Polite as a Princess

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!

Baby Led Weaning

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!

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.

Go the F*ck to Sleep

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.

Life is good.

It's all worth it!

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!

Sweet little sleeper!

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 :)

Things I don’t want to forget: All about Audrey edition!

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.

Abigail Mae is 3 months old!

She is such a little darling! I kiss her chubby cheeks all day. I love having all of this time with her and Audrey.

Abby is doing well. She's super alert and has discovered the tv. Whether she's in our bedroom or the living room, she always turns her head towards it and stares. I remember Audrey did the same thing. I wonder if she'll have the same reaction to Mickey Mouse that Audrey did?

When we put her on her tummy all she wants to do is chew on her hands. She can lift her head up but doesn't keep it there for very long. She hasn't attempted to roll over yet, but she does manage to scoot and rotate herself when she's on her back. She really likes her Bumbo and her (new) bouncer. She likes being able to see what we're all doing. She's very alert and super happy!

She smiles all the time, it's the sweetest thing. And she's started to laugh which is ADORABLE! I think she may be ticklish :) She's especially vocal when you talk to her. We have little conversations and she just smiles and coos the whole time. I can't wait to see if she'll be as talkative as her sister...if so, we're in trouble!

She's eating 5 oz every 3-4 hours. In the evening I've started feeding her every 2- 2.5 hours in hopes of helping her STTN. Usually she's up twice at night around 2:00 and 6:00. The last two nights she's only been up once at 5:00. I'm a little nervous about going back to work and having to get up for a 2-3 am feeding...by the time I'm done feeding her, pumping, and falling back to sleep it'll be time to get up! She still naps in her bouncer or the swing during the day. She still gets swaddled at night and I'm wondering when we should stop? She doesn't try to roll over and seems perfectly content so I may hold off.
She's wearing mostly 3-6 month clothes. Since it's been so hot she usually just wears a onesie at home and a dress when we go out. Her hair is out of control and I'm really curious to see what's going to happen to it. It looks like it's falling out around the sides, but growing in the front and on top. It looks like a tidal wave of brown hair in the back, sticks straight up and curves over. I'm thinking that she'll be sporting lots of hats come fall and winter :)

























CHEEKS!



I'm super excited about month 4. We get to take out the exersaucer and doorway jumper (I just hope she loves them as much as Audrey did!) We'll also be trying solid foods, too. Her 4 month appt is scheduled for Sept. 1. I'm a little sad that all of this will be happening as I go back to work. It's going to make the time FLY BY. With Audrey I was home for the summer and really got to enjoy the time when she was starting to do new things (5-8 months.) I loved that stage; sitting up, crawling, pulling up...Abigail will be doing it all before we know it!

Words from the Wise, Part Two

This book is one of my most prized possessions. Each student wrote and illustrated a page. These are some very special kids with some very special advice for sweet Audrey Cate:



My kids always tease me about crying...I've only cried a couple of times in front of them...once while reading "The Kissing Hand" and then again at the end of their 2nd grade year. Being 8 and 9 year olds, they have never let me live it down :) I definitely cried when I read the dedication. In front of them. They were totally pleased with themselves!! LOL

Love the illustration on this one, apparently Audrey is bleeding out, lol.

I love the arm around the shoulders :)



Is that supposed to be me looking in the mirror? haha





"You get to grow up together and share a great Mom." Awww!


"When you are sad or broken your sister will cheer you up."

One of my favorites! "Trust me she will think you know everything."



LOVE the spellings of the girls' names!


I'm saving my two favorites for last...they're Christopher's favorites, too. They're not even from my "best" writers...but they are so sweet and incredibly touching.


I almost want to type this whole quote and hang it in Audrey's room!

Love this, especially the very simple picture.

I am so grateful that my sub took the time to do this special project with my kids. I will always cherish this book and I know Audrey will, too.