be able to watch you grow everyday!