The Versatile Blogger Award

I have been given the Versatile Blogger Award from Lisa at Criss-Cross Applesauce. Basically, it is kind of like a blog chain letter, but it is nice to know that others are enjoying reading my blog. Thanks Lisa! 

I just started following Criss-Cross Applesauce. Lisa is a teacher who is currently using her expertise as a say-at-home mom to a 4-year-old and 18-month-old. She has a lot of great tot-friendly activities. Check her out. 

Now on to the blog award rules... 

1. Thank the person that nominated you with a link back to them. (see above)

2. Tell 7 things about yourself. (see below)

3. Pass this award on to 15 newly discovered blogs and let them know that they’ve received an award! 

Seven Things About Myself

• I have lived in Michigan for almost 31-years (my whole life).
• I love to go for bike rides, but haven't actually ridden a bike in 2 years. Kind of pathetic.   
• I hate doing laundry.
• I worked at The Detroit News till I took a voluntary lay-off January 2010. 
• I am a 4-year breast cancer survivor. (Diagnosed at 26-years-old)
• I have a black thumb, but hope every year that some how my garden will just grow without my help.
• Always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. None of my friends are surprised that I love being home and taking care of my babies. Love it!

15 blogs I have found recently that I think ROCK (in no particular order)

• Irish Twins Momma's Babybook - Another mom chronicling her adventures raising 2 girls less than a year apart. 
• Meet the Dubiens - One crafty mother who has great tot-friendly activities and makes amazing food art on Friday. 
• And I thought I loved you then ... - This is actually my crafty cousin who totally spoils her beautiful 1-year-old with all of her crafts and thrifty buys. 
• The Meanst Mom - Fun mom who takes everyday life and makes it pretty comical and hilarious. 
• I heart crafty things - Fun tot crafts. (Noticing a theme about the blogs I follow.) 
• Happily Domestic - A crafty mom of 4 with one on the way. 
• What? Only 12 months apart? - Need I explain? Another mom figuring out Irish twins and expecting her third!
• Sea Cow Circus - A woman I met years ago at a work convention that somehow we have become virtual friends. She is a working mom balancing life with her adorable 1-year-old girl. 

Here are a few I just started following that you might enjoy too!

For Love of Cupcakes

Frugal Mommie of 2

Joy in the Jumble

Make ahead Meals for Busy Moms

Keeping up with Kristi

Mom of 2 Mischievous Monkeys

We Made That

Happy Blogging! I hope you find some new ones to follow. What are some of your favorite blogs? I am always looking for more. I might be a blog addict. 

Grateful Friday: Healthy Kids

Well, it is official. My 18-month streak of healthy children is over. Calan finally got sick for the first time, and it was not fun.

He seems to have picked up a stomach bug on Christmas. A few other kids who were there got sick as well. He was whiny, tired, and nothing seemed to make him completely happy for long.

But I am grateful that it was only a 24-hour bug. I am grateful that this was our first time with a sick kid and I am grateful that we were at my mom's and she was able to help us.

Calan getting sick did keep us home bound on vacation. We did not get to do all the things I wanted to, but it was nice to just relax too. I did get to visit my grandfather, have lunch with my mom, and go on a date with Bob.

We ended up staying an extra day because of snow and that gave Calan one more day to rest and sleep. We are heading home now and Calan is laughing and talking to himself as he reads a book.

I most definitely hope that we won't have a sick kid for another 18 months, but I don't think I will be that lucky. Until then, I am grateful for our health.

Anything goes Thursday: 18 month / 5 month update

Phew! We made it through Christmas and the kids were champs. It was a nice holiday. We felt a bit rushed and actually Maisie didn't open her presents till the 26th because of us rushing around visiting family.

Our kids were of course spoiled by family and Calan is loving all cars, trucks, and trains. Total boy. Maisie has discovered her feet, so little is competing with those, but I am sure that she will love all of her toys as well soon enough.

We are visiting my parents right now, finishing up our holiday celebrations. And of course, Calan is sick. I had a good 18-month streak of healthy kids, but yesterday Calan had some kind of stomach bug and today he is just whiny. We are surviving and he seems to be doing much better. And thank God for baby Tylenol.

Here's what the kids have been doing this month:

Sleeping

• Calan -He is still half waking up a couple times in the middle of night, so between Maisie and Calan I am up quite a bit for short periods of time. It kind of stinks, but not sure what else I can do other than ignore it. However, when he got sick the other night, I did not rush in at all and wish that I had. I am so use to him waking up that it is hard to know when something is really wrong. Because of the holiday, his naps have been a bit off too. I am hoping when we get home they go back to being 2.5-3 hours. He needs it, and so do I.
• Maisie - She successfully sleeping in her pack-and-play for all naps. She is longer sleeping with a blanket on her head. She sleeps so well for naps. I love it. I just wish her night sleeping was as good has her day sleeping. She wakes up each night at 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. mostly to just comfort nurse. I am realizing that now that she is gaining weight and eating a lot during the day, it is officially time to start training to get her to sleep through the night. We are hoping that it is just going to take a few nights and are going to try this weekend. Fingers crossed.

