Holly at 6 months!

My little baby girl turned six months over a week ago and I am just now updating this blog... This kind of slacking would not have happened with Parker!  I feel like I'm getting used to this whole baby-and-toddler thing.  That really just means I'm getting used to no personal time (really, I can't even pee without an entourage).  Parker no longer naps, so even when I get Holly down I'm still entertaining and/or keeping Parker out of trouble.  Jake leaves the house by 6:30 am and gets home (hopefully) by 6:30 pm as I'm walking Holly upstairs to get her ready for bed.  Twelve hours with no break... well, sometimes I hide in the pantry eating a handful of chocolate chips until Parker finds me and that is a nice thirty seconds of peace.  I enjoy that "me time."  Really, life is great and I love being home with my two little ones even if it is a little like Groundhog Day... or even when the only other adult voice I hear is The Man with the Yellow Hat from Curious George.

Holly started sitting up by herself a couple of days after turning six months.  She really wants to move!  Poor thing gets so frustrated if can't reach the toy she wants.  As I write this she is at my feet trying her hardest to move towards me.  Just today she started popping up in the "downward dog" yoga pose so she is getting close to crawling.  She has been eating lots of new foods: squash, peas, pears, apples, bananas, and peaches.  Her favorites are bananas, apples, and squash.  She is not a very big fan of peas.  She got her two bottom teeth at the beginning of June.  I was shocked because Parker was ten months before he got any teeth.  Everyone comments on the rolls she has on her arms and legs, but I think she's tiny.  In fact she's the same size as some of the three month old babies in our play group.  She's very low on the height and weight percentile charts.  At her six month appointment she was 14 lbs 3 oz which is the 15th percentile.  Her length was harder to get (she was very squirmy) and it was somewhere between 24 and 25 inches long.  I forget the percentile, but it was low as well.  Of course my baby has a good size head...  Holly smiles at everyone and is almost always in a good mood.  Her favorite pastime is watching Parker run around and play.  To say I adore this child would be a huge understatement.  She is amazing and I am obsessed with her.

Parker is a typical two year old.  I love to hear him jabber away in the backseat of the car.  Even on a long drive he will talk the entire time.  He is curious about everything and asks tons of questions.  He is still into dinosaurs, trains, and usually anything with wheels or buttons.  He can be the sweetest kid sometimes - he will randomly give me compliments (like I look pretty or he likes my outfit); he'll say "I love you too" out of the blue even when I haven't said I love you first; and he's pretty good at saying thank you without being prompted.  On the other hand, he can be a typical two year old who is possessive of his toys at the park, whiny when he doesn't get what he wants, and once (gasp) he hit a little girl with a stick at the park.  He keeps me on my toes and I'm grateful that he has such a great personality given the fact that he is sometimes the only person I talk to on a given day.  

In May, Jake and I traveled to Key West for a wedding.  We got to enjoy lots of uninterrupted meals, drink lots of mojitos, and take part in many different exciting wedding activities.  It was a great vacation for the two of us and I loved being part of such a special day for my dear friend, Devon. 

April & May

 My kids are growing up way too fast!  

Parker has entered a "make believe" phase and spends his days either pretending to be a doggie or chasing invisible dinosaurs.  I like pretending he's a doggie because he'll go and fetch things I need. He will also copy things he sees on tv (his favorite show at the moment is Curious George).  In the picture below he is drawing the squares for hopscotch after he saw Curious George playing it.  

He also counts "8, 9, 10, 11, 12!"  Jake and I are assuming he heard this on one of his cartoons because we definitely didn't teach him!  We are still working with him on what comes after 2.  His favorite thing to say before bedtime is, "Just one more minute..." and holds up his index finger.  He will also count things on his plate, but after two it is hit or miss if he says three.  Sometimes he'll count, "one, two.... too many!!" One last "Parker-ism" that Jake and I love (but also find frustrating) is his use of the word maybe.  A common conversation in our home is:

Parker - "Mama, I want car snacks, please."  (car snacks are like fruit snacks/gummy bears)

Me - "Oh, I don't think we have anymore car snacks."

Parker - "Maybe..." he shrugs his shoulders

Me - "No, I'm sorry.  We definitely don't have any car snacks.  We can get some next time we go to the store."

Parker - "Maybe!"  getting a little frustrated

Me - "Nope, there's no more.  What else can I get you?"

Parker - "Maybe!... I need car snacks!" and a temper tantrum begins...

Maybe gets thrown around a lot... not just with snacks...

Holly turned 4 months in April.  This is a huge month for little ones.  Usually they are smiling more, playing more with their toys, rolling over, and many will start solid foods.  Holly is right on track with all of those things.  Also, I've read that many babies will go through a "Four Month Sleep Regression" and, unfortunately, Holly was a textbook example of this as well.  Right after I blogged that she was sleeping through the night she abruptly stopped!  tear, sniff...  There are lots of theories as to why this happens, but no one knows for sure.  Most things I read said to just wait it out...

 Holly enjoyed the rice cereal.  She didn't seem to like it as much as Parker and definitely not as clean as he was. 

