I feel so sad! I feel so excited!! I'm such a mess of emotions, lol.
It was a pretty nice week, aside from the earthquake and hurricane Irene. I will say that I am exhausted. Abigail wakes up between 5-6 and takes FOREVER to fall back asleep. So I'm pretty much up for the day. I just know that going back to work is going to be even more exhausting..ugh.
Speaking of exhausted :) They totally fell asleep like this for a good 30 minutes!
I was looking forward to spending my last weekend at home, all cozy as the hurricane rolled through. Unfortunately we lost power at 1:30 on Saturday. I had just come home from signing Audrey up for dance class (yay!) when it went out. Chris and I played Rummy and then I fed Abigail and laid her down for a nap. We decided to go to Grandma's house since we just *knew* our power would be out for all night. I packed up the girls and Chris packed up all of my frozen milk. We stayed the night (fun!) and returned late this morning...still no power! It did come back on at about 1:00, thank goodness!
Today Abigail is 4 months old...I wanted to take her usual monthly pictures but she has a huge red scratch on her face (self-inflicted.) We'll save those for next weekend! I did get a video and some some tummy time pics:
I wanted to hold the girls extra longer as I put them to bed tonight. The summer has just been so wonderful that I can't help but be a little sad. I'm already looking forward to our first break...in November...(sigh)...
Exactly one year ago we found out we were pregnant with Baby Burns #2. My memory is just awful (which is why I keep this blog) but I will never forget the days I found out I was pregnant with both girls. Audrey and I had been to the mall, then Target. I picked up a test, not quite sure if I was even late. I figured I'd use a test that afternoon and then I'd have another on hand for the future. Chris saw the test when he was unloading the groceries and rushed me to take it once Audrey had gone down for her nap. He was getting in the shower to leave for a bachelor party later that night. I saw 2 lines right away...I really wanted to lie and tell him it was negative but I couldn't hide my SHOCK. I kept saying, "Oh my God, oh my GOD." Chris was great...totally excited and surprised as well. We were so bummed that he had to leave so soon after we found out, but in a way it was kind of nice to be alone and digest the news.
With Audrey I was 90% excited and 10% nervous/scared. With Abigail it was very different! I was 50/50. Very happy but very, very anxious! How would I handle two kids? The long nights, feeding every 2 hours, the crying...ugh! And how would it be possible to love another child as much as I loved my first?
Now here we are a year later. Abigail is just a few days shy of 4 months. I was anxious for nothing! This has been such a great experience. There have definitely been frustrating times but they are so miniscule compared to everything else. We were blessed with a true angel baby. It's as if she were always meant to be here with us. I love her with every bit of my heart. Audrey had no problems adjusting, which was my biggest fear, one of my very first thoughts after seeing those two lines.
I know a lot of you ladies are pregnant with #2 right now and are having the exact same thoughts and feelings that I did a year ago. I wanted to let you know that everything will be GREAT!
It's been a whirlwind year and I'm thankful for every moment.
If you live on the east coast, you know what I'm talking about! I had been at school with Abigail in the morning, then met my mom and Scott for lunch. Afterwards I put Abigail in the stroller and we went to Target. As I was looking at the sleep sacks, I heard a loud rumbling and felt the ground shake. Everything was moving! I knew right away it was an earthquake and my first instinct was to get in a doorway...but of course there were none! So I stood beside the stroller, covering Abigail with my arms as I ran towards the front exit (looking up as I did so!) As I was running I saw things falling off the shelves and people running for the exit as well. It seemed to last for such a loooong time! Once we were out (and far away from the building) I tried calling my in-laws (who had Audrey) and Christopher and my parents but my phone wouldn't work. I was pretty shaky but luckily Abigail was happy as usual. All I could think about was the possibility of aftershocks...with an earthquake that big I knew they were inevitable and there was no way I was going back into that building! Turns out we had a few later that night- the one at 8:00 was a 4.2, just as the girls were falling asleep. Didn't bother them at all. Our house is pretty close to Mineral (the epicenter) but we came home to find everything perfectly in tact.
