Another month has quickly gone by! My sweet little first born is now 2 years old! I really have a hard time believing it! I swear she was just a teenie tiny baby sleeping in my arms yesterday, and now she's almost too big to sleep in my arms comfortably. She'll still let me rock her for a little bit, so I'm thankful I haven't had to give that up yet. It's one of my favorite parts of the day.
We decided to have her big birthday party in Utah with family this year since we were going to be there so close to her birthday! It ended up being so much fun, and she really enjoyed herself! I decided to do a theme that she loves this year, and that was Elmo! Brittany R. Griffin taught me how to make fondant and decorate an Elmo Cake, and it turned out incredibly cute! I cut out the circles and letters for the birthday banner before we went, and spent a couple evenings after the girls had gone to bed, putting it together. Tiff taught me how to make chocolate dipped Oreos and put them on sticks with little Elmo faces, and they turned out adorable and delicious. We had her party at Joseph and Brittany's house and we got pizzas from Costco, salad, and fruit for dinner.
It was so much fun to watch her be surrounded by all of her cousins and to have the spotlight on her for a little bit. She loved opening presents, and after she opened one, she would run over to whomever got it for her and give them a great big hug! It was so cute to watch! After presents we sang and had cake and ice cream. We had been practicing singing Happy Birthday and pretending to blow out the candles and she would constantly say "Happy Birthday to You!" When it came time for the real thing she got a little shy at first and reached out for me to hold her when everyone started singing, but as the song went on and it came time to blow the candles, she was excited and did a great job blowing them out all by herself! I loved watching her interact with my family. Everyone loves her so much, and she's crazy about all of them. We have been home for a week now, and she's still talking about not wanting to go to our house, but to go to Korver's House or Grandad's House. She's always talking about Aunt Tiff and Braden and Grandma and Granddad. She really loved spending time with all of her Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents.
Today was her two year check-up. She weighed in at 29lbs 6oz, 35.25 inches(Dr Kennedy said she's on track to be about 5'10'' depending on when puberty hits) and her head size is 19.75in. They took her into a regular exam room instead of the baby room this time. It about broke my heart! She's growing up too quickly. She had to get 1 shot today and she was so brave and didn't even cry. All she said was "ouch!" and then it was over. She's so grown up!
She's such a little light! I seriously miss her at night when she's asleep! I love walking into her room every morning and saying "Good Morning" and watching her little head pop up in her crib! Lately she wants me to set Madison on her back every morning. She'll turn on her stomach and say "Madison back", and I have to set madison on her back for a few minutes. I don't know where she got that from, but it's pretty funny, and just like everything else, I'm sure it's just a matter of time before she doesn't do it anymore. We've taken away her binki during the day, and today the pediatrician told me we need to take it away at night too because it's affecting her teeth. Hopefully it goes as well as taking it away during the day.
*Update(next day) I talked to Brooklynn about giving her binki up today. I asked her if she would want to go to the store and pick out a new toy, and explained that to get to do this she would need to give all her binkis to the cashier. We talked about her being a big girl now and not needing a binki anymore. She was excited about the idea of getting to "buy" a toy with her binkis. After her nap today, I packed up all her binkis in a ziplock bag and we headed to Walmart to pick out a toy. She wanted to hold the bag of binkis on the drive there, and she asked if she could use one. Since it would be her last moments with her binkis I told her she could. I'm not gonna lie, as I was looking back at her in the rear view mirror, I felt a little bit sad that those would be my last moments seeing her with that cute little purple binki in her mouth. My baby is growing up, and I'm not sure how much I like it. When we got to Walmart she put her binki back in the bag and we headed inside to the toy isles. She found a bottle of bubbles with a Mini Mouse head on it that she wanted, a little Goofy plush doll, and a big pink bouncy ball. When we got up to the register there was a sweet little older lady at one of the registers, with nobody in her line, so I let Brooklynn set her toys on the belt and explained to the cashier that she was buying those toys, and that she was going to pay for them with her binkis. The lady smiled and said "oh, okay!" and was so sweet about it. She put the bubbles and Goofy doll in their own bag and handed them to Brooklynn. Brooklynn was so excited!! I had the woman just stick the bag of binkis in one of the sacks where Bookie wouldn't see them, I paid for the rest of our things, and we were on our way. She held her new toys on the way home, and couldn't wait to go out and blow bubbles and get Goofy out of the package.
I decided to put her to sleep tonight instead of Joe, so I could talk to her and sing to her before she went to sleep. When I sat down in the rocking chair with her and her blanket, she asked for a binki, and I had to remind her that we gave her binkis to the lady at the store. She immediately said "Goofy" and knew that we had gotten Goofy because she gave her binkies to the lady at the store. She asked for it a couple more times and she sat up several times and looked around her crib for one, but eventually fell asleep.
** It's been over a week now, and she's doing just fine without a binki. It takes her longer to fall asleep for naps sometimes, but she's still able to fall asleep. She adjusted just fine! She did find a binki in our recliner the other day when I was feeding Madison. I'm glad it was later in the week and not the first couple of days after we took it away, or she would have wanted it. I just told her "You're a big girl now, you don't use binkies anymore." and she didn't have any problems with me taking it away.
Some things that she's doing or saying now are "My Friends" she calls her cousins or the kids at church her friends. She's started saying "no" to a lot of things I say. Especially when I ask her to do something. She wants to put ice in her own cup, put her own pants and shoes on, brush her own teeth, and wash her own hair and body. She pretty much says "I do it!!" all the time throughout the day. Sometimes it drives me bonkers by the end of the day because a lot of the time I will be helping her and she'll say "I do it!!" and then she tries and two seconds later says "help!" I guess it's a good thing that she's at least trying, but man, it's hard to stay patient with her sometimes! =)
She's completely in love with Mickey's Clubhouse show, and anything to do with any of the characters from the show. We went to a bounce place in Dallas with Addie, Jack, and Millie, and there was a blow up thing with Mini on it and she kept wanting to go in that one because of it. She wasn't drinking her milk when we took her bottles away after her 2 year appointment. She just would not drink it from a big girl cup for some reason. So, we went to Target and got her a new Mini Mouse pop top bottle and she's actually been drinking some milk now! She loves Minnie Mouse so much! She usually watches the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show while I work out, and then one before bed with Daddy. Definitely a highlight in her day!
She still loves church so much! Whenever we even drive past the church she yells out "church, church!" She starts saying "my friends" during the closing hymn at church on Sunday, and then she walks right to class with Joe or me in tow. Joe reads scriptures with her every night while I put Madison down, and we have also been pretty good at having Family Home Evening during the week. She loves it! She loves learning, and loves the games we play after. Her favorites are when we play "Ashes Rosie" (Ring Around the Rosie) and when Joe and I swing her and sing "Wash the Dishes, Dry the Dishes, Turn the Dishes Over." That's something I remember doing with my parents after FHE when I was young. Crazy that I'm doing it with my own kids now!
Brooklynn is such a sweet girl, and I consider myself very lucky and blessed to be her mom.
Madison is a little light to our family. She's such a happy, smiley baby and she pretty much just goes with the flow! She loves spending time outside. I've been taking the girls out for a walk a couple times a week, and she is absolutely in heaven just riding in the stroller, looking around, and soaking in the outdoors. She's still only napping for about 30 minutes 2 to 3 times a day, so sometimes she can be whiny and I know it's because she's not getting enough sleep.
She loves Brooklynn so much! She gets so excited when we walk into Brooklynn's room every morning. She'll smile so big and starts trying to kick her feet and laughs and smiles. I love seeing how much those two girls love each other. She's loving her little bouncer, and sometimes she just goes nuts jumping in it. It's really funny to just sit and watch her sometimes. She's sitting up in the high chair to play with toys, and she's attempting to roll over when I lay her on her little kicky mat to play. She's always got something in her mouth, whether its a toy, or her hands. Her grip is getting stronger, and she's started to pull things. If she's upset she will make sure to let me know. I call her my little Drama Queen, because she'll whine really loud, and then she starts doing this little fake cough like she's going to die if I don't feed her, or pick her up, or change her diaper in the next 2 seconds. She's learning how to get what she wants, and she can't even talk yet! Heaven help me!=)
I sat her up in the grocery cart at Costco with Brooklynn the other day, and she absolutely loved it. She loves watching Baby Einstein "Old McDonald" when I put Brooklynn down for a nap. Since Madison sleeps for a shorter amount of time, I put her down for a nap after Brooklynn, so that I can get about 30 minutes of quiet time to myself. So, after lunch I usually put Madison in her swing and turn on her show, and then head upstairs to put Brooklynn down for a nap. It's so funny how much both of my girls have totally gotten engrossed in that show. I'll come downstairs and she's concentrating so hard, it's funny!