Eating

• Calan - Veggies are still a struggle, but I just keep offering them and I just don't give him more of what he likes unless he eats some of the veggies. He is doing better. He isn't starving to say the least. Over the holidays, he obviously was not eating very well and was pretty distracted with all the people around. With him still a little sick today, we are sticking to the BRAT foods (Banana, Rice, Apple, Toast).
• Maisie - SHE IS GAINING WEIGHT! Yeah! Maisie is breastfeeding and drinking formula at most meals. She nurses and then drinks a 4-oz. bottle. In the middle of the night I am just nursing and if we are out, she just gets formula. Our doctor would like us to start solids, but I think that we are going to hold off a little longer. She just doesn't seem ready to me. Probably by the end of January though we will start. Calan was 5.5 months when we started with him and I am going to probably wait till at least then too with her.

Milestones

• Calan - He is learning every day. He just seems like a toddler and not a baby anymore. His vocabulary continues to expand by leaps and bounds. He is getting really good at following simple instructions. We have really started to utilize time-outs for him, which isn't a milestone that I am too happy about.
• Maisie - Maisie's feet are her pure enjoyment right now. Little is competing with her feet. She is loving her voice as well and is laughing and smiling all the time. We are loving it as her parents. She just gets so excited and happy that she shrieks with joy. Love it. She is so close to rolling over back to stomach. She gets 3/4 of the way over, but just can't seem to get her arms out of the way to get there completely. Hopefully soon she will be rolling all over the place. I can't wait till she is taking toys from Calan.

Activities

• Calan - I have been doing a lot of little crafts with Calan. Some he has likes like bath paints and some he has not. But I have noticed that he is getting better with painting and coloring than he was in the past, so something is working. He is pretty cute with his toy golf clubs. We say "1 hand, 2 hand, Swing," and he holds the club with two hands and hits the ball. He is so cute looking like a little golfer and Bob just loves it. He even lets the club slide through his hands like his dad. Love it.
• Maisie - She is getting really active with her floor mat and hanging toys. She loves to grab toward them and batting at everything. We have tried the exersaucer, and she likes it a little bit, but still looks a little uncomfortable in it, so we haven't been using it much at all.

Schedule

• 7 a.m. - Maisie wakes up and eats.
• 7:30 a.m. - Calan wakes up
• 8:00 a.m. - Calan eats breakfast has milk.
• 8:30 a.m. - Calan playtime in his pack and play. Maisie starts her nap.
• 9:30 a.m. - Calan dress, helps with some chores with me.
• 10 a.m. - Maisie eats, Calan sits and "reads" books or puzzles
• 11:30 a.m. - Maisie naps / Calan eats lunch
• 12 p.m. - Calan blanket time
• 12:30 p.m. - Calan naps;
• 1 p.m. - Maisie eats / Maisie & mom time
• 2:30 p.m. - Maisie nap
• 3 p.m. - Calan wakes up / snack
• 4 p.m. - Maisie wakes and eats
• 4:30 p.m. - free time (this could be errands, dinner prep, sibling time, anything to fill till dinner)
• 6 p.m. - dinner
• 6:20 p.m. - bath time
• 6:40 p.m. - Calan gets ready for bed; drinks milk
• 7 p.m. - Maisie eats
• 7:30 p.m. - Calan and Maise bedtime
• 10:30 p.m. - Maisie eats
• 2:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.- Middle of the night feeding for Maisie

Overall

• Calan - Calan was so good during the holidays and with so many different schedules and environments. We were a little exhausted chasing him around, but with everything said and done, he was so god for an 18-month-old.
• Maisie - Love her and love the fact that she is breaking out of her hermit shell. She is full of smiles and laughs. She is growing so quickly now there is no stopping her. I can't wait to see all the milestones she hits this month. Can't believe that next month she will be 6 months. Crazy.

Wordless Wednesday: Hanging out in the U.P.

Toddler Tuesday: Tasty Snowmen

Raw sugar, marshmallows, corn syrup
skewers, and decorations.

What better way to get Calan excited about crafts then to add sugar? Last week, we made some marshmallow snowmen. It was a simple craft that was messy, but tasty.

What you need:
Skewers
Marshmallows
Corn syrup
Sugar crystals
Food markers, black and orange sprinkles, or anything else to doctorate your snowmen

Take three marshmallows and put them on a skewer. Then paint with corn syrup and roll in sugar. Add decorations, which should just stick to the corn syrup too.

Calan did really well putting the marshmallows on the skewer. But because he started to paint anything other than the marshmallows with corn syrup, I ended up doing that part. He helped dress the snowman in sugar and I added the face with frosting gels.

He started to have a little bit of break down when the corn syrup and sugar stuck to his hand until I finally got him to lick it and then it was pure joy. I let him take one bite and then it was clean up time.

