Tuesday, June 30, 2009

So that's what they're for

Katie has recently discovered her hands and all that they can do. Before when she would get startled or move too quickly, her hands and arms would fly up. Now her arms are making more deliberate movements and she can actually use her hands to get some things that she wants.

The main thing that she is interested in doing with her hands right now is sucking her thumb. If she can't quite get her thumb in, she will settle for as much of her fist that she can get in her mouth! It's quite cute to see her sucking her thumb, even though this is a habit that I definitely don't want her to continue. Sometimes when she is trying to get her thumb in her mouth, she scratches her face.

She is also using her hands to grab her dresses and pull the bottoms up toward her face. She can reach out and grab something that you put in her hands, as well as play with the balls on her exersaucer and infant rocker. She can hold a rattle if you help her to get her hands around it too.

Katie is also learning how to use her hands to pull on my shirt while she is nursing. I think this is so adorable because she likes to make sure that she has my full attention.

This is such a great milestone because it will lead to so many other things in the upcoming months. I can't believe that she can already grab things...guess we better start babyproofing again soon!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

I just wanted to wish a Happy Father's Day to Todd, the best father that I could ask for Michael and Katie. He gives his time, love and energy to making their lives complete. I know that they are so lucky and blessed to have a father like him. Michael wants to be with him all the time and follows him around. When he's not there, Michael asks about him. I imagine that Katie will do the same thing one day as she's going to be Daddy's little girl.

We decided to make gifts for Father's Day. I bought kits to make stepping stones for the yard, as Todd loves to spend time there. Michael was very cooperative and did a really good job decorating his all by himself. We did a handprint for him and footprints for Katie. She looked so cute with the cement from the mix between her little toes. Here are some pictures of the finished gifts:





As well as some of Todd with the kids:






Happy Father's Day to a wonderful father and husband, Todd!!

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Katie's First Trip to the Pool

It has been pretty hot here over the past few days, getting close to 100 the past 2 days. This afternoon we decided that we would head to the pool with Katie and Michael. I took Michael to the pool last weekend for the first time this year. While he is quite content in the baby pool, he really doesn't like getting in the big pool.

Katie loved her first time in the pool. We figured that she would as she loves her baths and likes to "talk" to you after she gets out about how much fun it is. She didn't have any problems going in the big pool and enjoyed floating around on her back or lying on my stomach on her back. She was content to lay in the shade of the tree in the pool, being held by Mommy or Daddy. The weather was perfect for the pool as she never got a chill in the water due to the outside temperature. The only time that she cried while we were there was when it was time to leave and I was getting her out of her bathing suit.

Michael and Katie were dressed in matching suits today from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Alex. It was too cute. I liked dressing them alike for a change. It's pretty hard to get boys and girls matching outfits. And Michael likes his new bathing suit too because it's reversible so it's like he has two suits.

Here are a few pictures from the pool today:







Friday, June 19, 2009

Power Outage

Last night, as Michael and I were sitting at the kitchen table while he ate dinner, a big storm passed through the area. It didn't last for more than 15 minutes but the sky got very dark. Heavy rain and winds were all around the house and it looked like what you might see in a hurricane for a brief moment. While the rain was pelting our house, the lights flickered inside. They came back on and then off they went again, this time for good.

This happens more frequently that I would like at our house. And I can't really understand it since our power lines are all underground. You would think this would make it less likely for the power to go out. Whereever the connection is into our neighborhood, there must be a lot of trees.

Michael was a bit scared by it and definitely didn't like the thunder and lightning. Once the rain and wind stopped, he was fine, even though he didn't understand why the lights weren't coming back on. It got lighter outside so we were able to get the kids upstairs and ready for bed.

Since the power wasn't back on, we all went to bed around 8:30!! It was nice to get to bed early, even if the sleep wasn't that restful for me. I was worried about Katie's milk in the fridge and freezer and when the power would come back on. And I was also worried about oversleeping on Friday morning as the alarm wouldn't be set. It all worked out when the power came back on around 4:00. Hope it doesn't happen again anytime soon!!

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

I can't believe it.....Katie is 3 months old

Seems like just yesterday that Katie made her arrival in this world and now she is already 3 months old. The time just flies by too quickly. The second time around, you know how fast time is going to go and you are trying to cherish every moment. In some ironic twist of fate, it seems like there is less time to do everything you want to (I think it may have something to do with the fact that we also have Michael). We try to get as many pictures as we can and to capture the special moments in our memories.

Katie is getting bigger and even has a little chub on her legs and cheeks. It's so cute. She is less like a newborn every day. She is trying to move already. She can now scoot herself around on her back. We put her in her crib with her feet facing the end and when I came back in, they were facing the side! She is trying to roll over and swings her legs up to try to gain momentum. It's pretty funny to watch.

She is also very aware of her hands now and has learned how to clasp them together. She also likes to put as much of her hand as possible into her mouth and has started to suck her thumb. Michael also went through a phase when he did that. It's so adorable to watch....she definitely uses it for comfort. It's pretty funny too because she often keeps her fists clenched and she tries to find where she has hidden her thumb.

She loves to look at the world around her and follows people as they move. She enjoys the attention that she gets from her older brother Michael and he almost always makes her smile. If she doesn't smile, then she makes a face that says she knows what he is all about. I know he is going to teach her many things but I hope it's only the good ones!