She's still a great eater, and a good sleeper(at night) and she absolutely loves taking a bath. She usually goes down for the night around 6:30 or 7 and then I'll wake her up and feed her right before I go to bed, and then she usually wakes up around 4:30 or 5 for another feeding and she'll go right back down and sleep until 6 or 7.
She loves standing up, and since she's obsessed with her bouncer, a lot of times she'll just start jumping right on my lap when I'm holding her. So funny! I can't imagine my life, or our family without her and we are so grateful for her sweet little spirit! She's growing up so fast! I swear it seems like these first 6 months of her life have flown by WAY faster than the first 6 of Brooklynn's, and it seemed like Brooklynn's went by pretty quickly!
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Brooklynn is 23 Months and Madison 4 Months.
It's so hard to really believe that Brooklynn will be two years old next month!! The days seem to pass by slowly sometimes, but the weeks, months, and years are flying by. This is one of my favorite stages so far. She is SO SO sweet and SO hilariously funny! She LOVES helping me do pretty much everything, especially helping with Madison and anything she can in the kitchen. She now pushes a kitchen chair all over the kitchen to "help" whoever is in there, and she doesn't seem to care who or what is in her way=) She has also started to want to do things herself, which is really fun for me!(sense the sarcasm) She'll say "I do it, I do it!!!" and wants to get dressed herself,(which she can't really do yet, but I'll say"ok you can do it" and then I'll sneakily try and help her) put her own socks and shoes on(which she can't do yet either) and she wants to do her own hair, among many other things. There are many times a day where I hear her say with a lot of emotion and determination "I do it, I do it!!" I just have to take a deep breath and step back and let her attempt it.
We are trying to break her of her binki, except for when she sleeps, so we've been having her put them in a cute little bowl every morning and after naps. She loves collecting them all, and then I'll lift her up so she can reach the shelf in her closet where we keep the bowl. She really got attached to them, and would pretty much want to hold one in her mouth almost all the time, and she'd just end up drooling all over our furniture and needed to have one everywhere we went. It's overdue, but I wasn't ready to take it from her until now with all the new changes with having Madison join our family. I felt like we rocked Brooklynn's world enough. Now she, and we, couldn't imagine our family without Madison, and it's time to rid ourselves of the binki=)
She is big enough now where I can open the car door for her, and she can climb up into her carseat by herself while I'm getting Madison situated. That has been nice. She is learning so many new things, it's so fun to watch her. She's learned to count to ten, and a lot of times when I give her a treat, like an m&m or something, I'll say"ok, you can have two and that's it" and then when she's finished the two she'll say "seven, eight, nine, ten" which means she just wants like seven more. So funny!
She LOVES going to church now! She asks several times during the week if we can go to church, and whenever we drive past it during the week she gets super excited and yells "Church!!" She'll just walk right into nursery without any problems now. She loves "color time, bubble time, snack time, singing time, and play time" as she says it. I'm so grateful that she loves being in there now. She'll always run to me so excited after church to show me the picture she colored that day. It's so fun to see and hear about the new things she's learning. The other day she started twirling around on the carpet and was singing "ashes, ashes" so I started singing Ring Around The Rosie, and she got THE biggest smile on her face! I have never taught her that, so I know it's something she learned in nursery. Same with "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!" She must have just learned that too. She LOVES when I sing her the new songs she's learned. She'll shout "ALL RIGHT" instead of Hooray when I sing "If you're happy and you know it shout hooray!" and it's so adorable! I love that she loves to learn and I love watching her put the things she's learning into practice. Last week in sacrament meeting she even opened the hymn book during the opening hymn and acted like she was following along. I had to chuckle when she closed it before we started the final verse, then when she realized it wasn't over she opened it back up like "whoops, it's not over yet." She is so cute! I have been told multiple times by ladies with kids Brooklynn's age, that she talks A LOT for her age. It's funny because Joe and I joke that we tried getting her to talk for so long, and now we can't get her to ever be quiet. She's always talking!
When I get ready, she's right by my side. Sometimes it makes me want to scream because everywhere I turn, she's right there and in to everything, but most of the time she does okay. When I get out of the shower she'll get out my deodorant, toothpaste and face creams and say "Here you go mommy." Then when I'm doing my makeup she's right there beside me using my brushes and makeup blender on her face, like she's doing her makeup. It really is so cute! She likes to open my lip glosses and put some on. She'll grab one and say "lips, lips!" Sometimes she gets into my eyeshadows and makes a mess, but I've learned to keep one eye on what I'm doing, and one eye on her.
She loves Elmo still. She'll watch Elmo's World from Sesame Street, but she just watches that part. She won't watch the entire episode. She has some Elmo books that she's obsessed with. The latest craze is "Using the Bathroom" book that talks about using the big potty and taking baths and brushing teeth and stuff. She wants to read it ALL THE TIME. And she still loves "Llama llama Share" and usually has to have that read to her at least once a day. We bought her a little book called "My first Book of Mormon Stories, and Joe will read from it every night. If we get busy and forget she'll always remember and say "Scriptures! Scriptures!" She also points out in several of the stories that the men or boys are "nakies" because they don't have shirts on. Sometimes she gets so stuck on that, that I don't think she hears much of the story that night, but at least we are attempting it every day with her. =) She also loves Family Home Evening. We've been teaching her out of the Gospel Principles book for the last several lessons, and she loves just flipping through and looking at the pictures. She has also started to love saying the prayer, which completely melts my heart. One night she said the opening prayer for family home evening, and hearing her sweet little voice talking to Heavenly Father brought the sweetest spirit into our home. She loves doing Ring Around The Rosie(which she calls "Ashes ashes" and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes after the lesson.
Last week she helped me make chocolate chip cookies, and she colored an Elmo picture for her best friend Evan. He loves Elmo too! Evan got Shingles a couple weeks ago and was really sick. When we got the okay that he was doing better and wasn't contagious anymore, she was so excited to go see him and take him a treat. She has talked about it all week. She'll say "cookies for Evan. Picture" It was so sweet watching her hand him the plate of cookies. I just love my sweet girl.
She's always trying to help with Madison. If I'm busy and Madison starts crying of fussing, Brooklynn is the first to try to attend to her. She'll help her get her binki in, or show her a cartoon video on the phone, or take her a toy. She loves her little sister. She's always wanting to hug, hold her, or give her kisses. She also thinks is so fun to take a bath with her every night. I'll put Madison's tub in our big bathtub, and then fill up our tub a little bit and put Brooklynn in at the same time I bathe Madison. They both LOVE bath time so much! Brooklynn has started taking off her own diaper at night before she gets into the tub. Luckily she doesn't do it during the day. That could be a nightmare come to fruition to find that.=) She will also come and tell me when she's poopy now.
She LOVES the water, and would really play in it anytime. She loves turning on the tub and "washing her hands" whenever she gets anything on them, or after she helps put mousse in her hair. She'll push the chair over to the sink in the kitchen and stand there and wash her hands or "wash Madison's bottles" or help with rinsing the dishes, just so she can play in the water. She always wants to go "swim with daddy" as she says it. There's a little rec center in Angleton that we've been taking her to because it's pretty cheap, there's a lazy river, a fun kids area, and it's never really super crowded. She LOVES that! If you ask her during the week what she wants to do, she'll usually always say "swim with daddy." It was warm yesterday, so Joe blew up this blow up pool I bought on clearance at the end of the summer, and stuck her little slide in it so she would slide down right into the pool. The child was absolutely in heaven! She's going to be SO excited tomorrow when I pull it out again for her. I could also send her outside with a big plastic cup full of ice and she would play with that for a long while too. She's so funny!
Every day when Joe gets home Bookie usually screams "Daddy!" and runs to him and then he'll take her in our room and they wrestle for a few minutes before dinner. He'll also read to her every night before bed. He's taught her how to do big things at the park, and she can climb up on things on her own now. Sometimes I think I hold her back because I don't feel like she's ready for things, but Joe just teaches her how to do them and then lets her go for it. Sometimes it results in some bumps and bruises but she'll usually get up and try again.
So that I don't forget them, some other things that Brooklynn says, does, or is loving right now are:
"Daddy tooted", "Thank you VERY much,"( I wondered where she got that from and then realized I say it a lot!) Joe will "burp" her after she drinks her milk before bed, like I burp Madison, and she'll fake this huge burp and then say "Excuse Me." She loves the Children's Museum and going to see the baby chicks before we leave. She's just gotten interested in Mini Mouse because she found this Mini Mouse doll that Serena and the girls gave her that sings "hot dog, hot dog," and then I put the show on tv the other day and she smiled so big when they sang the same song. She loves doing airplane after I finish my exercises and am stretching. She loves when she sees school buses on the road when we are out and about, because she loves watching "wheels on the bus" on youtube. She loves reading "Elmo Potty, Elmo Big Bed, Llama Llama Share. She loves watching nursery rhyms on my phone, or watching UP.