Audrey had been outside playing. She was actually walking towards the house to go inside when it hit. I wish I could've seen her reaction! It seems like there was no major damage and everyone is safe. It was a pretty helpless feeling...I need to read up on what our earthquake procedure is at school. We have tornado drills and fire drills but not earthquake drills!
Bahahaha
I'd love to hear your stories! I especially love this article about how the animals at the National Zoo reacted before the quake hit. Incredible!
This is what I say to Audrey anytime she does something that makes Abigail laugh.
I was making lunch when I heard Audrey jumping in the living room (she's been really into jumping lately.) Then I heard Abigail laugh...which was weird because usually she just makes a lot of noise. I walked to the doorway and saw Abigail looking at Audrey and actually laughing at her when she jumped.
Poor Audrey, lol. I must have made her jump about 40 times.
On Saturday I took Audrey to see Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was her first theater experience and she loved it! She got all dressed up and wore a tiara. I was just excited to do something special with just the two of us!
We sat up on the 3rd balcony which was perfect. She loved playing with our tickets while we waited to get our lunch. We had chicken nuggets, a juice box, fruit cup, Teddy Grahams, and chips. *Note to self- eat before we go!
The show started and she was mesmerized. But about half way through she started with, "I want to go hoooome." She's recently started saying this when we're out and about. But she made it through the whole show and even got her picture taken with Snow White!
Afterwards we did our grocery shopping at Target where we got her Halloween costume...but it's more like an everyday outfit because she wants to wear it all.the.time.
Once Audrey had her costume on, she wanted Abigail to try on hers...OMG, to die for cuteness all around! I'm actually worried that Abby's won't fit in 2 more months, lol.
Yikes! I'm so mixed over the end of summer. I have enjoyed it so much. We've done absolutely nothing and I've really loved it. I've been able to bond with and get to know Abigail. I've been able to spend a ton of time with my Audrey and do whatever it is that she wants to do...read books, have tea parties, picnics, have dance parties and tickle fights. When I can do those things with her on a Wednesday morning at 10:00 am, it's a great thing.
I love that there is no difference between Sunday and Monday and that I've only worn flip flops for the past 2 months. It doesn't matter that I don't have my coffee until 11:00 or that I didn't put on makeup (I don't even look in the mirror until Audrey takes her nap, lol.) I enjoy the fact that play dates, car inspections/oil changes, and other appointments can be made in the middle of the day during the week. I can stay up late after the girls go to bed because I don't have to drag myself out of bed at 5 am...and if I do get up at 5 it's because a sweet little angel baby needs to be fed, cuddled, kissed, and put back to sleep...and I get to go back to sleep too!! I really, really dig the SAHM gig during the summer.
That being said...oh my GOODNESS I cannot wait to put on make up, real clothes, real shoes and leave the house every day! I can't wait to meet the 20+ new kids that will become my new school family. I am dying to see my old kiddos and how much they've grown over the summer. I want to plan new and exciting lessons and try new things. I'm excited to get into a routine. I've always loved the beginning of the school year...it's my favorite- right after the end of the school year!
Tea party with the girls? Yes, please!
Love those crazy morning curls!
This time next year I'll have a 3 1/2 year old and a 16 month old. It will be so different! I'm glad it was such a relaxed summer...probably the most relaxed one I'll have for years to come :)
I decided to start a photo blog. I was inspired by a couple I saw on the news who took a picture of their baby every day for the first year of his life. Since then, I've seen a lot of blogs dedicated to the 365 Project. I think it's a very cool way to document a whole year of your life. While this blog is dedicated to my family, the photo blog will be more varied. Oh, who am I kidding?! It will probably end up being 90% pictures of the girls :)
I probably won't blog every day, but I will take a picture everyday and then update the blog when time permits. Today was my first blog post...I hope you'll check it out and follow the next 365 days!
Abigail has totally found her voice lately. She makes these loud, "AHHHHH!!! WAAAAAH!!" sounds that crack us up. It really is adorable, but she's so loud that she echoes through the house (not so good when Audrey is trying to sleep!) I love this video because a) it's a perfect sample of how she sounds b) she laughs and grins a lot and c) she chews on her fingers (she loves her fingers!):
I'm trying to include Abigail in whatever Audrey is doing. One way I do that is when Audrey sits down to eat. Abby watches her and smiles. This time, Audrey was actually trying to make Abby smile:
Abby's first time in the exersaucer
Audrey wanted to spin her around
Abby didn't like it
Tummy time...Audrey thinks it's funny that I make such a big deal about Abby lifting her head, lol.
