Valentine's Day

We usually don't do too much for Valentine's Day, but this year, I kind of went "all out." I know people call it a "Hallmark holiday," but I don't think there's anything wrong with having a day where you do something extra special for the people you love or just celebrate love in general. I got little gifts for the girls and made chocolate covered strawberries.

I made my own Valentine's cards this year, too. Here's baby Kallan's.

I made a heart garland for Erik with fishing line. On each heart I wrote a reason why Erik is the best husband, father and friend. We are so lucky to have him!

It was a collaborative effort. Lyla painted some of the hearts. I was hoping she would do more, but she got bored pretty fast.

media naranja, my soul mate!

Lyla Bee

Oh Lyla, where should I begin? Lyla is beautiful, smart, funny, curious, caring, sweet, studious, snuggly, imaginative and a million other great things. On the other hand, she is defiant, stubborn, bossy and can throw a temper tantrum to boot. I have a love/hate relationship with this age. Most things I love, but there are definitely aspects I could do without. I learned the true meaning of a tantrum this past month... whatever I was calling tantrums before are a breeze compared to the temper tantrums we deal with now.

Lyla loves to make us laugh, and she does so very easily. She makes funny faces, talks in a funny accent and says hilarious things. But she is also very caring and intuitive and can be very serious. One day, I was on the verge of a breakdown because I was just emotionally wiped from the day. Lyla came up to me and said, "What's wrong, Mommy? I just want you to stay happy... do you want a hug?" It was the sweetest thing and made me feel a lot better. I love to watch her take care of her animals. She nurses them, rocks them, sings to them, and gets them band aids for their ouchies. Watching her be so caring makes me feel like I gotta be doing something right!

Lyla's sentences are unbelievably long these days. She talks so much, and the stuff she says just cracks me up. "Mommy, will you come see my show? It is really important!" "Hey Daddy, don't forget to call me!" "And then she can go back home in Mommy's belly!" We have a book called The Quotable Kid where we can fill in quotes... and it is filling up pretty fast! Lyla always says exactly what she's thinking... "Mommy, I don't like that little boy, he isn't nice" is something I often hear while we are out and about. She uses her words to try and negotiate TV time.... "I want to watch a lot. Two isn't a lot." "Just one more." And she is getting the hang of "You" vs "I" and "Yours" vs. "mine." Sometimes she still flips them around, so it's hard to say who she is talking about sometimes. Before bed, I give her a hug and say, "I love you so much!" And she flings her arms around me and says, "I love YOU so much!" And sings me a lullaby. She is so sweet!

I love watching her pretend. She pretends her room is the cottage home, a park, a barn.. all sorts of things. The other day, she pretended that Santa brought Kallan and I rocking horses, just like the one he brought hers, only different colors. So I pretended to rock with her while Kallan laid in her boppy. Lyla still pretended Kallan was on a rocking horse, too, and suddenly she hopped off hers, went over to Kallan and said, "Kallan, you need to scoot a little bit, you're too close to the edge! Careful!" She often acts out episodes of Dora or Diego. She makes bridges to help the ants. She catches falling animals in her room. She follows her map to get to certain places. Her imagination is endless, and I love seeing what she comes up with. 

Lyla is great about going on her potty and even goes on big potties sometimes while we are out and about. And much to my dismay, she has dropped her nap. So instead of a 3 hour nap, Lyla hangs out in her room for an hour of quiet time each day. Not really the same, and I am seriously missing the emotional reboot in the middle of the day. Things will be much easier in the summer when we have more to do during the day!

And she is a great big sister to baby Kallan. She talks to Kallan when she's fussy and says things like, "It's okay, Kallan, Lyla's here!" She doesn't hit anymore and she is very gentle and sweet. She always includes Kallan when she is pretending. Whenever Kallan isn't in the room, Lyla looks for her and asks where she is! Having two is definitely tough, though. I thought it was super easy at first because Kallan slept so much, and even Lyla would sleep 3 hours during the day. But now Lyla doesn't nap, and she is so noisy that Kallan has a hard time napping, too. Sometimes when Lyla is throwing a fit, Kallan will cry, too, and it's just a big headache waiting to happen. On the flipside, Kallan will sometimes laugh when Lyla is laughing... and that is like music to my ears!

25

Yesterday I turned 25 years old.

