Monthly Snapshot October 2013

Snapshot - October 2013

Emily Jane

Stats...

Age: 3

Clothes size: 4T

Shoe size: 9 wide (just got her foot measured and the shoes she was wearing were, according to the shoe store lady, a size and a half too small for her...mom fail?)

Favorites...

Food: Still PBJ, chicken nuggets, pancakes

Book: We Help Mommy (one of my Golden Books that my grandmother used to read to me)

TV Show(s): Jake & the Neverland Pirates

Toy(s): lately it's been anything she can pretend is a magic wand and "spell book" she loves the Halloween episode of Sophia the First with the little witch that hexes everyone.  She always says she's being a nice witch and not making mean potions.

Milestones?

1. I think she is finally "potty trained." I say this with an enormous amount of caution and finger crossing because I'm afraid she's just kidding around with me and she's going to start peeing in her panties & wetting the bed.  But for a good two weeks she's been sleeping in panties (or going commando in her jammies - for "airing out").  And she hasn't (knocking on wood) had any accidents over night; and only a couple accidents during the day, where she was too busy playing and just didn't make it in time.  So funny to think that just a month ago I was thinking we'd never get here...

2. Her speech is really coming along.  She is able to tell me pretty in-depth stories. They just don't always make sense.  So I've learned to take whatever she tells me with a grain of salt.  She knows how to fake emotions already - awesome.

3. We have been reading Dr. Seuss's ABC book and she knows almost every letter.  She pretends to sound out words on other books - this morning she was holding a Disney's Tangled book and while pointing to the word "Tangled" she says "Ruhhhh ppppuuunnnnzzzzzzzzellllll" like she was trying to sound it out.  And she said "Zee zuh zuh"  because that's how I try to help her learn the sounds letters make.  So cute, even though she had the wrong word.

4. Another one of Dr. Seuss's books -- the Foot Book -- has been helping her with opposites.  Every morning in the car lately she wants to talk about "Top and Bottom".  So we go through all of the opposites I can think of, and she gets about 95% on the first try.  So smart girl.

Challenges...

1. She is a typical 3 year old and has to be told to do (or not to do) things constantly.  She forgets what she was just told (or wasn't listening in the first place), which can be frustrating.  But then other times she does things on her own, without being asked -- she finished her breakfast this morning, got up and took her dishes to the sink, all while I'm sitting there gawping at her because I didn't have to say a word.  Who knows where that came from, but I'll take it!!

2. Also, like most other toddlers/preschoolers, has trouble with her indoor/outdoor voices.  She is so loud, even when she has been repeatedly asked to be quiet.  It just goes along with the 3 year old's incomprehension of other people's needs and feelings.  But she'll get it - I hope.  We try not to shush her too much at home.   Caroline is pretty good at sleeping through her shenanigans, but if it's been particularly hard to get the baby to sleep, or if we are on the phone or she is just shrieking for no reason, we find ourselves SHHHHHHing quite a bit.  She is just a very expressive and excited little girl!

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Caroline Elizabeth

Stats...

Age: almost 18 weeks

Clothes Size: 6-9 months. Chunk!!

Shoe Size: doesn't wear shoes - tiny feet just like her sister though

Favorites...

Food: formula! (we stopped breastfeeding around 6 weeks) - going to the doc on Monday for her 4 month check up and will talk about when to start baby food.  I remember with Emily we started cereal around four months.  I've been hesitant with Caroline because she certainly doesn't need the extra calories; and because I don't want to admit she's not a newborn anymore.  Serious Mommy denial.

Book: we still occasionally bring her into Emily's room for storytime, but she also is loving this Garanimals crinkly/teether book that was Emily's.  I remember Emily loved it too.

Toy: She will play with a blanket forever.  She likes this little sheep stuffy that was given to Emily as a baby but she never played with it.  And she has just started enjoying the "jump-jump" aka Exersaucer.

TV Show: she likes watching along with Emily every once in a while.

Milestones...

Sleeping without swaddling.  This makes me sad because, again, its one of those things that makes me realize she's growing up.  The first night she wasn't swaddled it was because all the swaddle blankets were dirty and it was bed time.  She slept perfectly fine.  I had been swaddling her with her arms out for about a week before that, because she would wiggle herself out of the swaddle and wanted her arms up over her head.  But now I only swaddle her if it's too cold in her room, and then only from the armpits down.  She sleeps well either way.

Really putting things in her mouth.  She has definitely started to explore things by putting them to her mouth.  Her blanket, any toys we give her, her bib, her fingers.  If she doesn't have her papper, she has her thumb and first finger in her mouth and she's slurping away.  Drooling a lot too so I think she might be starting to teethe a little.  Man I don't miss that -- not looking forward to all the crying...

Playtime.  She's staying awake for longer stretches, but we still haven't made it to two long naps.  She's still pretty much napping between each feeding, which is fine with me.  But when she is awake, she loves to play with whatever you put in her hand, and she LOVES when big sister comes up and talks to her, tickles her, or just makes faces.  She's starting to giggle a little bit which is so amazing.  Best. Sound. Ever.

Challenges...

Sometimes she has trouble settling down for a nap, and has to have her papper put back in her mouth a few times and the blanket up by her cheek, but really, she's a pretty easy going baby.  She doesn't like to be in her car seat for extended periods of time unless she's asleep - but who can blame her?

I feel like she isn't "talking" as much as Emily did at this age.  Emily was babbling and cooing more at just a few weeks old.  But Caroline can definitely hear us and even seems to be recognizing her name a little bit - or at least that we are talking to her.  I'm not too worried about her speech.  Her big sister will help her become a Chatty Cathy soon enough.  Then I'll have two of them.  Good Lord.

This month has been great - lots of fun and I'm just so happy and lucky to be mommy to these two beautiful little girls.