Butterflies and Hair Bows: October 2010

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Emily's First Birthday and today she turns 13 months old. I no longer have two babies, I have a baby who is changing more and more everyday and an intelligent toddler who likes to challenge mommy and daddy with everything she does.

A few weeks ago Emily started walking and isn't quite yet an Olympic sprinter but has come very far in just a short amount of time. She walks more and more without encourangement and only reverts to crawling when she feels she needs to get to where she wants to go faster. I love watching her walk, she hasn't gotten the rolling of the foot yet so she looks like a drunken sailor. It is hilarious and oh so cute!

Just yesterday I decided to switch her from formula to whole milk completely because she gets most of her nutrients from solid food anyway. Plus, two on formula is expensive and we still have to buy diapers and wipes. I think potty training is in our near future, Ama already bought Emily her training toilet and helped her decorate it with stickers. Emily knows you are supposed to sit on it, but other than that she thinks it's a cool toy. I am so happy that Avery is a girl, because I don't have to buy a whole new wardrobe for a boy.

Along with walking and switching to whole milk, Brian and I are starting a routine in where Emily has to try and put herself to bed at night. Currently I am still rocking her to sleep every night but progress has been made in that Emily now holds her own bottle. Yes, she still wants bottles...she won't take them at school but wants one as soon as she gets home. Bottle weaning is going to be my biggest challenge because we still have Avery who will be on bottles this entire next year. But if I can get Emily to put herself to sleep, that will be a step in the right direction. Last night as bed time was approaching Brian tried to place Emily on her Dora bed in the living room thinking she may fall asleep as she was feeding herself. She was whiny and kept looking at me in the rocking chair because Avery was in her place. Emily waddled to the side table where I keep the living room fleece blankets and grabbed one. She waddled back and placed it in Brian's hand as if to say, "Put me to bed." It was so cute! My baby is so smart!

Emily after a self feeding

Hungry after a long day at school

Monday, October 25, 2010

Pumpkin Patch 2010

We ventured out into the pumpkin patch at the Methodist church on Saturday to take pictures of the girls in their Halloween costumes. My little duck and sweet pea were the cutest in their outfits and were so good at not whining about keeping them on especially in the warm weather. Enjoy the preview to Halloween!

Emily and Apa

Sisters

Emily is curious as to why sister Avery is on her

So precious

Mama and Emily

Auntie Alex walking Emily through the pumpkin patch

Emily and her Nonna

Avery and Ama

Sweet Pea

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Emily on her new Trike

Avery at Two Months Old

My little sweet pea turned two months and is growing fast and becoming more alert everyday. Avery had her two month checkup and she weighed in at 9 lb. 6 oz. and measured 22.5 in. long. She is in the 21 percentile for height and 56 percentile for weight which is a big jump from where she was a month ago. Her pediatrician said she is growing at a really great pace and is very healthy. Our Avery did so well at her checkup and only cried for a few moments when she had to get her two vaccinations.

Mommy was so excited the other day when Avery smiled at her for the first time. Every time I catch her smiling it is when she is sleeping. Avery has really sweet dreams because she always seems to smile while dreaming. Her teachers at daycare have noticed the change in her alertness as well and are encouraging her to stay awake and play more often during the day, which helps out mom and dad in keeping Avery sleeping through the night. When Avery is full and wide awake near bedtime we place her in her bassinet with the mobile and lullubye on and she watches in content and falls asleep soon after. I thank God for giving me such a great baby, especially while we are dealing with a toddler who is having a hard time with her teething at night.

Right now we are practicing our tummy time and focusing on developing stronger neck muscles. Avery has no problem lifting her head while you are burping her over the shoulder, in fact she loves to view the world around her at that angle. When it comes to lying on her tummy she has a little trouble lifting her head for a long period of time, but with practice she will be better in no time. I love when Avery talks to me in her oohs and ahhs, it is too precious and melts my heart everytime I hear her sounds. We can't wait until she starts to develop more baby talk and then maybe she'll start speaking to her big sister.