Madison is already 4 Months Old! I just can't believe how quickly she's changing and growing. I just want to keep her my tiny little baby for much longer. It seems like just yesterday Brooklynn was that small, and now she barely fits in my arms. I'm just trying to cherish every moment I can. Things are different with two kids. With Brooklynn, I could attend to her every need when she was Madison's age. Now I am juggling the needs of two kids, and sometimes that means that one is upset and crying while I'm attending to the other. I've kind of gotten things down now though, and try not to overschedule myself, because that's when things get really stressful. If I can just play off of the girls and what their needs are, our days usually run smoothly. I try to get them out of the house at least once a day, and I try to always do something that's fun for them(mostly Brooklynn at this age) at least once a day. Whether that's the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, the park, going to Pets Mart to look at the fish and birds, or going to Bounce Town to let her play, or even riding on the merry go round at the grocery store, I find that everyone is happier when she gets to do something fun for herself out of the house once a day. Sometimes it doesn't happen every day, but I try hard.
Madison's little personality is really coming out, and she is SO fun! She's still sleeping with me, and I love waking up to her jibber jabbering in the morning. She is THE MOST smiley little baby ever. All you have to do is smile at her and she will give you a huge smile right back. She has also started laughing every now and then, and it is absolutely the sweetest sound. Every now and then if you catch her at the right time and say something she thinks is funny, or tickle her just right, she just lets out the cutest little laugh. I can't wait until I get to hear it more often. She's such a good baby. She's happy unless she's hungry, tired, or poopy. I feel like I know her needs so much better than I did with Brooklynn. Obviously I have gotten better with age and practice, and now know how to take care of children better=) Madison will usually eat about every 3 hours or so during the day, and take little 30 minute naps every 2-3 hours or so. She used to sleep for hours, but now she just doesn't do that anymore. She sleeps really well at night though, so I can't complain. I'll usually feed her right before I go to bed, sometime around 9 or 10, and then lately she's been sleeping all the way until about 6 or 7! Hallelujah!! This momma needs my sleep! If she does wake up randomly at night I can just give her her binki and she'll go back to sleep. She's such a good baby, and I feel super blessed!
She absolutely LOVES bath time. She's started flapping her arms and kicking now when I put her in the water. She hasn't really ever cried except for her very first bath at the hospital. I'm so glad she loves the water, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she does at the pool this summer.
She has started grasping on to things. She has a little ball she loves to play with, or she'll grab her blanket and just suck on it, and when I pick her up from her swing she's usually got a toy or her blanket with her. She's pulling my hair now or holding on tight to my finger or my shirt. Sometimes if she's unhappy in the car, I can just reach my hand back and she'll grab hold of my finger and calm down a little bit. She hasn't been a big fan of the car lately. I think it's mostly being strapped in to her carseat, and then since she doesn't nap super well anymore, she's usually tired when we try to go somewhere in the afternoon. I can't just sit home all day though and let her nap when she decides she wants to, so a lot of the times she just has to nap in the car or wherever I take Bookie that day.
She likes to suck on things all the time now. Usually it's her own fist, or her blanket, or binki, or sometimes the back of my hand. She's also super drooly now, so I feel like she's totally teething. I can't feel anything yet though. I think I kinda sorta feel some teeth coming in on the bottom, but nothing definite yet.
She loves having her diaper changed. It's the funniest thing! When I unsnap her jammies, or take off her pants, she just kicks and gets the biggest smile! She just melts my heart so many times throughout the day. She can also get super upset and just fuss and do this mad yell/scream until I swear I am going to go crazy. I feel like I don't get much done in the day, but it's probably more than I think. If I can keep up on the laundry, keep the fridge stocked, and get dinner on the table, I feel like I'm doing pretty well! Sometimes I feel like I did was feed, change, and rock kids to sleep, but then I think about how much I longed to be a mom for so long, and I have to pause and give thanks for the opportunity I have been given. Being a mom is BY FAR the absolute hardest and most selfless thing I have ever done. There are days that I just want to sit in a quiet, dark room, all by myself, but that's not really an option. I have had several meltdowns to Joe and he's been really good about helping me to get back on track. Sometimes I just need a good cry to relieve the stress that I feel. And I have felt a lot better since I started working out on a regular basis. He'll also watch the girls every Saturday for about and hour and a half so that I can get away and go to the gym by myself, and I've been able to also sneak away for a pedicure and some time to just relax. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband.
We are trying to break her of her binki, except for when she sleeps, so we've been having her put them in a cute little bowl every morning and after naps. She loves collecting them all, and then I'll lift her up so she can reach the shelf in her closet where we keep the bowl. She really got attached to them, and would pretty much want to hold one in her mouth almost all the time, and she'd just end up drooling all over our furniture and needed to have one everywhere we went. It's overdue, but I wasn't ready to take it from her until now with all the new changes with having Madison join our family. I felt like we rocked Brooklynn's world enough. Now she, and we, couldn't imagine our family without Madison, and it's time to rid ourselves of the binki=)
She is big enough now where I can open the car door for her, and she can climb up into her carseat by herself while I'm getting Madison situated. That has been nice. She is learning so many new things, it's so fun to watch her. She's learned to count to ten, and a lot of times when I give her a treat, like an m&m or something, I'll say"ok, you can have two and that's it" and then when she's finished the two she'll say "seven, eight, nine, ten" which means she just wants like seven more. So funny!
She LOVES going to church now! She asks several times during the week if we can go to church, and whenever we drive past it during the week she gets super excited and yells "Church!!" She'll just walk right into nursery without any problems now. She loves "color time, bubble time, snack time, singing time, and play time" as she says it. I'm so grateful that she loves being in there now. She'll always run to me so excited after church to show me the picture she colored that day. It's so fun to see and hear about the new things she's learning. The other day she started twirling around on the carpet and was singing "ashes, ashes" so I started singing Ring Around The Rosie, and she got THE biggest smile on her face! I have never taught her that, so I know it's something she learned in nursery. Same with "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands!" She must have just learned that too. She LOVES when I sing her the new songs she's learned. She'll shout "ALL RIGHT" instead of Hooray when I sing "If you're happy and you know it shout hooray!" and it's so adorable! I love that she loves to learn and I love watching her put the things she's learning into practice. Last week in sacrament meeting she even opened the hymn book during the opening hymn and acted like she was following along. I had to chuckle when she closed it before we started the final verse, then when she realized it wasn't over she opened it back up like "whoops, it's not over yet." She is so cute! I have been told multiple times by ladies with kids Brooklynn's age, that she talks A LOT for her age. It's funny because Joe and I joke that we tried getting her to talk for so long, and now we can't get her to ever be quiet. She's always talking!
When I get ready, she's right by my side. Sometimes it makes me want to scream because everywhere I turn, she's right there and in to everything, but most of the time she does okay. When I get out of the shower she'll get out my deodorant, toothpaste and face creams and say "Here you go mommy." Then when I'm doing my makeup she's right there beside me using my brushes and makeup blender on her face, like she's doing her makeup. It really is so cute! She likes to open my lip glosses and put some on. She'll grab one and say "lips, lips!" Sometimes she gets into my eyeshadows and makes a mess, but I've learned to keep one eye on what I'm doing, and one eye on her.
She loves Elmo still. She'll watch Elmo's World from Sesame Street, but she just watches that part. She won't watch the entire episode. She has some Elmo books that she's obsessed with. The latest craze is "Using the Bathroom" book that talks about using the big potty and taking baths and brushing teeth and stuff. She wants to read it ALL THE TIME. And she still loves "Llama llama Share" and usually has to have that read to her at least once a day. We bought her a little book called "My first Book of Mormon Stories, and Joe will read from it every night. If we get busy and forget she'll always remember and say "Scriptures! Scriptures!" She also points out in several of the stories that the men or boys are "nakies" because they don't have shirts on. Sometimes she gets so stuck on that, that I don't think she hears much of the story that night, but at least we are attempting it every day with her. =) She also loves Family Home Evening. We've been teaching her out of the Gospel Principles book for the last several lessons, and she loves just flipping through and looking at the pictures. She has also started to love saying the prayer, which completely melts my heart. One night she said the opening prayer for family home evening, and hearing her sweet little voice talking to Heavenly Father brought the sweetest spirit into our home. She loves doing Ring Around The Rosie(which she calls "Ashes ashes" and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes after the lesson.