We didn't do anything with the snowmen this year. We just looked at them for a few days and then tossed them. But next year, maybe we will package them up and give them out as hot chocolate stirrers. Sounds delicious to me.

    

Monday Game Plan: U.P. bound

I can't believe that it is already 12:30 on Monday. I have been running around like a crazy person trying to get us all packed for our trip up north to my parent's house. It is about a 5.5-hour trip without kids; with the kids it takes us little over 6.

We are officially in the car on our way up. Praying Calan falls asleep quickly and stays asleep for most of the trip. I am hoping to only stop once, but we usually have to stop twice. Once we are up there, it is pure relaxation. I mean, who takes better care of you than your mom?

So here is the plan:

Goal: To have fun and relax as a family and hopefully have fun in some snow.

Monday: Packing and driving up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula to visit my parents and relax.

Tuesday: Take the kids to Tequanimum Falls.

Wednesday: Go visit my grandfather (who is in a nursing home up there) and head to Grand Marais for dinner at Bob's favorite brewery.

Thursday: Relax and pray that there is snow to play in. We will head home at some point depending on weather and what we are doing.

Friday: I have a doctor appointment in the morning and then just spending the day at home catching up. Probably grocery shopping and laundry.

Saturday: Pack up Christmas decorations. Probably just staying home for New Year's Eve. We just use family members for babysitters and hate to ask them so we can go out, so home it is.

Sunday: Home sweet home. Relaxation. Our church is not having services, so we will have a well deserved pj-type of day.

I don't have meals planned for this week since we are obviously on vacation. But, I will be making us at some point the baked egg muffins I made for us on Christmas Eve. I am seriously in love with them.

Have a good week!

Baked Muffin Eggs

Christmas Eve breakfast. Mom's Baked Egg Muffins, cinnamon roll, and oranges. 

One of my favorite things right now is eggs baked in a muffin tin. They are the perfect size for Calan and so easy to make. I tried these breakfast cupcakes awhile back and they were really good, but Mom's baked Egg Muffins are amazing. We had them about 2 weeks ago and I just had to make them again for Christmas Eve morning. 

Ingredients

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 6 slices bread, crusts removed
• 6 eggs
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 6 tablespoons heavy cream
• 6 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese, or as desired

Directions

1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon slices on a paper towel-lined plate; crumble and set aside.
2. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease muffin cups.
3. Combine the melted butter and maple syrup in a small bowl. Flatten a piece of bread with a rolling pin. Brush the bread with the butter mixture. Line the muffin cup with the flattened bread. Repeat with the remaining bread slices. Bake in a preheated oven until the bread crisps, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle crumbled bacon into the bottom of the toast cups. Crack an egg into each cup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Top each egg with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon cheese. Bake until the whites are just set, about 10 to 14 minutes or until the eggs are cooked to your taste.

Grateful Friday: Peaceful Holiday

So I totally should have saved yesterday's blog for today, but oh well, I could probably write a new blog every day about things that I am grateful for, but I won't. I will save them for Fridays. Today, I am most grateful for a peaceful holiday. 

I say it every year. (Don't we all?) That next year I won't let the holidays get the best of me. That each year, I will enjoy Christmas and that it won't get out of control. That Christmas won't get the best of me and that I will remember what Christmas is really about. Christ and family. 

I am happy to say that I have never felt more at peace and excited about Christmas. We have a busy few days, but everything seems so manageable and (dare I say) fun. I usually have something that I am stressing about that is usually out of my control, but has me worried anyways. 

I can't quite pinpoint why this year is different. Why this year is more peaceful than years past. But it is and I am thanking God for the wonderful feeling. It is great. 

I am enjoying each day we are spending as a family. I am loving Bob being home. I am loving Calan and Maisie and all the laughter that is filling our house. I wish I could bottle this feeling and saved it for a rainy day when I want to throw in the in the towel. But today, I am grateful for peace of mind. 

Merry Christmas. 

Anything goes Thursday: Partner parenting

I remember telling Bob when I was pregnant with Calan in a pretty urgent, emotional, hormonal, crazy pregnant tone that I didn't want to be a stay-at-home mom who was afraid to leave her children home with her husband. While the thought was pretty irrational since I know Bob and knew that he would never be "that" type of dad, I still worried about me, my control issues, his passive issues, and how we would work as parents.

I love the father that my husband is to our children. I love that we are true partners when it comes to raising our children. He doesn't leave all decisions to me. He doesn't expect me to do everything. He doesn't expect our children to be perfect. He doesn't expect me to be anything more than I am. 

I think that we work so well as parents together because we realize without an us - our marriage, our husband and wife relationship - there is no us - our family, our happy home. 

Now, I know that many families know that and that I am not saying anything new here and that by saying it, I am not trying to say anything more than how happy I am that I have that. 

I was not raised in such a household because of many circumstances and I think when I told Bob in my urgent, emotional, hormonal, crazy pregnant tone that I was just afraid. I know how quickly things change and how quickly partner parents become solo parents. 