Tummy time

Precious baby

Sweet Dreams

So peaceful

Emily's First Steps

Emily took her first steps on October 10, 2010 while playing in our backyard. We knew she was really close to starting to walk so I had the camera ready. She was already good at cruising along furniture and could even push a play baby stroller by herself without falling and with great balance. I think watching all her playmates at daycare encouraged her to try a little harder. We are so excited with her new milestone and love to watch her venture out further with her walking. Emily takes more steps each and everyday and even her teachers at daycare have noticed her improvement. Way to go Emily, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you!!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Time for Daycare

Last week mommy had to go back to work which meant that it was time for the girls to attend daycare. I enrolled them in a new facility called Legacy Preschool of Portland which recently opened it's doors this past August. Brian and I went to visit the preschool when I was still pregnant with Avery and loved it so much we immediately registered both girls to attend in October. Emily is in the Toddler Program for 12-18 month olds and Avery is in the Infant program for 6 week-12 month olds.

After being home with mommy for 7 weeks I was afraid at how they would react to a new environment and new faces. Actually, I was more afraid at how Emily would react. When Monday rolled around, we started our new routine of waking up early and getting ready for school, which Emily did not enjoy. The night before, I got all their school clothes and bags ready and premade all their bottles which helped the morning go smooth. When we arrived at daycare Emily saw her neighbor, Brody, who lives across the street and seemed to recognize him. She didn't cry when I put her in her chair and didn't notice when I left. I left Avery in her classroom and went to work feeling a big relief that everything worked out great. As lunch time rolled around I called to check up on them and got word that both were doing fantastic. At pickup time, both daddy and I were there to greet the girls. Emily's teacher said she did great and had a good time. Emily wouldn't take her bottle and only drank from a sippy cup and when nap time came she recognized her blanket and was so tired she automatically fell asleep. She ended up sleeping for two hours. Brian and I found her playing with the books (she is going to be my little bookworm). Avery, as we already knew, was a doll and was wonderful. She was oohed and ahhed over by all the teachers and directors. She is the youngest one in the whole preschool right now so everyone loves to hold her.

The first day went really well and if my whole week was like that I would have been so ecstatic, but as the week went on Emily finally realized that I was leaving her and would cling on to me and cry. I felt so bad leaving her but I know as time goes on she will eventually get used to the routine and learn that I will always be back to pick her up. She still doesn't take a bottle so I'm hoping she is weening off of it. Her nap times are also going well, she doesn't need to be rocked to sleep and just grabs her blanket and takes her nap. Emily's teacher also tells me she loves to play outside and is now getting accustomed to her surroundings and the other kids. Avery, of course, is a sweet angel and is so easy at this age that there are no problems. As time goes on we just hope they learn about sharing and get socialization skills as well as knowlegdge that will help them be a step ahead when they enter their elementary years.

Emily's First Birthday Party

Emily turned 1 year old on September 25, 2010. We were so excited about this milestone that we planned a great big Dora the Explorer themed birthday bash for the birthday girl. All was going well until we got bombarded by tons of rain the week leading up to the party, so we had to change the location from Ama and Apa's house to their business location instead. Although the location was moved we had a great turnout and all the kids had so much fun on the moonjump we ordered at the last minute. I will definitely invest in one every year because it made the day go by smooth and it was a big hit with all the children. Emily was a little unnerved by the big building we housed her party in and she definitely did not like the moonjump. Mom tried to take her in to jump before all the party guests arrived and she freaked out and burst into tears. I think it was the loud noise of the air compressor and how dark it was inside. On the other hand, she liked her big Dora pinata which was bigger and taller than mommy, but she hated being sang the "Happy Birthday" song by a large crowd. It got better as she tasted birthday cake and them dove right into it with both hands. Emily loved her cake so much she ate about half of it before we took it away. Her tummy ache later that night was a result of the massive amount of frosting eaten. Overall, the party was a great success and she got lots of wonderful presents from amazing family and friends and we thank everyone who showed up with the weather being so bad. Enjoy all the great photos!