Last week she helped me make chocolate chip cookies, and she colored an Elmo picture for her best friend Evan. He loves Elmo too! Evan got Shingles a couple weeks ago and was really sick. When we got the okay that he was doing better and wasn't contagious anymore, she was so excited to go see him and take him a treat. She has talked about it all week. She'll say "cookies for Evan. Picture" It was so sweet watching her hand him the plate of cookies. I just love my sweet girl.
She's always trying to help with Madison. If I'm busy and Madison starts crying of fussing, Brooklynn is the first to try to attend to her. She'll help her get her binki in, or show her a cartoon video on the phone, or take her a toy. She loves her little sister. She's always wanting to hug, hold her, or give her kisses. She also thinks is so fun to take a bath with her every night. I'll put Madison's tub in our big bathtub, and then fill up our tub a little bit and put Brooklynn in at the same time I bathe Madison. They both LOVE bath time so much! Brooklynn has started taking off her own diaper at night before she gets into the tub. Luckily she doesn't do it during the day. That could be a nightmare come to fruition to find that.=) She will also come and tell me when she's poopy now.
She LOVES the water, and would really play in it anytime. She loves turning on the tub and "washing her hands" whenever she gets anything on them, or after she helps put mousse in her hair. She'll push the chair over to the sink in the kitchen and stand there and wash her hands or "wash Madison's bottles" or help with rinsing the dishes, just so she can play in the water. She always wants to go "swim with daddy" as she says it. There's a little rec center in Angleton that we've been taking her to because it's pretty cheap, there's a lazy river, a fun kids area, and it's never really super crowded. She LOVES that! If you ask her during the week what she wants to do, she'll usually always say "swim with daddy." It was warm yesterday, so Joe blew up this blow up pool I bought on clearance at the end of the summer, and stuck her little slide in it so she would slide down right into the pool. The child was absolutely in heaven! She's going to be SO excited tomorrow when I pull it out again for her. I could also send her outside with a big plastic cup full of ice and she would play with that for a long while too. She's so funny!
Every day when Joe gets home Bookie usually screams "Daddy!" and runs to him and then he'll take her in our room and they wrestle for a few minutes before dinner. He'll also read to her every night before bed. He's taught her how to do big things at the park, and she can climb up on things on her own now. Sometimes I think I hold her back because I don't feel like she's ready for things, but Joe just teaches her how to do them and then lets her go for it. Sometimes it results in some bumps and bruises but she'll usually get up and try again.
So that I don't forget them, some other things that Brooklynn says, does, or is loving right now are:
"Daddy tooted", "Thank you VERY much,"( I wondered where she got that from and then realized I say it a lot!) Joe will "burp" her after she drinks her milk before bed, like I burp Madison, and she'll fake this huge burp and then say "Excuse Me." She loves the Children's Museum and going to see the baby chicks before we leave. She's just gotten interested in Mini Mouse because she found this Mini Mouse doll that Serena and the girls gave her that sings "hot dog, hot dog," and then I put the show on tv the other day and she smiled so big when they sang the same song. She loves doing airplane after I finish my exercises and am stretching. She loves when she sees school buses on the road when we are out and about, because she loves watching "wheels on the bus" on youtube. She loves reading "Elmo Potty, Elmo Big Bed, Llama Llama Share. She loves watching nursery rhyms on my phone, or watching UP.
Madison is already 4 Months Old! I just can't believe how quickly she's changing and growing. I just want to keep her my tiny little baby for much longer. It seems like just yesterday Brooklynn was that small, and now she barely fits in my arms. I'm just trying to cherish every moment I can. Things are different with two kids. With Brooklynn, I could attend to her every need when she was Madison's age. Now I am juggling the needs of two kids, and sometimes that means that one is upset and crying while I'm attending to the other. I've kind of gotten things down now though, and try not to overschedule myself, because that's when things get really stressful. If I can just play off of the girls and what their needs are, our days usually run smoothly. I try to get them out of the house at least once a day, and I try to always do something that's fun for them(mostly Brooklynn at this age) at least once a day. Whether that's the Children's Museum, the Aquarium, the park, going to Pets Mart to look at the fish and birds, or going to Bounce Town to let her play, or even riding on the merry go round at the grocery store, I find that everyone is happier when she gets to do something fun for herself out of the house once a day. Sometimes it doesn't happen every day, but I try hard.
Madison's little personality is really coming out, and she is SO fun! She's still sleeping with me, and I love waking up to her jibber jabbering in the morning. She is THE MOST smiley little baby ever. All you have to do is smile at her and she will give you a huge smile right back. She has also started laughing every now and then, and it is absolutely the sweetest sound. Every now and then if you catch her at the right time and say something she thinks is funny, or tickle her just right, she just lets out the cutest little laugh. I can't wait until I get to hear it more often. She's such a good baby. She's happy unless she's hungry, tired, or poopy. I feel like I know her needs so much better than I did with Brooklynn. Obviously I have gotten better with age and practice, and now know how to take care of children better=) Madison will usually eat about every 3 hours or so during the day, and take little 30 minute naps every 2-3 hours or so. She used to sleep for hours, but now she just doesn't do that anymore. She sleeps really well at night though, so I can't complain. I'll usually feed her right before I go to bed, sometime around 9 or 10, and then lately she's been sleeping all the way until about 6 or 7! Hallelujah!! This momma needs my sleep! If she does wake up randomly at night I can just give her her binki and she'll go back to sleep. She's such a good baby, and I feel super blessed!
She absolutely LOVES bath time. She's started flapping her arms and kicking now when I put her in the water. She hasn't really ever cried except for her very first bath at the hospital. I'm so glad she loves the water, and I'm looking forward to seeing how she does at the pool this summer.
She has started grasping on to things. She has a little ball she loves to play with, or she'll grab her blanket and just suck on it, and when I pick her up from her swing she's usually got a toy or her blanket with her. She's pulling my hair now or holding on tight to my finger or my shirt. Sometimes if she's unhappy in the car, I can just reach my hand back and she'll grab hold of my finger and calm down a little bit. She hasn't been a big fan of the car lately. I think it's mostly being strapped in to her carseat, and then since she doesn't nap super well anymore, she's usually tired when we try to go somewhere in the afternoon. I can't just sit home all day though and let her nap when she decides she wants to, so a lot of the times she just has to nap in the car or wherever I take Bookie that day.
She likes to suck on things all the time now. Usually it's her own fist, or her blanket, or binki, or sometimes the back of my hand. She's also super drooly now, so I feel like she's totally teething. I can't feel anything yet though. I think I kinda sorta feel some teeth coming in on the bottom, but nothing definite yet.
She loves having her diaper changed. It's the funniest thing! When I unsnap her jammies, or take off her pants, she just kicks and gets the biggest smile! She just melts my heart so many times throughout the day. She can also get super upset and just fuss and do this mad yell/scream until I swear I am going to go crazy. I feel like I don't get much done in the day, but it's probably more than I think. If I can keep up on the laundry, keep the fridge stocked, and get dinner on the table, I feel like I'm doing pretty well! Sometimes I feel like I did was feed, change, and rock kids to sleep, but then I think about how much I longed to be a mom for so long, and I have to pause and give thanks for the opportunity I have been given. Being a mom is BY FAR the absolute hardest and most selfless thing I have ever done. There are days that I just want to sit in a quiet, dark room, all by myself, but that's not really an option. I have had several meltdowns to Joe and he's been really good about helping me to get back on track. Sometimes I just need a good cry to relieve the stress that I feel. And I have felt a lot better since I started working out on a regular basis. He'll also watch the girls every Saturday for about and hour and a half so that I can get away and go to the gym by myself, and I've been able to also sneak away for a pedicure and some time to just relax. I'm so thankful to have such a wonderful husband.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
21 and 2 Months
It's so hard to believe that our sweet Madison is already 2 months old now! Time has just flown by since she joined our family. Well, time has really flown by since Brooklynn joined our family too. I guess watching them grow and change so much in such a short period of time really makes you stop and realize how quickly life passes by.
Brooklynn will be 21 months in just a few days and in my opinion she is at one of the most fun stages. She talks my ear off all day, loves to play peek-a-boo, she can tell me what she wants for lunch and breakfast(almost every time I ask what she wants for breakfast she says "Cheetos" with a big smile. She knows I'll say "Noooo, we don't eat Cheetos for breakfast!" and she thinks it's funny. She seems to have a small obsession with Cheetos, even though she doesn't really even get them very often.) She loves greek yogurt, and eggs toast and sausage. She loves pretty much any fruit, and is obsessed with canned green beans. She also LOVES mexican food. When we go to a restaurant, she has to have her own little bowl of salsa and chips, and she pretty much drinks the stuff. She's also a huge fan of beans, especially refried beans.