Last night we went out shopping and to eat and I just couldn't help but sit back and enjoy the fact that we can do those things and enjoy doing those things because we get to do them together. 

OK, enough kumbaya blogging. Have a good day!

Wordless Wednesday: No longer little bug

Toddler Tuesday: Bath Paint

Ingredients: White/clear soap, corn
starch, and food coloring. 

I have mentioned before that I have been on the search for toddler activities to do with Mr. Calan. Some activities have been a success and some (like our sad lamb) have been complete failures. Yesterday, I created some bath paints for Calan to play with. It was a huge success. He painted for about 30 minutes, which is huge in toddler world, and then we just cleaned up with a bath. Calan, Bob, and I all had a great time. Calan kept saying wow and ohh and wow again as he painted on the walls.

Makes about four 1/4-cup paint jars.
I got the cute bear containers from
the  dollar store. 

To create your own bath paints, all you need is white or clear soap, corn starch, and food coloring. I found the recipe at a fun mom blog Meet the Dubiens. Take 1 cup soap and mix well with 4 tablespoons of corn starch. Divide the mixture among 4 small containers with tight lids. Mix in a few drops of food coloring and viola, you have your own bath paints. 

We are going to take our paint with us up to my mom's house after Christmas. She kind of lives in the middle of no where, so I have been trying to plan some activities that I know Calan will do while we are there. I can see bath tub painting as a favorite for years to come. 

Monday Game Plan: Holiday week is here

All Christmas shopping is done, all presents are wrapped, and now it is time to get all loose ends tied up before Sunday. Bob is on vacation this week and next. This week we are getting some loose end items taken care of and getting ourselves ready for the holidays.

Here is this weeks game plan:

Goal: To stay organized and not feel rushed through the holidays.

Menu

• Monday: Italian sausage with sauteed green peppers and onions over brown rice. 
• Tuesday: Baked chicken with butternut squash and sliced apples
• Wednesday: Chicken tortilla soup
• Thursday: Leftovers
• Friday: Chinese takeout after church
• Saturday: Christmas Eve
• Sunday: Christmas 

Events

• Monday: Wilson/Hewines' women cookie exchange. (I made Peanut Butter Oatmeal cookies. The easiest cookies to make and a family favorite.)
• Tuesday: Meeting Eleanor M., friends' daughter who is a week younger than Maisie. Also, my parents fly back from Boston and are spending the night.
• Wednesday: Search for Christmas outfits for myself and Bob. (Of course the kids are all set.)
• Thursday: Clean house and start packing for our trip to the UP (we leave Monday). 
• Friday: Visit with the Pisano/MacLachlan family. Christmas service at Kensington Church.
• Saturday: Christmas Eve. Morning exchange with Wilson siblings. Evening dinner at Bob's aunt's with all of my father-in-law's family.
• Sunday: Christmas. Brunch with my mother-in-law. Finish packing for UP. Dinner with my mother-in-law's family. 

Here's to a good and busy week! Merry Christmas. 

Merry Christmas

simplytoimpress.com / Dina Marie Photography

Time-outs are in full swing

I guess it is a little amazing to me how quickly babies really do understand what they are suppose to do and what not do. Calan is not allowed to touch several mainstays in our home - our phones, remotes, computers, Christmas tree, etc., etc. He is a smart little bugger though. It amazes me that if my phone or remote are in easy access, he beelines for them instantly knowing that he is not allowed to touch them. Human nature really is to go against authority to say the least.

Therefore, we have started time-outs. In our house that means, he is placed in his crib for a minimum of 2 minutes. He has to be sitting in his crib for timeouts to begin and has to be sitting quietly for timeouts to end after the 2 minutes are up. I thought that he would be more upset or opposed to timeouts, but really he just does his time for lack of a better way to say it. Though he seems to not have an issue doing timeouts, they do seem to stop the behavior that I am trying to correct (till the next time he does it). 

It is a little hard for me to discipline him. I know that it is best to correct his behavior now rather than try and reteach him later, but some how in our society discipline has become a taboo topic. If we want our children to act a certain way, there has to be consequences for when they don't. I am not expecting or desiring Calan to be perfect. He is a toddler, I get that, but the saying "kids will be kids" only goes so far. Kids become tweens become teens become adults. 

Is discipline still a bad word in mommy world? How and when did you start? 

Voice, feet, and hands

I always seem to be posting videos of Calan, but Maisie is starting to break out of her hermit shell and is starting to explore her little world. Her voice, hands, and feet are obviously the most interesting things ever.

Fun times at dinner

Just had to share this funny video of Calan last night at dinner. He just thinks he is hilarious.

Happy Tidings

Our happy little bug. 

Maisie is successfully gaining weight. My little bug went from 10 pounds 12 ounces 2 weeks ago to a whooping 12 pounds 8 ounces. The doctor is happy, I am thrilled, Maisie is amazing.