 

 She now sits in her "exer-saucer" and actively plays with the toys.  She can get very frustrated when she can't reach something she wants.  On the floor, she will roll from her back to her belly, but start screaming and crying if she didn't get to the toy she wanted.  I see a feisty personality coming out... it's like looking in a mirror... yikes!

 She loves watching Parker.

 Don't be fooled by these photos.  He really doesn't care much about Holly.  Once in a while he'll want to kiss her, but usually he's doing his own thing and running around playing.  He can get a little jealous when I'm holding her and sometimes he will pretend he's a baby.  As I sit here writing this, he has climbed onto my lap and is saying he's a baby and needs me to hold him...

 For Mother's Day I requested strawberry picking at a local farm followed by a picnic.  Cute idea, right?  Well every other mom in a twenty mile radius must have requested the same thing.  They told us most of the strawberries were picked by the time we got there at 11.  Oh well.  We still had a good time. 

Love my little family.

Spring 2013

Where to start?  ....Well, I wrote a huge long paragraph describing Parker's lack of naps.  Left this blog for a few days until I had more time to finish.  Sat down and read what I wrote and thought it was incredibly boring even for me.  So I erased it all.  You're welcome.  

Holly has been smiling, laughing, and chewing on her hands constantly.  She is the sweetest baby and I am obsessed with her.   We go to her 4 month check-up on Friday.  I can't believe she's not even 4 months yet.  I feel like she's been part of our family forever!  Also, I almost don't want to write it for fear of jinxing myself, but she's been sleeping through the night!  Bless her little heart.  Her naps are okay, but a little more inconsistent.  They can be pretty short... but the silver-lining is how happy she is when I go to get her.  I'll be frustrated with a thirty minute nap and walk in to get her and she's grinning from ear to ear, or sticking her tongue out and cooing at me.  Parker always woke up so cranky, even crying really hard, so this is a nice change.  More about naps?!? Geez I'm obsessed. 

Now for some recent pictures! They are not in chronological order because I'm too rushed...

We traveled to the central valley for my cousin's wedding and Easter.

A family photo with two wiggly kids is difficult.

Notice we didn't dress the toddler in his wedding outfit until minutes before...

Getting his tie clipped on in the car. Ha.

Easter Morning

Parker liked his Easter basket and hunting for eggs, but he would much rather be playing outside at Noni's house (his great-grandma).

Easter Egg Hunt for my mom's group (actually a couple weeks earlier than Easter).

Parker picked up one egg, shook it, and when he didn't hear anything inside he threw it back.  How dare a mom try to sneak in a hard-boiled egg?!?

Random pictures of my kids:

Gilroy Gardens

No weekend is complete without a trip to Costco.

Monterey Bay Aquarium. Again.

Playing hide and seek with Parker.  He's a very good hider.  Very flexible.

Holly at (almost) 4 months!

Her 4 month stats:

weight: 12 lbs 4.5 ounces (14th percentile)

length: 24 inches (I think?? Nobody really cares about length anyways, right?  It was around 35th percentile or something)

head circumference: 16 inches (I think?? But this one was closer to 70th percentile.  My kids have big heads.)

I've been busy...

It has been a while since my last post.  My friends (the ones without kids of course...) have been commenting that I haven't posted anything in a while.  So, here ya go (Holly is sleeping, Parker is trapped in his high chair eating dinner, Jake is driving home from work, and Roxy... well, who the hell knows what she's up to). 

 I've been trying to figure out this whole "two kids" thing and keep everyone alive, fed, and happy.  We have absolutely love having our newest addition, Holly, home with us.  She is such a mellow baby compared to Parker.  Really it has been Parker who has been the stressful one.  Holly was one week old when Parker decides to climb out of his crib!  He kept climbing out (hurting himself) and sneaking into our room.  Jake and I had to make a quick decision about what we wanted to do and we ultimately decided to move him to a toddler bed.  That meant we had to teach him to stay in the bed and not get out.  Not the easiest task... but Jake is awesome and got that kid to sleep in his bed.

What we've been doing the past twelve weeks...

When Holly turned 1 month old we took the whole family to the aquarium.  Parker was having a blast, but after the aquarium we stopped for lunch and Parker tripped and fell.  He had a cut on his forehead that we thought might need stitches.  Thank goodness they only "glued it" and we avoided the drama of stitches.  He was such a brave toddler at the doctor's office and urgent care.

 Home from the hospital with his bandage.  

(He loves holding Holly and giving her kisses.)

 I love this grumpy face. She was smiling for so many shots and then she turned on me. This was the last picture of many... models can only take so much.

 She has a little "popeye" or one eyelid that is a little heavier than the other.  I love it and think it gives her lots of character... I see it and can almost picture the bitchy looks she'll give me as a teenager. 

 Two Month Model Shot (always a scratch on her face)

 The San Francisco Zoo! (AKA the coldest zoo I have ever been to)

 Of course the first thing you do when you walk into the zoo is find the cafe... so you can feed the baby... and get brownies and coffee.

 Snug in their pjs.

 Santa Cruz Boardwalk

(possibly our first family picture... Holly is looking gorgeous under that blanket!)

 Waiting in line for the "humonga-truck!"

 Waiting for other kids to get on - he's taking this very seriously!

 Jake was enjoying the free ride.

...and that's all I have time for right now.