I've been doing a lot of reflecting this much. January is the month I found out I was pregnant with Lyla (And Kallan actually). And I would say that would be the definite turning point in my life. On top of that, I turned 25. Mid-twenties, here I am!

If you had asked me going into my senior year of college what I'd be doing at 25, my answer would not have been anywhere close to "married, mom of two, stay at home mom." So here I am at 25, reflecting on how fast things change, on how our goals and priorities change. How I am not currently doing any of the things I thought I'd be doing.

I don't ever look at the past years of my life in regret or sadness. Yes, days are hard, being a mom is hard and sometimes, I feel like I simply can't do it anymore. But for every bad day, there are ten amazing days. The most amazing days of my life making up for what feels like the most exhausting ones. That's what being a mom is. I never thought I'd choose to stay home, but once Lyla was born, it was clear pretty early on that I couldn't choose anything else. These early years go fast.. and once they are in school, you don't get those early days back.  I'll have the rest of my life to work!

I was always looking for the "next big adventure." But parenting is easily the biggest adventure of them all. I never look back at my old plans and wish I was there instead of where I am now. My life is filled with things that make me truly happy, and I am so grateful for that.

Here's to a great year of being 25!!

Kallan: 4 Months

This happy girl is 4 months old today!! Happy 4 months Kallan!!!!!! 

Sleep: Kallan is sleeping 10-11 hours straight at night! Woo hoo! Of course, last night she was up a lot, but hopefully that is an isolated incident. She's a little night owl, and I'm lucky if I get her to bed before midnight. I don't mind it too much because we get some one-on-one time, and then I get to hang out with just the big girl in the morning.

Milestones: Kallan has started grabbing at things, and really enjoys watching her hands clasp an object. She loves to hold her hands in front of face and bring them together and take them apart.. over and over. Most of the time she just whacks toys, but she will occasionally hang onto something and bring it to her mouth. She loves to blow bubbles and make 'razz' type sounds. When she's on her tummy, she is starting to be able to push up a lot more, and today she even pulled her legs in so her butt was in the air. I think we've got a little mover on our hands! She continues to talk, talk, talk and now she has added a bit of yelling to her repertoire of sounds. 

Ups: It's so fun watching Kallan explore and study the world around her, more and more each day. I love interacting with her. She is such a happy girl, and it's so easy to make her smile and laugh. She loves to talk, and I love all our little conversations throughout the day. She has been napping in my wrap a lot, and when she wakes up, she will just stare at me and smile.  I can tell she really knows and loves me, and she is just happy to be with me. It's a great feeling, and I love the closeness I get from 'wearing' her. When she wakes up in the morning, she really doesn't make any noise, so I check on her quite a bit to see if she's awake. She is usually just in there kicking her legs and eating her hands... when she sees me, she gives me her biggest smile! I can't imagine a more perfect start to the day. 

Downs: This month we had a hard time getting Kallan to take a pacifier. I felt like all I was doing was nursing her, but it was the only thing that would soothe her. We switched back to Nuk, and now with just the right amount of bouncing, she will take a pacifier. She still won't take a bottle, although we continue to try one each day. It's mom or nothing, and it makes feel a bit trapped at home. The most I can be out of the house on my own is an hour before I get a call from home with a screaming baby in the background.  It's frustrating for me, and for Erik and anyone else who might be watching her. They can't do anything for her. When she wants Mommy, she wants Mommy! I just ordered a Nuk bottle. She likes the Nuk pacifiers, surely she'll take a Nuk bottle... right?!

Likes: Daddy.. he's the funniest. He can make her laugh easier than anyone. Lyla was the same way! 

Her crinkly dolly, getting dressed/undressed, napping in the wrap, bath, her playmat, tummy time (finally!), watching and listening to Lyla, being kissed and tickled on the cheeks, especially by Daddy, trying to eat anything that comes near her face, blowing bubbles, talking, yelling, Mommy and eating (the last two go hand in hand)

Dislikes: Being woken up abruptly by loud noises (usually coming from a certain older sister), being in the wrap while awake unless facing out, bottles of any kind (so far), being cradled like a baby (this makes me so sad!!), when Mommy and Daddy go anywhere without her

 I love this age where babies are just leaving their newborn-ness behind and becoming the little explorers they were meant to be. I can't wait to see her grow and see more of that little personality come through.