It's so fun to see them interact. Their relationship is slowly but surely coming along!
I never wanted to refer to any of my girls as a princess. It has always had a bad connotation for me. I would envision a stuck up, bratty little kid who'd yell "NO!" all the time and cry if she didn't get her way. I didn't want any princess dolls, clothes with the word "princess"...I just wanted to avoid that word all together.
Then of course Audrey got older and started to like princesses...she'd see a princess on tv or we'd read about a princess in a book and she just loved them! Audrey got a book called, "Polite as a Princess," which featured the different princesses and how they are all polite. Of course we had to read it 1,000 times per day and Audrey would start to repeat things from the book, to which I'd reply, "Wow! You are as polite as a princess!" And she'd smile and look so proud of herself. That's when I started to realize that I could totally change the perception of a princess. I would HAVE to change MY perception. Because if my little girl liked princesses, then something would have to change!
I started thinking, what's so bad about princesses? I thought specifically about the Disney princesses...they are all great role models (I hadn't considered them before in my original anti-princess rants.) They are polite and kind and good and always happy. Except for the unrealistically perfect hair, they are pretty great!
I think the princess thing is working for us because a few mornings ago Audrey told me "no." I looked her in the eyes and said, "You don't tell Mom no." She said, "Ok, Momma." I said, "Very good! You're as polite as a princess!" And that was it. A few hours later she was telling everyone at Target, "I don't tell my Mom no!" LOL. In the car instead of whining about a song she doesn't like, she says, "No, thank you!" Because that's what a freaking princess would do.
I never thought I'd be pushing the princess thing but so far it's working. Fingers crossed!
As we get closer and closer to the 4 month mark, I've been reading more and more about the benefits of BLW. Basically this means skipping the cereal and purees and, when baby is 6 months and ready, go straight for solid foods. From what I've researched, this is a better way to introduce food because it gives baby more control over what they eat. This leads to better appetite control, a taste for nutritious food, and a reduced tendency towards pickiness. The last part alone is enough for me to consider trying BLW with Abigail. I love Audrey to pieces & think she's perfect in every way... EXCEPT her stupid eating habits. She is awful when it comes to trying new things; her newest tactic is to "cough" when offered new foods...or she'll just say, "No thanks, it makes me cough." UGH!
Now, I know that every child is different, but I can't help think that something I did (or didn't do) contributed to the way Audrey is with food. Maybe if we had waited and allowed her to experiment with "real" food she'd have a healthier relationship with food. As much as I was looking forward to starting solid food with Abby in a couple of weeks, I'm going to try and hold off. She'll continue to get all of her nutritional needs through breast milk only until she's 6 months (I'm praying that pumping + freezer stash will get us that far!) Then at about 6 months we'll let her go at it! I found a great blog while I was researching. It's great to see BLW in action!
It's a little scary to try it this way; I don't like going against the normal or usual way of doing things. I really like having control of the food Abby will be getting and when. But in reality BLW seems to be much a much more natural way to introduce foods. Audrey did amazing with cereal and she loved every single fruit and veggie puree (even the mixes and dinners!) But where did that get us?! Nowhere. Nowhere except Food Hell. I think I'll pass this time! I feel like Audrey will be struggling with food for a long time to come and I'm really hoping to avoid that with Abigail.
I'd love to hear your experiences with BLW. I still plan on doing lots of research and of course talking to the pedi. Any other insight is appreciated!
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Just when we thought Abigail's hair couldn't get any more crazy...
AHHHH! It now sticks straight up, a perfect mohawk. Chris calls her "Conan." It's pretty funny, I can't believe how long it is on the top! Today I put a hat on her...she looks just like Audrey did, totally adorable!