I am going to continue to supplement my breast feeding. While my breast milk obviously doesn't have enough calories for my little girl, it still has benefits that out way my giving up all together. She is happy getting both and I am happy giving both. Though I do have to say I did not miss bottles. Washing, preparing, and organizing is really a pain in the butt, but I got to do what I got to do.

Other than that, we are doing well here. A little stir crazy in the house, but not too bad.

Today I tried to do a craft with Calan. Totally was another fail. The kid just can't handle things sticking to his hands. Today, I tried to get him to glue cotton balls on a lamb and the second glue touched him, which was on the second cotton ball, craft time was basically over. I tried dipping and him pressing, but he was having none of that. Then I tried to make the lamb into a "Christmas" lamb by having him use red and green markers on the lamb. That worked a little bit, but not for long.

Not sure how to get him excited or willing to do crafts and learning activities. He just is not into them. I will keep trying though because they are great learning activities. One day hopefully he will catch on.

We are going to try painting cookie ornaments on Friday. Fingers crossed that goes better.

Our sad little lamb. 

Adult time: Not sure I can hang

To say I live in mommy world is an understatement. Jeans are my uniform and tennis shoes are my footwear. Feeding others at dinner and relaxing after 8 p.m. are my standard evenings. Doesn't matter what day of the week it is. Monday through Sunday it is pretty much the same.

I would love to say that Bob and I get out on a date once a week, but a date to us is watching a movie after the kids go to bed cuddled on the couch. No need for fresh makeup or high heels.

Don't get me wrong, I do get out of the house and I do go and do things with our family, but I get to stay in my regular uniform and keep the same bedtime.

December always seems to shake things up and it is filled with event after event. Tonight, Bob and I are headed to his company work party. He has been at his new job for about a year and I have yet to meet anyone. Tonight I make my first impression. I am nervous.

Tonight, I have to get dressed in a dress, put on high heels, and carry a clutch. All things that use to feel so natural to me and now make me feel like a little girl playing dress up.

I am sure tonight will be fun. I am sure that I will find things to talk about that don't include my children. I am sure that I will be able to act the part of an adult.

And tomorrow it will be back to jeans and tennis shoes.

Sleeping doesn't come easy

Do you have a good sleeper? Did it just come naturally for your child or children? Or was it, like me, a fight to the finish?

I have mentioned many times in blogs my napping up and downs with Calan. It seems every time we get into a routine something like teeth or a growth spurt or Calan's just plan stubbornness got in our way.

I am a believer in sleep training. I do think our children naturally want to sleep, but they don't know how or when and that is where parenting comes in.

There are a lot of sleep transitions in a baby's first year. It seems like you are always preparing to drop another nap. Currently, Maisie takes four naps that with three about 90 minutes long and an evening nap about 60 minutes. Calan takes one 3-hour nap. Obviously, in the early months napping is directly linked to eating. By that I mean, how many times I feed Maisie during the day is basically how many naps she has up to 7 p.m. After that, it is night sleep and just eating and sleeping without waketime.

At our house, our days are based on an eat-play-sleep cycle. This breaks the needing to nurse to sleep that many mothers get trapped in. However, with Calan, he was never one to go down for a nap without a fight. If I put him down to early or to late, he would play in his crib for his whole nap. This literally started around 4 months when he discovered his feet and couldn't get enough of them. Maisie is actually a pretty good day sleeper naturally. She does require a few extras like a blanket in order for the nap to go smoothly, but for the most part, if she plays during her waketime, she is out like a light when it is nap time.

On the flip side, Calan was and is a pretty good sleeper at night where Maisie's night sleeping is less than desirable. But, until her weight is where it should be, I'm not working on extending her night sleep. I take it for what it is.

It took me awhile to except the fact that I just can't make my children sleep. I can do everything to make sure that they have the best opportunity to sleep (well fed, dry, comfortable, etc.), but I can't make them sleep.

Calan is a decent sleeper (minus his annoying body-rocking thing), but I wasn't a lucky mom. It was hard fought. It took time and consistency.

My advice is to hang in there for any mother who is struggling with naps. Don't let your children decide their naps. You know how important sleep is for them and they need it. Even being in their crib playing is more restful than being overstimulated with their toys, and let's be honest, you need the break too. Don't stress if there are ups and downs with naps. As long as you stay consistent and expect age-appropriate napping, things should work out.

Now I'm off to get Miss Maisie to sleep.

Which didn't take long and didn't require a blanket over her face. 

17 month / 4 month update

The holiday season is upon us and life is getting pretty busy around here. The days just seem to wiz by between meals and naps, it is getting a little harder to get out of the house. Plus, I'll be honest the rainy, cold weather hasn't helped.

Thanksgiving went really well. The kids were pretty adorable and behaved very well. Calan wasn't the biggest fan of turkey, but since I can't stand turkey, I didn't blame him.