She loves when she hears her daddy come in from work. She'll say "Daddy?!" and take off running into his arms. He has told me that that is his favorite part of the day. They always horse around between dinner and bed time. She loves when he reads her stories, or gives her a ride on "Doggy"-her big stuffed animal, or tickles her till she's about to puke. Their bond has grown even stronger since Madison joined our family, because I have to be the one to take care of Madison a lot, so Joe is responsible for Brooklynn.
She loves to color and has taken a crayon to our entertainment center and the blinds so far. Luckily we were able to get it off. She loves "bubbies" and playing outside. I'll leave the back door open while she plays outside and she's absolutely in heaven and plays out there by herself for quite a while. She LOVES playing at the park, and will go down any slide now. She's not really afraid of heights or anything on the "big kid" side of the park. It's been so fun to watch her learn how to do new things there. It's made me realize my little girl isn't really a baby anymore. She's growing up!
She's still obsessed with Elmo. Ever since Bob and Sharon hosted the Christmas party in 2013 and had Santa come by and give the kids books, and she got an Elmo one, she has been obsessed with him! She loves to watch Elmo's World on Sesame Street and that's pretty much all she'll watch from the show, so I just have to fast forward it to that part. She has a couple Elmo dolls that she keeps close by, and one stays in the car so he can always go places with us. The grocery store we shop at has big Elmo Pinatas and she loves when we go there! It's funny because when we go to the store she always seems to see something with Elmo on it. Whether it's a balloon or a snack bowl, or a sandwich container. So funny! She also loves to ride the little merry go round at Food Town. That's the highlight of her day when we go there! I love seeing her face light up and the biggest smile ever cross her face.
Brooklynn is the best big sister. She has never had any sort of jealousy issues towards Madison. She has never intentionally tried to hurt her, or been rude to her at all. She loves her so much! If I go get her out of bed in the morning without Madison in my arms, she always says "Baby?!" If I do have Madison with me, she'll get a big smile on her face and point and say "Madison!!"
She is the best little helper and will bring me a diaper and wipes and she always wants to climb up on the bed while I change Madison's diaper. When Madison is crying or even if she's not, but she sees her binki has fallen out, she always tries to put it back in for her. If Madison is crying then Brooklynn always says "Baby Sad?" She is so cute! She loves rubbing Madison's head, and she talks to her in a high baby talk voice that is absolutely adorable. She'll come up to me when I'm holding Madison and say "hold it" and that means she wants to hold her. She'll give her big open mouth kisses on her head, and she says "I love Madison." Melts my heart every time. Last night I gave them both a bath in my big bathtub(Madison was on her little bath mat) and Brooklynn thought it was the coolest thing ever to have her little sister in the bathtub with her. I'm so glad that they love each other so much! The way they look at each other is just the sweetest. I hope that they will always have a strong bond and be close throughout their lives.
I have been letting Brooklynn help me make dinner at night or dessert on the weekends, and she has gotten so excited about it! We'll pull over a chair from the kitchen table for her to stand on, and she'll help with whatever she can! Last night we made Butternut Squash Soup and she loved helping me! When dinner time rolls around and I ask if she wants to come help me make dinner, she runs over as fast as she can and starts pushing the chair up to the counter. It's been a time for us to bond, and I've seen her love of being in the kitchen grow just over the past several weeks. She loves to help with anything and everything she can.
She still says "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy" when she is sad or frustrated. Last week I picked her up from nursery and she had some tears in her eyes and was saying it. They said she had just been anxiously waiting for one of us to pick her up. So funny!
When we need to clean up her toys, or any other mess she's made I will tell her it's time to clean up and start singing "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share." and she chimes right in singing "neam up, neam up" it's too cute!
Madison has been an angel baby. I really am so blessed. The hardest part has probably been that she won't sleep in the bassinet. She will always wake up just minutes after I put her down. So, I have been sleeping downstairs in our room with her in our bed, on Joe's side between two pillows so that she's safe, and Joe has been sleeping upstairs in the guest bed so that he isn't awakened at night and can get the rest he needs to be able to get up and go to work everyday and then come home and help with the kids. It's what works for us. She's been waking up every 4 hours or so at night, but she'll go right back to sleep after. I'm still nursing and doing a bottle. It takes about 45 minutes per feeding, which can be long. She's smiling a lot now, and she's just the happiest little baby. She's loving bath time, and loves to sleep in her swing during the day. I just love holding her close and just trying to breathe and soak her in. I know from having Brooklynn, how quickly this stage will pass by, and I want nothing more than to be able to just freeze her this little for a while. I love that she'll snuggle up on me, that she's so little, and that she smells so good! I just can't get enough of her. I think often about the days I had with Brooklynn when she was this age, and how I could just sit and hold her all day long. I was told to cherish those days because I would never get to do that with my other kids, and I feel like I did cherish them. It is very true. I can't do that with Madison. There is always something to be done having two kids. I do cherish the time that I have holding Madison every night though after Brooklynn has gone to bed. That is my time to just sit and snuggle her, along with when Brooklynn naps during the day. I am just crazy about this little girl, and I couldn't imagine my life without her now. We all love her so much!
Brooklynn will be 21 months in just a few days and in my opinion she is at one of the most fun stages. She talks my ear off all day, loves to play peek-a-boo, she can tell me what she wants for lunch and breakfast(almost every time I ask what she wants for breakfast she says "Cheetos" with a big smile. She knows I'll say "Noooo, we don't eat Cheetos for breakfast!" and she thinks it's funny. She seems to have a small obsession with Cheetos, even though she doesn't really even get them very often.) She loves greek yogurt, and eggs toast and sausage. She loves pretty much any fruit, and is obsessed with canned green beans. She also LOVES mexican food. When we go to a restaurant, she has to have her own little bowl of salsa and chips, and she pretty much drinks the stuff. She's also a huge fan of beans, especially refried beans.
She loves when she hears her daddy come in from work. She'll say "Daddy?!" and take off running into his arms. He has told me that that is his favorite part of the day. They always horse around between dinner and bed time. She loves when he reads her stories, or gives her a ride on "Doggy"-her big stuffed animal, or tickles her till she's about to puke. Their bond has grown even stronger since Madison joined our family, because I have to be the one to take care of Madison a lot, so Joe is responsible for Brooklynn.
She loves to color and has taken a crayon to our entertainment center and the blinds so far. Luckily we were able to get it off. She loves "bubbies" and playing outside. I'll leave the back door open while she plays outside and she's absolutely in heaven and plays out there by herself for quite a while. She LOVES playing at the park, and will go down any slide now. She's not really afraid of heights or anything on the "big kid" side of the park. It's been so fun to watch her learn how to do new things there. It's made me realize my little girl isn't really a baby anymore. She's growing up!
She's still obsessed with Elmo. Ever since Bob and Sharon hosted the Christmas party in 2013 and had Santa come by and give the kids books, and she got an Elmo one, she has been obsessed with him! She loves to watch Elmo's World on Sesame Street and that's pretty much all she'll watch from the show, so I just have to fast forward it to that part. She has a couple Elmo dolls that she keeps close by, and one stays in the car so he can always go places with us. The grocery store we shop at has big Elmo Pinatas and she loves when we go there! It's funny because when we go to the store she always seems to see something with Elmo on it. Whether it's a balloon or a snack bowl, or a sandwich container. So funny! She also loves to ride the little merry go round at Food Town. That's the highlight of her day when we go there! I love seeing her face light up and the biggest smile ever cross her face.
Brooklynn is the best big sister. She has never had any sort of jealousy issues towards Madison. She has never intentionally tried to hurt her, or been rude to her at all. She loves her so much! If I go get her out of bed in the morning without Madison in my arms, she always says "Baby?!" If I do have Madison with me, she'll get a big smile on her face and point and say "Madison!!"
She is the best little helper and will bring me a diaper and wipes and she always wants to climb up on the bed while I change Madison's diaper. When Madison is crying or even if she's not, but she sees her binki has fallen out, she always tries to put it back in for her. If Madison is crying then Brooklynn always says "Baby Sad?" She is so cute! She loves rubbing Madison's head, and she talks to her in a high baby talk voice that is absolutely adorable. She'll come up to me when I'm holding Madison and say "hold it" and that means she wants to hold her. She'll give her big open mouth kisses on her head, and she says "I love Madison." Melts my heart every time. Last night I gave them both a bath in my big bathtub(Madison was on her little bath mat) and Brooklynn thought it was the coolest thing ever to have her little sister in the bathtub with her. I'm so glad that they love each other so much! The way they look at each other is just the sweetest. I hope that they will always have a strong bond and be close throughout their lives.