Katie had her first opthalmologist appointment on June 8th. The doctor says that everything looks good so far but she is going to be nearsighted like her brother. So it looks like Katie will get glasses early like Michael. How much fun will that be to keep up with 2 kids in glasses?

I am looking forward to what the next month holds for Katie. She will have her 4 month well visit in July and I am anxious to see how much weight she has gained. Her head and neck keep getting stronger and I think she is going to be in the boppy and exersaucer by her 4 month appt!!

And what would this post be without some updated pictures of Katie?







Thursday, June 11, 2009

We are now the proud owners of a.......

2006 Toyota Sienna minivan!! This was an unexpected purchase for us but definitely one that was needed. The transmission in our 2002 Dodge Intrepid was done and it would have cost more to fix it than the car was worth. So this is the vehicle that we decided on. We also looked at the Toyota 4Runner, which would have been great when we just had Michael.

So far I really like it and I think Todd likes it too (even though he may not want to admit to it). If you would have asked me 5 years ago what kind of car I would be driving, I don't think a van would have entered the picture. At the time, I still had my 1990 Nissan 300ZX....maybe someday, in the distant future, I can be the owner of a sports car again. I sometimes don't feel old enough to be driving the van but then I realize that we have 2 kids now and it just seems right.

It's silver, has leather seats and quite a few other features that were not must haves, but are definitely welcome. We got a DVD player installed in it for long trips. I am sure that Michael will be enjoying that but he doesn't know about it yet and we want to keep it that way. If not, he will be asking for TV all the time!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Why doesn't he want to go to sleep?

Starting when Michael was about 3 months old, he would normally go to bed around 9:00and sleep until 7:00 in the morning. I would nurse him and then put him down in his crib and not a peep out of him. He slept through the night for quite a while.

Sometime around the time he turned 2, he started climbing out of the crib. Todd was sleeping in bed and one morning, he heard Michael say his name. When he opened his eyes, Michael was right there! We had to change his crib to the toddler bed and that's when the sleeping troubles began. Michael would routinely get up out of the bed 4 or 5 times a night and come in our room to try to sleep with us. We would take him back to his room most nights until about 5:00. After that, we were exhausted (this was worse than a newborn) and just let him sleep with us. Not a peep from him and we often had to wake him up.

Finally we needed to get some sleep so we bought a gate and put it up on his bedroom door. We met resistance for the first few nights and made several trips to his bedroom door but he finally realized there was nowhere to go and starting sleeping all night again, for the most part. This was a good thing as I had just found out I was pregnant with Katie and needed all the sleep I could get.

In December, we moved him into his new room and got him a big boy bed. We left the gate off for a few nights and he never got up. Apparently all he wanted was a regular bed like us. The boy is no dummy....he knew grown-up mattresses, pillows and comforters were more comfortable than his toddler bed!

Fast forward a few months and he started the stalling game. He tries to think of every possible tactic to keep from going to sleep at night. After he gets showered and dressed in his PJ's, we start the bedtime routine anywhere from 8:15 to 8:45. He gets to pick out a book to read, we tuck him in and leave the room. Or at least that's how it should go.....this is more like how it actually is. Michael gets out of the shower and runs around upstairs naked laughing hysterically. He finally calms down and comes into his room to put his PJs on after many times of us pretending to go downstairs. After getting dressed, there is normally one bathroom attempt that isn't needed but he knows we won't say no. We read the book (or not) depending on how much time has elapsed. Finally go to tuck him in, he wants to get out of bed and go downstairs.....or play with a toy. By the time he finally goes to sleep, an hour could easily pass by.

He runs all day and plays hard but fights sleep. I wish that I could trade places with him as I would gladly love to go to bed at 9:00. Surely there is some way to make him thinking going to bed is fun......

Friday, June 5, 2009

Time for Blogging

Since I have been back to work, it has been harder to find time to blog. I want to spend as much time with Katie, Michael and Todd as I can when I am at home. I think of so many things to blog about but by the time I have the chance, I am too tired.

I have really been enjoying keeping track of things by blogging and I know one day I will look back and see what the kids did or how I felt about something. It's a great keepsake for recording purposes and to share our family happenings with family and friends that live far away.

Monday, June 1, 2009

11 weeks old already!

Katie is 11 weeks old today. I can't believe how fast time is flying by. She is developing quite the little personality. She is a relatively calm, happy baby unless it's time to eat and then you better watch out. It's amazing to me how much different she is from Michael. And I don't think it's just because she is a girl.

Katie is sleeping pretty well at night now. She slept from 10:15 Saturday night until 6:45 Sunday morning and from 9:00 - 4:00 last night. She typically stays up until at least 10:00 and some nights doesn't go to bed before 11:00. She definitely takes after Todd in that area. I can barely stay up past 10:00 some nights!

She is quite verbal now, making sounds in response to your talking to her. She loves to smile at you and her whole face lights up when she does it. Katie also seems to have strong neck muscles as she can almost hold her head up by herself. I can see that she will be getting into the Bumbo and exersaucer in a few weeks.

Her swing is her friend and she can pull the stars on the side to make it play music. We got a video of it and she did it several times so it wasn't by chance. She loves to look at what's going on around her and see all the crazy stuff that Michael does!

She is nursing well and growing like a weed. It seems like she has grown in length a good bit recently as she has some 3 month pajamas that she will only be able to wear once. She is obviously going to be long and lean like Michael and Todd. It's so much fun to dress her up in all the different clothes that she has.

Happy 11 weeks Katie!! We are so happy and blessed to have you here with us.