Lyla's Quiet Book

I wanted to share this present I made for Lyla for Christmas because well, it took a lot of work, and I'm happy with the way it turned out! Plus, I'm sure some mamas out there on facebook have tons of time on their hands and are just looking for a new project ;)

I wanted to make a Quiet book for Lyla after seeing my cousin's. His grandma (great-grandma?) made it for him when he was a baby, and I thought, "How cool would it be to make one for Lyla?" It was full of fun baby/toddler activities like braiding, zipping, making felt faces, etc. Lyla loved it!

The problem... I don't know how to sew (I know, shame on me). I figured I could learn, no big deal. As I started browsing for ideas though, I realized that these books might be a little complex and time consuming for someone who doesn't even know how to sew. So I found some ideas for velcro quiet books that seemed more up my alley (there are also some for magnetic books and dry erase books, also very cool!).

Pinterest has a lot of ideas (I browsed Here), and for some personalization, I started thinking about Lyla's favorite things. She loves letters and spelling her name. She loves shapes and matching. She loves counting. And more than anything, she loves Dora.

What I did:
I cut card stock paper in half for the pages and decorated the pages with scrapbook paper.
I drew and cut out the pieces.. probably the most time consuming part.
I laminated everything to protect it from toddler hands and time. Maybe someday Miss Kallan can play, and I also hope to add pages as Lyla gets older. Erik helped cut out all the laminated pieces!
I hole-punched the pages and put the book together with the binder rings.
Finally, it was time to cut and attach the velcro!

Here's the inside of the book:

Name Page

Map Page.. "First we go to the castle, then Benny's Barn, and that's how we get to the Animal Rescue Center!"

Counting page.. mmm apples!

Match The Shapes! Lyla was quick to point out that my circle is in fact NOT a circle, but an oval. 

Pattern Page

And some close-ups

I'm probably most proud of my drawing of Map!

Now I'm sure you are all wondering.. "Well, how did she like it?" She loves it and plays for it as long as her 2-year-old attention span will allow! I'm a happy mommy!

What Did She Say?

Lyla took a 2 hour car nap on our way home yesterday and woke up in a great mood!

She had a lot of funny quotes over our Christmas trip, but I can't remember them all. This was pretty funny.

(Lyla uses "your" instead of "my" most of the time)

Lyla: Is your shirt look beautiful?
Mommy: Your shirt looks beautiful!
Lyla: Thanks mommy! Is your.... pants look good?
Mommy: Your pants look great!
Lyla: Thanks mommy! Is your... boots look good?
Mommy: Your pants look great, Lyla!
Lyla: Thanks mommy! Is your.... armpits look good?!
Mommy: Your armpits look amazing!
Lyla: Thanks mommy!

We had so much fun visiting family for Christmas. Lyla seems to be getting more comfortable around other family members, so everyone has been able to see more of that bubbly, funny personality that we love so much! Both girls were such troopers. Christmas festivities can be tiring on kids!

Kallan: 3 Months

Our sweet Kallan turned 3 months on the 21st (which was, by the way, the day the world did NOT end). I would describe her as studious, squirmy, smily and extremely talkative!

Milestones:
I'm not sure when, but she started turning towards our voices this month. She had just been turning towards really loud sounds before that. She had her first laugh on 12/12/12. It was such a beautiful little sound! She had been chuckling in her sleep since she was born, so I was always trying to get her to laugh while awake. This time, I wasn't trying at all. I was just holding her, and I looked down at her and she laughed! We've gotten lots of laughs since then, usually at random times when no one is trying to make her laugh.

Sleep:
We had a bit of a 3-month growth spurt where she was getting up every 3 hours again at night. But before that she was sleeping about 7 hours and even slept 9.5 hours straight one night! That was the night before the growth spurt, so it was a bit of  rude awakening to be getting up every 3 hours. Now she sleeps 5 hours, eats, sleeps 3 more hours, eats, and sleeps 4 more hours after that. She is a little night owl. She stays up late and sleeps in! It works out okay because then I get some quality time with Lyla in the morning.