I have been letting Brooklynn help me make dinner at night or dessert on the weekends, and she has gotten so excited about it! We'll pull over a chair from the kitchen table for her to stand on, and she'll help with whatever she can! Last night we made Butternut Squash Soup and she loved helping me! When dinner time rolls around and I ask if she wants to come help me make dinner, she runs over as fast as she can and starts pushing the chair up to the counter. It's been a time for us to bond, and I've seen her love of being in the kitchen grow just over the past several weeks. She loves to help with anything and everything she can.
She still says "Mommy, Daddy, Mommy, Daddy" when she is sad or frustrated. Last week I picked her up from nursery and she had some tears in her eyes and was saying it. They said she had just been anxiously waiting for one of us to pick her up. So funny!
When we need to clean up her toys, or any other mess she's made I will tell her it's time to clean up and start singing "Clean up, clean up, everybody everywhere! Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share." and she chimes right in singing "neam up, neam up" it's too cute!
Madison has been an angel baby. I really am so blessed. The hardest part has probably been that she won't sleep in the bassinet. She will always wake up just minutes after I put her down. So, I have been sleeping downstairs in our room with her in our bed, on Joe's side between two pillows so that she's safe, and Joe has been sleeping upstairs in the guest bed so that he isn't awakened at night and can get the rest he needs to be able to get up and go to work everyday and then come home and help with the kids. It's what works for us. She's been waking up every 4 hours or so at night, but she'll go right back to sleep after. I'm still nursing and doing a bottle. It takes about 45 minutes per feeding, which can be long. She's smiling a lot now, and she's just the happiest little baby. She's loving bath time, and loves to sleep in her swing during the day. I just love holding her close and just trying to breathe and soak her in. I know from having Brooklynn, how quickly this stage will pass by, and I want nothing more than to be able to just freeze her this little for a while. I love that she'll snuggle up on me, that she's so little, and that she smells so good! I just can't get enough of her. I think often about the days I had with Brooklynn when she was this age, and how I could just sit and hold her all day long. I was told to cherish those days because I would never get to do that with my other kids, and I feel like I did cherish them. It is very true. I can't do that with Madison. There is always something to be done having two kids. I do cherish the time that I have holding Madison every night though after Brooklynn has gone to bed. That is my time to just sit and snuggle her, along with when Brooklynn naps during the day. I am just crazy about this little girl, and I couldn't imagine my life without her now. We all love her so much!
Well, we have made it beyond the 6 week mark! I honestly can't believe it's gone by so quickly. There were some days back in the beginning where it seemed like I was watching the clock tick minute by minute, just trying to survive until Joe got home from work. I definitely had some emotional breakdowns during the first several weeks. The tiredness, and learning how to juggle two children and try and meet all of their needs was SO hard!! I broke down the day after we brought Madison home and my mom and Joe were even home with me! Brooklynn was being so clingy and needy while we were doing Madison's photo shoot, and then the rest of the day it seems like she was being difficult. I just collapsed in a heap on the couch and broke down. It took 3 of us adults to care for her that day to meet her needs and try and keep her happy, and the thought of having to do it all by myself in just a couple of days when my mom was gone and Joe was at work was just too overwhelming.
The next day was so nice, my mom took Brooklynn to the park for a while and I was able to sleep while Madison slept. My mom was so helpful and I couldn't bare the thought of her leaving.
I cried really hard when I dropped her off at the airport the next morning. Everything seemed SO much harder now that I had another child to care for. The combination of little sleep, and added responsibilities was enough to make me feel like I wanted to just crawl in a hole. Surprisingly though, when I got home after dropping my mom off, I told myself "Ok, it's just you and these girls now for the rest of the day, and you can do this!" We survived the day until Joe got home, just fine. I didn't get much else done that day, and I'm almost certain we had leftovers for dinner, but I survived, WE survived.
Over the next days, weeks, and months, I have had several break downs, and several moments of thinking "Heavenly Father, please help me, I can't do this by myself!" My patience has been tried more than it ever has in my entire life and I have questioned our decision to have kids so close together, on numerous occasions, but at the end of the day there is nothing that gives my life more meaning and satisfaction than caring for these two sweet girls. A day of frustration and tears from listening to one child cry while I met the needs of the other, or vice versa, was soothed with a simple hug and an "I love you mommy" or a sleepy grin from Madison. Things will hopefully get easier as I continue to adjust to having two children.
The next day was so nice, my mom took Brooklynn to the park for a while and I was able to sleep while Madison slept. My mom was so helpful and I couldn't bare the thought of her leaving.
I cried really hard when I dropped her off at the airport the next morning. Everything seemed SO much harder now that I had another child to care for. The combination of little sleep, and added responsibilities was enough to make me feel like I wanted to just crawl in a hole. Surprisingly though, when I got home after dropping my mom off, I told myself "Ok, it's just you and these girls now for the rest of the day, and you can do this!" We survived the day until Joe got home, just fine. I didn't get much else done that day, and I'm almost certain we had leftovers for dinner, but I survived, WE survived.
Over the next days, weeks, and months, I have had several break downs, and several moments of thinking "Heavenly Father, please help me, I can't do this by myself!" My patience has been tried more than it ever has in my entire life and I have questioned our decision to have kids so close together, on numerous occasions, but at the end of the day there is nothing that gives my life more meaning and satisfaction than caring for these two sweet girls. A day of frustration and tears from listening to one child cry while I met the needs of the other, or vice versa, was soothed with a simple hug and an "I love you mommy" or a sleepy grin from Madison. Things will hopefully get easier as I continue to adjust to having two children.
Monday, December 8, 2014
A couple hours after Madison was born, my mom and Brooklynn came to the hospital to visit. Joe walked out to the parking garage to walk them in and show them how to find our room. I asked him to record Brooklynn coming in for the first time from his angle, and I did the same. I was SO excited to see her! I have never been away from her for that long, and I felt like it had been forever since I had gotten to hug and squeeze her! I was also excited to see how she would react to her new baby sister. When they walked in, Brooklynn was excited to see me, but seemed unsure and scared of the fact that I was holding a baby in my arms. She was afraid at first and just wanted to keep her distance and look at Madison. Eventually she warmed up and touched her and gave her loves. It was so nice to have my mom there and to hear how things at home had been going. I hadn't worried about Brooklynn really at all knowing that she was in such good hands. I felt so blessed to have my mom there with us for this major event in all of our lives. I know she loved being with us too, and loved holding her new granddaughter. She held Madison while Joe and I cuddled on Bookie!
My mom said Brooklynn hadn't really eaten much. I have heard of that happening when kids or animals are away from their parents, but I didn't think Brooklynn would ever do that. She is such a good eater! Joe had ordered my lunch to be delivered to my room, and Brooklynn sat on my lap with me and ate and ate and ate! It was so fun to have her with us, and to get to spend time with her. We had both missed her so much! It was also fun to see my mom with both of her granddaughters.
We had the sweetest nurses while we were there, and the one that was there with us the day of the delivery was one of the sweetest! We found out she lives in Silverlake too! I kept thanking her over and over again for all that she was doing for me. When you're in the situation of not really being able to care for yourself, and you're dependent on others, it is very humbling. I was so grateful for her and for how kind she was. She came in our room later that afternoon to let us know that all of the postpartum rooms were taken, but they were trying to get some people checked out and rooms cleaned. She also mentioned that there were some rooms that had been redone on that floor that were much nicer than the others, and hopefully we would get one of those. It just depended who was leaving and when they could get the rooms clean.
I loved just spending time with my little family and my mom that day, and being able to just relax. Joe and I were both so tired, but somehow after the baby comes, it seems like we just run on adrenaline and excitement. My mom and Brooklynn stayed until after 6, and then we knew she had to get Brooklynn home and fed, bathed, and ready for bed before she was too exhausted because it would make everything so much harder for my mom. My mom called a little bit later to let us know they had hit traffic on the way home, but Brooklynn had done so well. She also wanted to know if we lived in the Silvercreek subdivision. In the dark, she had pulled into the wrong neighborhood, but it was just the one before ours. That was her only mistake with driving the entire time she was here! I was so worried about her before she got here, and she ended up being a champ at commuting in Houston!=)
Our nurse came in to let us know that none of the postpartum rooms were available still, and that they had decided to put us in one the signature suites and comp it for us!!! We were totally thrilled!! We had always joked about wanting to stay there, but I think it's like $400 a night! When we finally got moved over around 8pm, we couldn't have been happier! My "bed" was much more comfortable, Joe had a pull out couch instead of having to sleep on the window seat, there were two televisions, the bathroom was SO much nicer, and the food was fabulous, and it felt like we were in a nice hotel room instead of a hospital room! We got much better sleep that night.
