3 Months Old!

On Tuesday, Q turned 3 months old and so, as has become tradition, I had to take some photos to upload to the blog and write a post about her.

At some point during the last month I was really able to begin to relax and fall into a more settled routine with all the chaos around here.  Q truly seems to be a completely different baby these days - the fussy baby of old seems to be a thing of the past!  She is sleeping great, she's slept through the night for the past 2 days waking at 7:40am and 8:40am respectively.  And even prior to that she would only wake up once per night between 4-5am and then go back to sleep until somewhere between 8-9am.  She loves to coo and babble what seems to be constantly at times. 

She is also a great nurser, so much so that she had started refusing the bottle.  I say "had" because while visiting with friends on Tuesday one offered to attempt to give her a bottle and she drank it all with little or no fussing...little stinker!  So today I tried it before heading out to the gym but it didn't work, she screamed her head off until she finally gave up and fell asleep (then I woke her and nursed her before leaving).  Then while I was cooking dinner she wanted to eat and so I told B to give her a bottle.  He tried to give it to her while standing close to me and she wasn't having it.  He moved a little farther away and guess what?  Yep, she drank the bottle!

She loves to be talked to and 99% of the time when you talk to her she will "talk" back and she always has a smile waiting when we talk to her.  She's never been a girl to take a pacifier but she has managed to discover her fingers and unless she's eating or sleeping (we still swaddle her) the chances are good that you'll find those hands in or near her mouth.  For those who are wondering:  yes, she does still have those blue eyes though there's still time for them to change.  And honestly, sometimes they appear to be more gray depending on the lighting.  We're still battling reflux though with the medication she's much, much better.

I am often asked about the differences in temperament between Y and Q now that things are a bit more settled.  And while both were/are relatively happy babies, Q seems to be a bit more high maintenance than Y was.  Q is very particular as to how she likes to be held and even when she likes to be held.  It always amazes people that majority of the time she'd rather you laid her on a blanket on the floor than to have anyone hold her.  She can literally be in a super fussy mood but the moment you lay her on the floor, all is well with the world!  But even given their differences we love them just the same and can't wait until they start to grow and play together.

I know all of the pictures included here are pretty much the same but they're all so cute and I love all the different facial expressions that I had a hard time narrowing it down and just choosing a couple.  So you get a collage instead.  And I can finally say, by viewing these and other photos that we've taken, Q looks like my mom.  It took us a while to figure out exactly who she favored but after seeing these pictures it's pretty undeniable! Needless to say this makes my mom very, very happy!

Sisterly Love

I'm not sure what Y is doing in these photos, but Q is happy!



Halloween

This year we actually went to trick-or-treat in the same neighborhood as last year, but with different friends (last year we went with the Moss' and this year the Davis').  The neighborhood REALLY gets into Halloween and Y got quite a bit of candy...and we only went around one block. 

Y was excited the whole day and just couldn't wait to get into her Tinkerbell costume, I've never seen her so cooperative when it comes to getting dressed and getting her hair done.  I think her favorite part of the night, aside from the candy obviously, was the ride in the wagon.  I think when Q gets a bit bigger it may be a good investment for us to buy a wagon for the two of them.

After a chilly night of trick-or-treating (it was much warmer than last year) we went back to our friend's home for some cider and donuts with both sets of friends from the neighborhood (we know them from church) and their neighbors.  It was a great Halloween and on the drive home Y commented a few times that she was sad Halloween was over and that she didn't want it to go.  I'm sure for a 3 year old telling her that it'll come again next year is no comfort.  She's struggling to grasp the concept of a week's time so trying to explain another year was way too much of a challenge.



I think she makes the cutest Tinkerbell I've ever seen, but of course I'm a bit biased!


And now that Halloween's over...she's just excited that she gets to dress as Tinkerbell EVERYDAY!

Playing Dress-Up

Y has REALLY gotten into playing dress-up and using her imagination.  The things she comes up with never ceases to amaze me.  In the picture on the left we had just come home from church and wanted to take a picture of her in the dress (which was bought for her by her Nana B. while visiting Aunt C in Norway) so we could email it to Nana B.  In the photo on the right she is still wearing the dress but on top of it is her Abby Cadabby costume from last Halloween (2010) and on top of that is a hooded towel.  When asked, she informed me that she was Cinderella and it was her gown that she was going wear to the royal ball!  And if you're wondering about the socks...they're her glass slippers!  That girl loves her accessories!



Can't resist adding a photo of Q!  She's playing on her play mat after church while mommy and daddy had lunch.



Trick or Treat Trail

This year we heard about an event called the Trick or Treat Trail which is put on each year by the township in which we live.  They have different characters to come and the kids are allowed to hug them and take pictures of them, neither of which Y wanted to do but she agreed with Elmo and Big Bird.  She agreed to stand in front of Dora, Diego and boots in order for us to get a picture but that was about it.  They give the kids a Halloween bag to collect the goodies in and then they follow the trail to each station.  At those Stations they are given candy or little trinkets, most of it is little trinkets which I prefer seeing as she'll be getting more than enough candy next week.  You have to pre-register your child and it cost $8.50 and at the end they get to pick their own little pumpkin.  Even though Y didn't really want to interact too much with the characters she said she had a lot of fun and has been talking about all the different characters she got to see.  B is going to help her carve her little pumpkin tomorrow so she's pretty excited about that as well.  Below you will find some of the pictures.