Ups:
Kallan talks so, so much. I love having little conversations with her, and you can tell she really enjoys being talked to and talking back. She has some nice conversations with her playmat and bouncy toys, too.  She is a very happy baby and we get lots and lots of smiles from her every day. It is so great to see her interacting more and more. It's clear that she loves her big sister so much. I love watching her study what big sister is up to!

Downs:
Growth spurts are no fun. I feel like an all-you-can-eat buffet. Getting up a lot at night again is not fun either.

Likes:
Talking, getting dressed and undressed (it's funny!), staring at her feet, eating her hands, facing out while being carried, bath time, her playmat, snuggles, watching big sister, lights, studying new faces, Giraffe-y the pacifier (sort of), and I think she likes her vitamin D drops!

Dislikes:
Bottles... waaah! And tummy time.

Favorite Memories:
-Kallan always talks the most to Erik when he gets home from work. I think she's telling him about her day!
-My parents took Lyla and Kallan to the pool. Kallan sat on my lap for awhile, and she was really interested! Then she started talking to me a bunch. She did get splashed on accident by some big kids, and she definitely didn't like that! She also got called a "he" a lot, and mommy didn't like that ;)
-Lyla includes Kallan in her night time hug routine now, and she always says "Love you Kallan!" before bed. Kallan gets lots and lots of sister hugs now!
-Lyla likes it when I set Kallan's bouncy next to her chair and read stories to both of them. Love story time with my babies!
-I was carrying Kallan, and she was staring intently at something on the fridge. She turns to me and goes,"goo?" I said, "Yep, that's the fridge, Kallan!" And then she gave me the biggest smile! I love our little conversations more than anything!

Prayers for Sandy Hook

There is no end to the things that I want for my girls. I want them to be happy, I want them to travel, I want them to have friends, to play sports, to find their passions, to find love... I could go on and on.

But when it comes down to it, I just want them to be safe. I just want them to be able to live their lives.

There is nothing, nothing scarier than being a parent. Any time I read the news, I don't think, "What if that were me?" I think, "What if that were my baby?" Every time I have to ask myself that question, I start crying. I don't read the news that much anymore.

The love that we feel for our babies is unparalleled by any other feeling in this world.  I can tell my heart is constantly expanding to make room for more and more love for our beautiful family. I am always telling Erik, "How can anyone ever let their children out of their sight?!" It's so hard to imagine your little babies, always your babies, running off without you, into a world of dangers, known and unknown. How do parents let their babies drive a car with all the drunk drivers on the road? How do parents let their babies travel abroad... alone!? How did my parents do these things?!? I know that eventually I will understand, and that the love that wants to say "no" will be the same love that knows the answer is "yes." But right now, I'm content at the thought of forever living in a bubble with my girls.

I can't imagine the heartbreak, the pain, that would come from losing my babies. In this way, in any way. 

You have to be brave to be a parent, and I am so very heartbroken for these families. A parent's worst nightmare.

My heart and prayers go out to all the families in Connecticut affected by this tragedy, all the parents who lost a baby, whether that baby is 5 or 35. 

Sisters

I was so ecstatic when I found out that Kallan was a baby girl. I just kept picturing our two little girls, growing up together, the best of friends! 

Although having a new sister isn't always what it's cut out to be for a toddler, Lyla is adjusting great and loves her sister so much (even though she would never admit it). And Kallan just lights up when she sees Lyla or hears her voice. 

Tummy time for both my babies! Lyla likes to help out :)

Playmat playtime!

Lyla holding her little sister. Kallan is pretty happy about it.

I imagine them growing up together, sharing secrets, giggling together, fighting and making up, crying together, playing together, having sleepovers in each other's rooms, riding the bus together, painting each other's nails, playing dress up, talking about boys together (way later in life, of course). We are so happy to have two beautiful girls in our lives but even happier that they have each other! 