On Friday my mom and Brooklynn came and spent most of the day with us. We ate lunch together, Brooklynn napped in my arms, and then my mom and I just kicked back and relaxed while Joe took Brooklynn to the Children's Museum. It was nice to have so much time to just do nothing, relax, and hold my baby. We had thought about trying to go home Friday, but my mom suggested that we stay another night since we had the suite. She wanted me to just enjoy my stay and try and rest before I had to go home and take care of a toddler and a newborn. She was so sweet to take such good care of Brooklynn while we were away. I know that created a strong bond between them. Brooklynn loves her "Nama."
We got to go home before noon on Saturday. It was so fun being able to take our sweet little girl home. When we took Brooklynn home I think I was slightly terrified! With Madison, I felt so much more comfortable, and very excited to get home to Bookie and my mom. Madison was a champ on the ride home, and she has loved car rides ever since.
We were so excited to be home! Joe went in and brought Brooklynn outside when we arrived, and it was so fun to see her reaction. She just kept saying "baby" over and over again. I got to rock Brooklynn and put her down for her nap, which was so nice. This time I didn't have my big belly to get in the way. It felt nice to have my body back to myself, and to be able to hold Brooklynn! I had missed being able to hold and rock her and put her to sleep. I was glad to be home with my sweet girl and with my mom!
My mom said Brooklynn hadn't really eaten much. I have heard of that happening when kids or animals are away from their parents, but I didn't think Brooklynn would ever do that. She is such a good eater! Joe had ordered my lunch to be delivered to my room, and Brooklynn sat on my lap with me and ate and ate and ate! It was so fun to have her with us, and to get to spend time with her. We had both missed her so much! It was also fun to see my mom with both of her granddaughters.
We had the sweetest nurses while we were there, and the one that was there with us the day of the delivery was one of the sweetest! We found out she lives in Silverlake too! I kept thanking her over and over again for all that she was doing for me. When you're in the situation of not really being able to care for yourself, and you're dependent on others, it is very humbling. I was so grateful for her and for how kind she was. She came in our room later that afternoon to let us know that all of the postpartum rooms were taken, but they were trying to get some people checked out and rooms cleaned. She also mentioned that there were some rooms that had been redone on that floor that were much nicer than the others, and hopefully we would get one of those. It just depended who was leaving and when they could get the rooms clean.
I loved just spending time with my little family and my mom that day, and being able to just relax. Joe and I were both so tired, but somehow after the baby comes, it seems like we just run on adrenaline and excitement. My mom and Brooklynn stayed until after 6, and then we knew she had to get Brooklynn home and fed, bathed, and ready for bed before she was too exhausted because it would make everything so much harder for my mom. My mom called a little bit later to let us know they had hit traffic on the way home, but Brooklynn had done so well. She also wanted to know if we lived in the Silvercreek subdivision. In the dark, she had pulled into the wrong neighborhood, but it was just the one before ours. That was her only mistake with driving the entire time she was here! I was so worried about her before she got here, and she ended up being a champ at commuting in Houston!=)
Our nurse came in to let us know that none of the postpartum rooms were available still, and that they had decided to put us in one the signature suites and comp it for us!!! We were totally thrilled!! We had always joked about wanting to stay there, but I think it's like $400 a night! When we finally got moved over around 8pm, we couldn't have been happier! My "bed" was much more comfortable, Joe had a pull out couch instead of having to sleep on the window seat, there were two televisions, the bathroom was SO much nicer, and the food was fabulous, and it felt like we were in a nice hotel room instead of a hospital room! We got much better sleep that night.
On Friday my mom and Brooklynn came and spent most of the day with us. We ate lunch together, Brooklynn napped in my arms, and then my mom and I just kicked back and relaxed while Joe took Brooklynn to the Children's Museum. It was nice to have so much time to just do nothing, relax, and hold my baby. We had thought about trying to go home Friday, but my mom suggested that we stay another night since we had the suite. She wanted me to just enjoy my stay and try and rest before I had to go home and take care of a toddler and a newborn. She was so sweet to take such good care of Brooklynn while we were away. I know that created a strong bond between them. Brooklynn loves her "Nama."
We got to go home before noon on Saturday. It was so fun being able to take our sweet little girl home. When we took Brooklynn home I think I was slightly terrified! With Madison, I felt so much more comfortable, and very excited to get home to Bookie and my mom. Madison was a champ on the ride home, and she has loved car rides ever since.
We were so excited to be home! Joe went in and brought Brooklynn outside when we arrived, and it was so fun to see her reaction. She just kept saying "baby" over and over again. I got to rock Brooklynn and put her down for her nap, which was so nice. This time I didn't have my big belly to get in the way. It felt nice to have my body back to myself, and to be able to hold Brooklynn! I had missed being able to hold and rock her and put her to sleep. I was glad to be home with my sweet girl and with my mom!
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Madison Grace Berg
This was typed up starting November 13, 2014
It's been a crazy and very special week! A week ago today, my mom flew in to Houston to be here to take care of Brooklynn while Joe and I were in the hospital having our second baby girl! Brooklynn was so excited to see her and followed her around everywhere that day. Instead of saying "hold you" to me, she was saying it to "Nama." We spent the day practicing how to get to the hospital, and shopping at Sam Moon and Costco. The GPS wouldn't give audio directions, so mom wanted to run through how to get there a couple of times. So glad we did that, because she was a pro and didn't get lost once. I knew Brooklynn was in the best hands, and I was able to relax and enjoy my time in the hospital.
Joe and I checked in to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital at 9pm on Wednesday, November 5th. The waiting room was PACKED when we got there, and we ended up not getting a room until about 1:30am. We were both SO tired, to say the least. By the time I got changed, answered questions, got an IV hooked up, and got ready for bed, it was about 2:30. I was dilated about 3 cm and told I could sleep until 5:30 and then they would start me on Patocin. I never felt much pain as far as contractions go. With the shift change, a new nurse came in to check on me around 7:15 and asked how I was doing. She said the drs would be by around 8 to break my water. A text that I had gotten from my sister-in-law when she gave birth to my niece a couple of years ago, vividly flashed through my mind. "ALWAYS GET THE EPIDURAL BEFORE THEY BREAK YOUR WATER! THIS HURTS SO BAD!!" I told the nurse I really wasn't in much pain at all, and asked if it was okay to go ahead and get the epidural anyways before they broke my water. She said that was a good idea, because once my water was broken, that cushion would no longer be there and the baby's head would put a lot of pressure on me. You don't have to tell me twice! Epidural was in and water broken around 8:15. I was checked around 10am and told I was at a 6. Joe and I had a bet going from earlier that day and I had said I would have her around 11:30 and he said 1:30. I hadn't been checked again at 11:30, but James was working nearby and Joe asked if he could go meet him for lunch. I told him that was fine, just keep his phone on him and don't go far. They decided to eat at the cafeteria there in the hospital. Around 12:15 the nurse came in to check on me and I told her that I was feeling a lot more pressure down there, so she said she wanted to check me. She said I was a 9! The baby's head needed to drop just a bit and my cervix needed to thin just a bit more. She said "Where's your husband?" I told her he had met his brother for lunch at the cafeteria. She told me I should probably call and get him back to my room asap. When I called I told him "I'm at a 9, the nurse said get back here." His response was "Okay, do I need to like leave my food and come right now, or in like 5 min.?" The nurse was right there so I asked her and she said he could have 5 minutes. James and Joe came in the room soon after and I had my oxygen mask on. They visited for a little bit and James helped turn off the alarm for the blood pressure machine that kept going off because my arm was bent and it wasn't registering. Then he took a look at the monitor to see what my contractions were doing. He said they weren't super regular so his guess was that it would be a couple more hours till I delivered. It had taken me a long time to go from a 9 to a 10 with Brooklynn, so it wasn't hard to believe. The nurses came in again a few minutes later and started checking me again, and James said he was going to head back to work.
It wasn't but a couple minutes after he left, the nurse said "Okay, this is it! She's right there!" A couple other nurses had come in too and were getting things ready. The next thing I know, they are asking me if I want to feel my baby's head!! I reached down and they helped me feel her head! So crazy! Next thing I knew, Dr Cook was there in the room and he and the nurses were saying "She's right there. Don't laugh, don't push." Everything was happening so quickly! I told Joe to grab the camera and hurry over next to me. Dr Cook and the nurses said "Okay, here we go!" I think they had me push one time. My legs were so numb. After I pushed they said "Okay stop!" The cord was wrapped around her neck, so they took it off, and then Dr Cook said "Ok, Bre, reach down and pull your baby out!" WHAT?!?!? Did I dare do it? I wasn't expecting him to say that! It all happened so quickly and seemed so surreal. I reached down and they helped me get a hold of her, and the next thing I knew I was pulling her out and then there she was, laying on my chest crying. So so crazy!! I was overwhelmed with emotion and the tears started to flow. I can't really explain the emotions that overcomes me when I finally get to hold the sweet child that I have carried for 9 months. All of the discomfort, the sickness, exhaustion, and pain are all worth it in that moment. She was so little and her sweet little cry was music to my ears! An incredible feeling of love overwhelmed me and brought me to tears. Madison Grace Berg was born on November 6, 2014 at 12:58pm. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. Dr Cook gave Joe the tool and told him to cut the umbilical cord. He hadn't done that with Brooklynn, because he was kind of terrified and grossed out by the idea. I think this time though, in front of Doctor Cook, he didn't want to seem like a wuss, so he went for it! Everything always happens so quickly. Just like that, it was all over!