Audrey, two years ago in the same outfit (5 months old):
I have a little more than 2 weeks left of summer vacation. I have mixed feelings about going back to work...on one hand I'm very excited for a new school year with a new group of kids. On the other hand I've enjoyed this summer so much...I love spending so much time with my girls and I'm just thankful for all the time I've had with them.
OK, so my kids are very good sleepers (Abigail slept 11 hours last night!) But there have definitely been nap times and night times where I've said this (in my head, of course.) So when this book came out I just about died laughing and could definitely relate. But oh my goodness...nothing compares to the hilarity of hearing Samuel L. Jackson narrate it. If you are easily offended by the F word, don't listen...and definitely don't listen if you are at work or have small children in the room. Listen to it when your children are f*cking asleep.
The pains of pregnancy, the GD, the missed sleep....all totally worth it when I hear this sweet little girl laugh! And to think, a year ago we didn't even know she was in my belly!
I figured this was worth documenting! For about a week now Abigail has been sleeping through the night! Well, what I consider to be STTN. She's asleep between 8-8:30. She wakes up between 5-6 (usually it's a little after 6), eats, then goes right back to sleep. This morning she woke up at 4am, but at least we're getting past the 2-3 am feed time :)
She has really taken a liking to her hands!
LOVE her little pout!
Tummy Time pout
When I got Abby up this morning I noticed a ton of hair left on her sheets...it's definitely falling out! I also noticed it on her bouncer. Let's hope it gets replaced quickly :)
I love this stage. Audrey is the sweetest girl! So smart and curious and the best imagination!
Some things I definitely don’t want to forget:
Her newest sayings are:
“Oh my gosh!” “I can’t believe it!” “What the HECK?!” “I’m thinking about it…”
She loves her new dollhouse. She puts the whole family to sleep in their beds and covers them with the blanket from her crib.
She’s very sensitive towards others. If someone is sad she’ll say, “Poor _____!”
She’s getting to be more and more OCD…she likes to sort her bath letters and numbers by color.
She’s becoming more interested in Abigail. Yesterday when she woke up she said, “I want to see Abby!” She likes to watch me change her diaper. She loves to tickle Abby’s toes.
Anytime there’s a blanket spread out on the floor she automatically wants to have a picnic/tea party.
We’ve moved the froggy potty into her bathroom. So now when she has to go she runs frantically while saying, “I gotta pee, I love you!” I have no idea what that last part is about ☺
The other day she saw the dishwasher basket that we use for bottle parts on the counter. She’s used it before as a “cage” for her farm and zoo animals, so when she asked me to get it down for her I didn’t think anything of it. A few minutes later she came and asked me to march with her…usually she asks me to have a dance party with her. But I obliged and she led me to my room. Then she starts singing the song from Jake and the Neverland Pirates and marching around the basket, just like they do on the show. Complete with a grand finish (arms in the air, striking a pose at the end of the song.) She was disappointed when the basket (excuse me, treasure chest) didn’t open by itself like it does on the show. To make it even more fun Chris got out 4 gold coins…her very own gold doubloons! Too funny.
"Hey, hey welcome crew..."
She goes into my closet and pulls out my shoes. She puts them on and calls them her tap shoes.
When we speak sternly to her or tell her no, she makes a “funny” face. She thinks it will get her out of trouble if she makes us laugh. Unfortunately for her it doesn’t work- but we all get a good laugh and thankfully it takes the edge off & there’s no tantrum!
When I make my bed she insists on being a baby turtle. She lays on the floor and I throw pillows on top of her. As the momma turtle I bring her celery and coffee (don’t ask!)
My sweet little baby turtle :)
She likes to help give Abigail her baths. If we wrap Abby in the green alligator towel Audrey likes to be chased by “Abigator” afterwards!
She loves her dad. She actually says, “I love my dad.”
She says her prayers all by herself.
She takes over the living room...more precisely, the living room table. She poses all of her "friends" and sets them up on/in various toys. I clean it all up when she takes a nap and she does it all again when she wakes up.
After she’s all dressed and her hair is brushed, we walk to the long mirror in my closet. She stands there and totally beams while I tell her how pretty she looks. The look on her face is precious!
I truly love this age especially because I’m hearing that year three is pretty awful, lol.