Here's what's going on with the kids:

Sleeping

• Calan - He has successfully transitioned to one nap a day. He usually sleeps from 12:30 till 3. It is great how consistent and predictable that nap has become. However, it does limit my time to run errands in the morning, as well as lunches with Bob during the week. On the bright side, he wakes up pretty happy, rested, and content. It also gives me a full wake time with Maisie just her and I. At night, Calan is still rocking way too much. He seems wake up to a half sleep and rocks back and forth against his crib. He wakes up happy and does seem rested in the mornings, so it doesn't seem to affect him there, but I just wish he wasn't doing it all.
• Maisie - She is getting a little harder to get to sleep. She is starting to not want her blanket on her face, which I would totally be OK with if that meant she could fall asleep with out it. We are about half and half falling asleep with a blanket over her face and half without it. Hopefully by next month, she will totally not need it at all. You can tell she has developed more of an awareness to her world because it is a little harder to get her to sleep and she is very much more awake when she is awake. As for night time, she is no where close to sleeping through the night. Because of her lack of weight gain, anytime she wakes up in the middle of the night, I am feeding her even if she probably does not need to eat. It is important for me to give her as much food as I can until she starts to show gains. I usually feed her 10:30/11 p.m. before I go to bed and she is waking 1:50ish and 4ish in the morning. She then wakes in the morning between 7 and 7:30.

Eating

• Calan - His appetite seems to have tapered off a little. He eats pretty decent meals at breakfast and lunch and then a smaller dinner meal. His dinner meal is probably smaller because I try to feed him more vegetables during that meal and he usually fights me on it. However, he is still a fruit lover and bananas are definitely his favorite. He can down a whole banana in about a minute.
• Maisie - If you are following along with the blog, you know that Maisie is not gaining weight like she should be. She has only gained 4 ounces since Sept. 27. We are now supplementing my breastfeeding with formula. She is nurses and then I give her a 2 oz. bottle after her day time feedings. I just nurse in the middle of the night. We are suppose to also be mixing a little cereal in her bottles, but she refuses to drink a bottle that has cereal in it. Since it is more important for her to take the formula, I have forgone the cereal for right now. But, my mother just offered a new way to try and get her to take the cereal today, so I will try to give her the cereal again tomorrow. Hopefully, it works. We go in for another weight check Dec. 14.

Milestones

• Calan - His vocabulary is jumping leaps and bounds. He seems to pick up a new word every day. He is really working on communicating with us and is realizing that words get him what he wants or needs much better than whining. We have also transitioned Calan to a booster chair for meals. It isn't too much different from the high chair, but it is nice to have the 3 of us around the same table and I don't have to sit sideways to feed him as well.
• Maisie - She is really becoming aware of everything around her. She is exploring touch and grabbing things pretty easily to her mouth. She takes her pacifier out and holds on to and then tries to get it back in her mouth.

Activities

• Calan - He is successfully doing blanket time for 30 minutes. He stays and plays and reads his books and I rarely if ever have to remind him to stay on the blanket. Our next step is to test blanket time out in public to see how well he listens. Calan loves to sing and dance as well as play with his golf clubs and trucks.
• Maisie - Her activities are still a bit limited. Because her feedings take a bit longer and then so she doesn't spit everything back up, she is still not on the ground as much as she should be. However, she does love to play on her floor mat and playing with the toys. She is getting pretty good at grabbing the toys with both hands.

Schedule

• 7 a.m. - Maisie wakes up and eats.
• 7:30 a.m. - Calan wakes up
• 8:00 a.m. - Calan eats breakfast has milk.
• 8:30 a.m. - Calan playtime in his pack and play. Maisie starts her nap.
• 9:30 a.m. - Calan dress, helps with some chores with me.
• 10 a.m. - Maisie eats, Calan sits and "reads" books or puzzles
• 11:30 a.m. - Maisie naps / Calan eats lunch
• 12 p.m. - Calan blanket time
• 12:30 p.m. - Calan naps;
• 1 p.m. - Maisie eats / Maisie & mom time
• 2:30 p.m. - Maisie nap
• 3 p.m. - Calan wakes up / snack
• 4 p.m. - Maisie wakes and eats
• 4:30 p.m. - free time (this could be errands, dinner prep, sibling time, anything to fill till dinner)
• 6 p.m. - dinner
• 6:20 p.m. - bath time
• 6:40 p.m. - Calan gets ready for bed; drinks milk
• 7 p.m. - Calan bedtime/Maisie eats
• 7:30 p.m. - Maise bedtime
• 10:30 p.m. - Maisie eats
• 1:50 a.m. and 4:30 a.m.- Middle of the night feeding for Maisie

Overall

• Calan - I can see why toddlers are so exhausting, but it is still such a fun time. I love that he is talking more and more. I can't wait for the day when we are having conversations. He is still very much a daddy's little buddy. He loves me, but there is no one like dad for him.
• Maisie - We will continue to feed, feed, and feed some more till Maisie starts gaining weight like she should. While eating formula has made her a little more fussy, she still is easily settled by me. Just like Calan adores his dad, Maisie is quite the mommy's girl and I am loving all the cuddles and snuggles.