I got to hold Madison for a while, and got her to eat, and then got to cuddle her for a long while before they took her to do her measurements, foot prints, etc. I always love and cherish that time when I just get to hold my babies. We are so blessed to welcome another sweet little daughter into our family. We love her so much already.
It's been a crazy and very special week! A week ago today, my mom flew in to Houston to be here to take care of Brooklynn while Joe and I were in the hospital having our second baby girl! Brooklynn was so excited to see her and followed her around everywhere that day. Instead of saying "hold you" to me, she was saying it to "Nama." We spent the day practicing how to get to the hospital, and shopping at Sam Moon and Costco. The GPS wouldn't give audio directions, so mom wanted to run through how to get there a couple of times. So glad we did that, because she was a pro and didn't get lost once. I knew Brooklynn was in the best hands, and I was able to relax and enjoy my time in the hospital.
Joe and I checked in to Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital at 9pm on Wednesday, November 5th. The waiting room was PACKED when we got there, and we ended up not getting a room until about 1:30am. We were both SO tired, to say the least. By the time I got changed, answered questions, got an IV hooked up, and got ready for bed, it was about 2:30. I was dilated about 3 cm and told I could sleep until 5:30 and then they would start me on Patocin. I never felt much pain as far as contractions go. With the shift change, a new nurse came in to check on me around 7:15 and asked how I was doing. She said the drs would be by around 8 to break my water. A text that I had gotten from my sister-in-law when she gave birth to my niece a couple of years ago, vividly flashed through my mind. "ALWAYS GET THE EPIDURAL BEFORE THEY BREAK YOUR WATER! THIS HURTS SO BAD!!" I told the nurse I really wasn't in much pain at all, and asked if it was okay to go ahead and get the epidural anyways before they broke my water. She said that was a good idea, because once my water was broken, that cushion would no longer be there and the baby's head would put a lot of pressure on me. You don't have to tell me twice! Epidural was in and water broken around 8:15. I was checked around 10am and told I was at a 6. Joe and I had a bet going from earlier that day and I had said I would have her around 11:30 and he said 1:30. I hadn't been checked again at 11:30, but James was working nearby and Joe asked if he could go meet him for lunch. I told him that was fine, just keep his phone on him and don't go far. They decided to eat at the cafeteria there in the hospital. Around 12:15 the nurse came in to check on me and I told her that I was feeling a lot more pressure down there, so she said she wanted to check me. She said I was a 9! The baby's head needed to drop just a bit and my cervix needed to thin just a bit more. She said "Where's your husband?" I told her he had met his brother for lunch at the cafeteria. She told me I should probably call and get him back to my room asap. When I called I told him "I'm at a 9, the nurse said get back here." His response was "Okay, do I need to like leave my food and come right now, or in like 5 min.?" The nurse was right there so I asked her and she said he could have 5 minutes. James and Joe came in the room soon after and I had my oxygen mask on. They visited for a little bit and James helped turn off the alarm for the blood pressure machine that kept going off because my arm was bent and it wasn't registering. Then he took a look at the monitor to see what my contractions were doing. He said they weren't super regular so his guess was that it would be a couple more hours till I delivered. It had taken me a long time to go from a 9 to a 10 with Brooklynn, so it wasn't hard to believe. The nurses came in again a few minutes later and started checking me again, and James said he was going to head back to work.
It wasn't but a couple minutes after he left, the nurse said "Okay, this is it! She's right there!" A couple other nurses had come in too and were getting things ready. The next thing I know, they are asking me if I want to feel my baby's head!! I reached down and they helped me feel her head! So crazy! Next thing I knew, Dr Cook was there in the room and he and the nurses were saying "She's right there. Don't laugh, don't push." Everything was happening so quickly! I told Joe to grab the camera and hurry over next to me. Dr Cook and the nurses said "Okay, here we go!" I think they had me push one time. My legs were so numb. After I pushed they said "Okay stop!" The cord was wrapped around her neck, so they took it off, and then Dr Cook said "Ok, Bre, reach down and pull your baby out!" WHAT?!?!? Did I dare do it? I wasn't expecting him to say that! It all happened so quickly and seemed so surreal. I reached down and they helped me get a hold of her, and the next thing I knew I was pulling her out and then there she was, laying on my chest crying. So so crazy!! I was overwhelmed with emotion and the tears started to flow. I can't really explain the emotions that overcomes me when I finally get to hold the sweet child that I have carried for 9 months. All of the discomfort, the sickness, exhaustion, and pain are all worth it in that moment. She was so little and her sweet little cry was music to my ears! An incredible feeling of love overwhelmed me and brought me to tears. Madison Grace Berg was born on November 6, 2014 at 12:58pm. She weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 inches long. Dr Cook gave Joe the tool and told him to cut the umbilical cord. He hadn't done that with Brooklynn, because he was kind of terrified and grossed out by the idea. I think this time though, in front of Doctor Cook, he didn't want to seem like a wuss, so he went for it! Everything always happens so quickly. Just like that, it was all over!
I got to hold Madison for a while, and got her to eat, and then got to cuddle her for a long while before they took her to do her measurements, foot prints, etc. I always love and cherish that time when I just get to hold my babies. We are so blessed to welcome another sweet little daughter into our family. We love her so much already.
Thursday, November 6, 2014
Catching Up!
There's been a lot going on the last couple of months. At the end of June we found out at my 20 week ultrasound that another sweet baby girl will be joining our family! I am so excited that Brooklynn will have a sister, and I just hope that they can have the type of relationship that I'm so blessed to have with my sister.
We went to Utah as a family for the big 4th of July celebrations this year! The day started at sunrise and ended well past sunset. We went to the Provo Parade with Tiff, Michael, Braden, and my parents. Craig and Judy, Angie, Laura, Marlo and Gail and her family were all there too. Luckily Grandad was able to get Brooklynn to fall asleep for a little bit towards the end of the parade. Then our family went and met Dallin, Britt, Tate, and Luke at the Pizza Factory for lunch. After lunch it was time for 7 Peaks!! Joseph and his family were already there when we all got there, and the Hawkins family as well as Gary and Susan and Aunt Trudy joined later too. This was my first year not going down any big slides. One because I had Brooklynn, and two because I'm pregnant and can't go down them for safety reasons. We still had a fun time though! Brooklynn had a lot of fun playing in the kids area going down the slides, and Joe and I did a few rounds in the lazy river.
Around 5 we got ready and changed into dry clothes and headed our for mexican food for dinner. After that, we all went to the Stadium of Fire!! Growing up that was one of my favorite traditions. This year was Joe and Brooklynn's first time going to The Stadium of Fire. My mom and dad went(because Carrie Underwood was the performer) and Tiff, Michael, Braden, Lindsey, and Jordan went as well. It was such a fun night, I'm so glad we got to be there! Surprisingly, Brooklynn did really well. She fought sleep for a long time because there was so much going on, but eventually she crashed, and slept the rest of the time!
We had so much fun! I'm so glad that Joe finally got to experience The Stadium of Fire, and that we got to be there with my parents and Tiff and her family! The 4th of July is still one of my very favorite holidays when I am home with my family!
We went to Utah as a family for the big 4th of July celebrations this year! The day started at sunrise and ended well past sunset. We went to the Provo Parade with Tiff, Michael, Braden, and my parents. Craig and Judy, Angie, Laura, Marlo and Gail and her family were all there too. Luckily Grandad was able to get Brooklynn to fall asleep for a little bit towards the end of the parade. Then our family went and met Dallin, Britt, Tate, and Luke at the Pizza Factory for lunch. After lunch it was time for 7 Peaks!! Joseph and his family were already there when we all got there, and the Hawkins family as well as Gary and Susan and Aunt Trudy joined later too. This was my first year not going down any big slides. One because I had Brooklynn, and two because I'm pregnant and can't go down them for safety reasons. We still had a fun time though! Brooklynn had a lot of fun playing in the kids area going down the slides, and Joe and I did a few rounds in the lazy river.
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Braden and Brooklynn waving their flags at the parade. |
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