Q before and after.  She fell asleep about 5-10 minutes in.

Here's our little Tinkerbell!  I think she and B look adorable in their photo together.

She's not too crazy about any of these characters though she recognized them all aside from the Monsters Inc. guy and Big Boy.  She actually asked if Big Boy was the 3 Little Pig's Daddy.

Strawberry Shortcake and a few Disney life-size character boards

Big Bird, Elmo, Snuffie, Bert & Ernie.  These were the first characters she actually interacted with.

Aside from the Dora crew and Blue she's not really familiar with any of these other characters.

Here she is posing for a photo at the end of the trail, picking out her pumpkin with B and a photo of all the goodies.

Recent Photos

Just a few different facial expressions!

I guess big girls need tummy time too!

Quiet Reassurance

Ever since Y was born I have always loved tiptoeing into her room to watch her sleep.  I don't do it every night but I do it quite often - a few times a week.  This week after quietly going in I posted a status update on Facebook once I exited their room.  The status update read, "Sometimes, late at night I tiptoe into the girls room to watch them sleep. And on these occasions I am overwhelmed by how much I love being a mommy...their mommy."

I received a slew of comments and 'likes' for the comment from those telling me how great a mom I am, to those expressing their mutual feelings and agreement towards mother- or fatherhood to those who just felt it was a beautiful comment in general.  I guess I was a little surprised that my one comment struck a chord with so many, though I guess I shouldn't have been surprised - certainly I'm not the only one to have ever felt this way while watching their children.  But I suppose that I've been doing it for so long that it just seems pretty casual to me.  I find it to be particularly calming and reassuring on those crazy days when Y seems to have one tantrum after another and Q just won't stop crying no matter what I do.  To watch them sleep somehow makes it all better.  It reassures me that I'm not the horrible mother that I sometimes feel like during the day and that I'm not completely ruining their lives (yes, believe it or not, sometimes I feel this way).

Another Anniversary!

Six wonderful years and I still consider myself the luckiest girl in the world.  Lots has changed over the past six years but all of it has been for the better.  We've added two beautiful girls to our family, we've lived in 3 different place (though we've only owned the one we currently reside in), and we've fallen more an more in love with each other - despite our flaws.  People say that next year will start the "7-year itch" but we're not worried about that...we'll just get his and her back scratchers!  One thing is for sure, I am loving growing older with B and couldn't imagine it with anyone else!

Each year on our anniversary we take a photo to add to our wedding album.  Here are this year's photos!  We took two but I'm not sure which one is better really so I'll post both.

Stats & Shots

On Wednesday we took Q in for her Well Baby checkup and on Thursday we took her to have her shots.  We had it done on separate days because our health insurance, for whatever reason, does not cover vaccinations.  And since the Health Dept. is a cheaper alternative than doing it at the doctor's office we take that route.  I try not to complain too much about our insurance because I realize that it could be worse, I could be one of the millions with no health insurance.

At 2 months she is weighing in at exactly 11 pounds and she is 23 5/8 inches long with a head circumference of 15 inches.  If you're wondering how that stacks up to Y at 2 months, Y was exactly 12 pounds and 23¾ inches long with a head circumference of 15½.  So there is still a one pound difference in weight but even though Q started out 1½ inches shorter than Y was at birth there is now only 1/8 inch difference between Y at 2 months and Q at the same age.  I'm not comparing the two but I do find it interesting to see their similarities and differences as they grow.

Q was really happy on Thursday, well at least until they gave her shots.  I took "before" pictures with the intention of also taking some "after" pictures but that never happened.  She probably cried for about 15 minutes after the shots and on the drive home she fell asleep.  She continued to nap in her car seat for quite a while and when she woke up she was ready to eat.  After eating she was right back to her happy self...that was a HUGE relief!

Y and myself also got our flu shots while we were there (B gets his at work, the company doesn't really do it for any reason except in an attempt to keep the employees as healthy as possible so that they come in to work).  Y did great though!  She was given the option of having a shot of having the mist, which is inhaled through the nose, and she actually chose the shot.  They also asked if she preferred it in her arm or leg - she chose the leg.  She first watched me get my shot so she could see how brave mommy was and how little it actually hurt.  When it was her turn, she didn't cry or complain one bit.  You'd think she didn't feel anything actually!  We were so proud of her, but it shouldn't surprise us because she didn't cry at 2, 4, or 6 months old when she got her shots.

2 Months!

It's been 2 months!  I know most people say, "It's been 2 months already, time has flown by."  You will NOT hear me say that.  It has been 2 months but it has seemed like twice that amount.  Fortunately for me, things seem to be turning around.  The baby Zantac has worked wonders for the reflux.  She's also sleeping much better - day and night - although the napping depends on how much noise Y happens to be making.  I am hoping praying that she starts to sleep through all the noise though because Y doesn't really seem to be quieting down much.  Mostly she makes the loudest noise when she wants the most attention but what she has failed to realize is that the more noise she makes while Q is sleeping amounts to Q waking and less time being spent with Y.

Q's well baby visit is on Tuesday so I'll come back then and post an update with her stats.  But for now you'll have to settle for knowing that she's growing and she's much happier these days.  In fact the photo on the bottom right was one I snapped mid-sentence.  She was "talking" and cooing her head off, and that was right before I put her to bed.  Don't get me wrong, she still cries quite a bit but it's not nearly as much as was.  I've learned to appreciate progress, even if it's only small amounts of progress!