After a little bit of a battle, Maisie is taking a bottle from me.

Calan loves playing outside. I, however, can't stand the cold. 

Calan looking through and singing with his favorite book. 

She might be little, but she is pretty cute.

Always trying to be like daddy. 

Lazy no more!

Bob and I are officially exercising again. It is amazing how easy it is for both of us to just be LAZY.

We make excuses after excuses why we can't work out, but the truth is there really isn't a good reason. I personally was afraid of being sore after exercising and the fact that my butt is in pain right now, my fear was legitimate.

Bob and I are both the type of person who 1) can't be disciplined enough to work out solo and 2) can't workout first thing in the morning.

So, basically that meant that we both had to be on board to start working out and we had to make it a date night 3 times a week. Instead of crashing after dinner and the kids are in bed, we are popping in a DVD and working out. We are starting off slow because we are THAT OUT OF SHAPE. We are both incredibly sore after one 25-minute workout.

But, you have to start some where and now is just as good as later. Now the question is will we stay committed. My waistline sure hopes so!

(And for those wondering, I am back to the same weight before I was pregnant with Calan, but definitely not the same body.)

Love

He seriously loves being a big brother and I love watching the 2 of them. They are amazing. 

Long and lean and stubborn

Despite my best efforts, Maisie just isn't gaining the weight she should be. 

Well, despite me feeding Miss Maisie around the clock and despite what seemed like a growth spurt this week, Miss Maisie only gained an ounce in 2 weeks. She should be gaining an ounce every 1 to 2 days. So gaining an ounce every 2 weeks not so good at all.

She is long and lean and only 10 lbs. 12 oz. Our plan now is to supplement.

The doctor thinks that I have enough milk, but it might just not have enough calories for her. Since I have been feeding on demand and she has been sleeping well and she still isn't gaining, I think our doctor might be right. When Calan was 4 months, he didn't gain as much as he should have too, but I thought that was because I was pregnant with Maisie. At about 4.5 months, I was feeding Calan two formula bottles a day and probably breastfeeding him 3 times a day. By 5.5 months, I was full-time, formula feeding him.

The goal is to have Maisie drink at least 8 oz. of formula a day on top of my breast feeding. I also am to mix a little cereal into her formula to help with her reflux instead of increasing the dosage on her medicine. The formula and cereal will be heavier in her stomach so it will be less likely to come back up. So in theory, that should help with her reflux pain that she seems to be still having. I really, really, really hope it works.

I know that there are probably some hardcore breastfeeding mommas who probably would suggest something different, but I have decided to go with our doctor. I just can't keep trying different things. I need to go with the sure bet, which is formula. She will get the calories she needs from that without a doubt in my mind. Our little girl needs to gain weight and quickly and that is what is most important right now.

I do hope that I have enough will power to continue breastfeeding on top of bottle feeding. I gave up with Calan sooner that I feel like I should have and I don't want to have the same regret this time.

I have tried the last 2 feedings to give her a bottle and she is not taking it from me. She is being quite stubborn only wanting my breast, which is pretty common with breastfed babies. In the past she has taken bottles just fine from my husband and mother-in-law. She is stubborn, but she doesn't realize that she gets that from me. I am pretty sure I will win out. We go back to get her weight checked December 14. Praying for a chunky baby by then.

On top of her weight stuff, we are also going to get her eyes checked. She is showing some signs of have less eye control than she should. She focuses well, but when her eyes are relaxed they roll back. While most likely it is nothing, we are still going to get it checked. Her appointment isn't till January 5. So, maybe by then it will have corrected itself.

Holiday season is here

We just had such a wonderful week as a family. It was great having my husband home all week. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and the kids behaved for the most part.

We just had such a wonderful week as a family. It was great having my husband home all week. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and the kids behaved for the most part.

Our Christmas decorations are up and I'm really getting into the holiday spirit. 

Christmas is a big discussion right now for my husband and I. While this year is still a free year because Calan is still too young to understand, we are starting to figure out what our traditions will look like.

For me, Christmas was mostly about presents like most children, but there were a few traditions that I really do hope to continue with my children. The first being special morning breakfast. My mother always made and egg bake casserole, which we called "egg junk" because it was usually made with whatever was leftover in the fridge. The breakfast was served on my mother's China. She always said what good are special dishes if you don't bring them out to use. I am not sure how many dishes if any we broke, but I personally loved knowing that my breakfast was on my mom's special dishes. Another thing she did was that she never put Jesus in our Nativity season (which she gave me when I moved out) till Christmas morning. 

Some things that we are hoping to do is to limit the amount of presents our children get. We want the holiday to be more about giving than receiving, so from us each child will get 3 presents. As they get older, we will incorporate them into adopting a family for Christmas that Maisie and Calan will help buy for. 