In other news, here's a preview of the project I'm working on!

One of Those Days...

So I just put Lyla down for a nap... an hour earlier than usual. I am just wiped out today. Something about Friday is always rough. Maybe the lack of a full night's sleep during the week catches up to me at the end.

Some days, Lyla goes through typical "terrible twos" behavior. Everything ends in crying and whining and occasional screaming. She might ask for help, and then as soon as you try to help, she will scream, "Not like that!!!!" and the crying begins. These days are filled with "Mommy not do that!" "Mommy not pick up Kallan!" After awhile, every scream or cry feels more like a pounding to the brain.

As you can imagine, it's hard to stay patient on days like today. Usually I just flip on the TV and go in the other room and regroup for half an hour. Otherwise I think I would lose my mind.

But these days make me thankful for all the other days of the week that aren't like this. I'm sure some toddlers are like this a lot of the time. This age doesn't get its name for nothing!

Lately I've been really happy because Lyla has started to include Kallan more and more. She likes to help me show Kallan toys to play with. One of her favorite things is to show Kallan how to clap. She will go in front of her and clap and say, "Look, Kallan, this is how you clap!" When Kallan cries, she "cheers her up" by actually cheering for her. She will run over and go "kal-LAN! kal-LAN!" This doesn't stop any crying but it's still pretty darn cute!

In the car yesterday, Kallan started fussing a bit, and Lyla said, "It's okay, Kallan, we're here, we're here." One of those family moments that fill you up in a way nothing else can. I love my little family so much! Even on days like today.

Nap time for everyone, including this mama!

Hair Clip Holder

Okay, I still don't really consider myself a "crafty" person. Mostly, I just don't really enjoy them all that much. But this was actually pretty fun, and I even have another craft in the works (WHO AM I?!). So this was pretty easy. Just got a plain wooden frame, and some string. First came a couple layers of pink. Then, I traced letter stickers and painted them in. Added a couple of flourishes. And then hot glued a butt load of string on the back of it! Voila! Hair clip holder!

The next craft I have in mind is supposed to be a Christmas present for Lyla. I'm hoping I can get it done in time, but free time is hard to come by these days. It's kind of a time consuming one! But I'm excited about it.. better get to work on it now, since both my girlies are asleep!

Potty Training Update

Awhile back, we started a sticker sheet for Lyla's potty success. It is filling up fast! Yesterday Lyla went on the potty three times.. and two of the times, she even had a diaper and pants on. She came over and let us know she had to pee! We're moving to underwear only at home now, hopefully we can get her out and about sometimes, too!

She's so proud of her potty paper! This morning, the first thing she said to me when she woke up was, "It's fun to go potty on the big girl potty!"

#2 might be a struggle. She used to go on the potty, but now she holds it all day until nap, and then she poops in her crib almost every time I put her down for nap. Even if she doesn't have to, she will try for a LONG time until I finally say, "Lyla lay down and go to sleep or we won't watch TV later!" haha

So proud of my biggest little girl. So excited at the thought of having to only buy one box of diapers at the store!

Christmas Tree

Yesterday was a beautiful 50-some degree day. We took the opportunity to get outside and go pick out our Christmas tree! We listened to Christmas music on the drive. My husband is a bit of a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas music, but he was a good sport about it.. and about my awful singing along! The farm we were at didn't have the type we wanted, except for precut ones.. and we wanted to cut our own tree. So we went to another place that was pretty much fresh out of trees, except for giant ones. In the end, we took the precut. But we still got the experience of going out and picking out a tree. 

Growing up, we always had a fake tree due to family allergies, so I'm really enjoying this new tradition. I love going out in the cold and browsing for a tree, and there's always hot chocolate at the end. A big plus! 

This Christmas season has already been a lot of fun for us. Lyla can really understand and enjoy a lot more this year. Here she is decorating the tree! She woke up this morning and said, "Wow look at our tree. It is so beautiful!"