While Santa is still being discussed, I think that we have decided not to push Santa (and that includes Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny, too). We want Christmas to be about who it is actually about Jesus and his birth and that God loves us so much that he sent his only son, which is the only present that we actually need. 

Now, don't think in anyway that we plan to deprive our children. It is just that we want to center Christmas around Jesus and family, which is what we have centered our lives around. So, to be honest, it isn't any different from our daily lives. 

Did you have a hard time figuring out what Christmas would look like for your family or did it just fall into place? What traditions did you incorporate?

Nothing to announce

It is a running joke in our family that November and Thanksgiving is our month for milestone events. We got engaged the day after Thanksgiving, we got married at the beginning of November, my hair started to fall out on Thanksgiving after my second chemo treatment, and we announced both pregnancies on Thanksgiving.

This year, I am happy to say that November is going to pass without any life changing events or announcements. I am thankful for a year to just be. To say, that we have had some busy years over the last 6 years would be an understatement. I am ready to just let life happen and to see where God guides us to be.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Enjoy the day and family time. I know that we will eat well and sleep sound tonight.

A lot to be Thankful for

But no time to write about it, so I'll just share some pics.

What vacation?

My husband is on vacation this week, which is so wonderful, but last week I had to break the news to him that real vacations are a thing of the past. The days of sleeping in or taking off on a whim are just not what vacations are anymore. (He did sleep in a little today.) Instead, they are filled with doctor appointments, haircuts, home projects, and all the other things that we put off till there are 2 of us home during the week.

That doesn't mean that they still aren't fun because it is just so nice having him home with us. Calan is absolutely in love with his dad and to see the joy on his eyes when Bob is around is absolutely amazing and something that won't last forever. I have the privilege of spending time with Calan everyday while Bob gets glimpses during the week.

Vacations might not be what they use to be, but life is just better that way. This time in our lives is just a short season that is too amazing to miss.

But that doesn't mean I'm not enjoying my night out tonight getting my hair done while Bob is at home with both kids trying to get them dinner and put to bed by himself.

My little helper

Absolutely 100% loving the mimicking phase of toddler hood. Calan is so cute helping around the house and picking up his toys and clothes.

Today, he helped clean most of the house following me along with his little Swiffer and feather duster. I got a lot done and he was so cute following along.

I knew that at some point he would catch on that we pick up toys, but to watch him actually do it makes me a little proud. He puts his (and Maisie's) dirty clothes in the laundry basket. After his independent playtime in his pack-and-play, he tosses any toys his tossed out back into his playpen. He stacks his books on the fireplace after we are done reading them.

He has really become such a good little helper with Maisie as well. He does things like putting her blankets away or handing me a burp cloth if I ask (and sometimes when I don't).

When Maisie is on the ground, he crouches down next to her and says hi in the cutest high-pitched baby talk way just like an adult would do.

He is just doing so many things that he has picked up by just watching Bob and I. He is really becoming our "little buddy," and with that we are realizing how important it is to be setting good examples. It really is crazy to see your actions played out in someone so little. It is an instant self awareness good and bad.

Calan using his Swiffer on our floors. Took 2 of the pole segments out and it is his perfect size. I got the idea from a friend of mine. 

A little worried, a lot concerned

Maisie had her 4-month doctor appointment today. I went in feeling pretty good about her milestones and her growth, but still a little worried about her reflux. And then we weighed her. And my worry became concern.

Maisie only gained 3 ounces in 7 weeks. She should have at least gained a pound, which is 16 ounces. 3 ounces is like gaining nothing. How could my good sleeper and pretty good eater not be gaining anything?

There are a few things that could have caused the lack of weight gain. The most harmless would be that she was just finishing up a growth spurt and will start to pack on the weight soon. The worst would be that she isn't eating enough because she is associating eating with pain (her reflux), so just doesn't eat enough. 

I have to go back in 2 weeks to have her weighed again and I am praying that she packs on the weight. I am totally OK with supplementing my breastfeeding if that is what she needs, but I just want her to gain weight. 

Right now, the doctor just wants me to continue doing what I am doing and we increased her medicine a little to see if it helps make her more comfortable. She is not too worried yet, but doesn't want us to wait longer than 2 weeks to see if she gained enough. I personally think the 2 weeks are going to be a long 2 weeks. 

I guess a part of me knew that she was a bit skinny, but to be honest so was Calan at this age. I remember that he hadn't gained a lot between 2 and 4 months, but then shot up before 6 months. The goal is for the baby to double their birth weight by 6 months and triple it by a year. Maisie was 7 pounds 15 ounces when she was born and she was 10 pounds 11 ounces today. 

Maisie eats basically every 3 hours and at least once or twice in the evening. It seems like at each feeding she is getting enough because she is sleeping well, which is a good indicator, but her weight gain is saying otherwise. 

I just want my little girl to grow. So please pray that she is growing big and strong and that God is healing her of her reflux and that my milk is plentiful for her.