She and Lyla are starting to interact more and more, and I love how Lyla tries to include her. She is always saying, "Kallan, look what Lyla is doing!" "Kallan, Lyla is stacking the movies!" "Look what your sister is doing!" If you ask Lyla if she loves her sister, she might say no. But I know that she really does. Lyla always makes sure that Kallan gets a turn to pick a song in the car. When we pretend to put on our pirate costumes (Dora inspired), Lyla always pretends to put a hat, shirt and boots on Kallan, too.  Sometimes one of us will take Lyla out on errands, and Kallan stays home with me or Daddy, and the first thing Lyla says when she gets home is, "Where's Kallan, Mommy??" I can't wait to see their relationship evolve over the years. We are so very blessed to have these girls in our lives.

I'll try to update on Miss Lyla soon!

Big Moments

Lyla's big moment of the week:

She peed in a big potty!!!

We went to a play group at a nearby church this week. It was so fun, and it was great to see Lyla socializing a bit with other kids. I mean, she actually socialized! She and another girl played pretend at the kitchen for awhile. Lyla didn't even try to hit her (although she did have a couple of other attempts at other kids... she missed! anyway, it's an improvement!). So I let the two girls play on their own for awhile, and then I saw that Lyla was looking for me. She said, "You have to pee!" She had a diaper on and everything. So I brought her to the bathroom, stripped her down, and held her on the big potty. And she went! Just like that! I think we are well on our way to saving money on diapers.

The day after the playgroup, she kept saying, "If you see another Lyla... don't hit!" And she'd raise up her arm like she was hitting and then stop. I was very confused. But I think that she must see other little kids as Lyla's. I mean, I'd hit myself if I saw myself, too, I guess? Anyway. I'm glad we're making headway on that front!

She loves her big girl bed and sleeps great in it, but today she climbed from her bed to the crib (they're next to each other at the moment) and slept in there. Hm.. ok.

Kallan's big moment:

Sleeping 11 hours!! She goes to bed late, so I can't really take advantage of all that sleep. It's quite sad, really. She goes to bed around midnight, and then I get up with Lyla at 7 ish. Oh well, 7 hours of sleep is still something!

She is also grabbing much more intentionally now. It's amazing to see her watch her hand move towards an object.

Alright I don't know why I'm awake while everyone else is sleeping. That will have to be all for now!

Just the daily family dance party! Kallan is wondering what sort of family she was born into....

What Are We Doing?

As it's the beginning of a new year, I thought I should post a bit about what the girls are up to and see how they are different as 2013 draws to a close.

Here's Miss Kallan Marie. She is about 3 and a half months old. She usually takes 2 or 3 short naps and 1 long nap (3 or 4 hours) each day. She is sleeping 8-10 hours straight each night (hooray!).  We can tell that she is already extremely ticklish. Whenever we dress or undress her, she thinks it's extremely funny. I think the shirts that go over her head tickle her chubby cheeks! It's the cutest thing, she smiles and laughs so much! She loves to tell Daddy about her day when he gets home from work and is pretty chatty in general.

She loves to blow bubbles and "razz." Her face is often covered with drool and sometimes attracts lint from her clothes.  Pacifiers and bottles are good joke to her. Like, "Really Mom? Nice try." She bats and tries to grab at toys. She brings her hands together and studies them intently.  She seems really strong but still hates tummy time. Her favorite toy is her crinkly dolly, and she will "goo" and smile at her non-stop. Until she gets overstimulated that is. :) She absolutely loves bath and cries when bath time is over.

So far Kallan's bedtime routine is cluster feeding until she zonks out. I'm okay with this, but it's tiring. She is mostly happy but is kind of hard to console if she's tired. She really fights her sleep! I get a good arm work out in whenever I'm rocking her. We're so thankful to have gotten to meet and love our Kallan this year. Can't wait to see her grow and learn and explore!

Here's Lyla Soo! She is getting to be such a big girl now, although she will insist upon being called a "little girl" only. She loves books and reading. She is still a huge fan of Dora and Diego, but we have started branching out on occasion. She loves puzzles and coloring. She has an insanely good memory... she remembers random details from months before! She is definitely at a 'defiant' streak, something I hear is common in 2-year-olds, and she likes to do everything herself. I wouldn't say that she is a "terrible" 2-year-old. We have our days and our moments, but she is great for the most part!

She talks in full-on sentences now, and she will often repeat things we've said or things she heard on TV.  She is starting to understand "I" and "You" much better. She will often say, "Can I? Can I? Can I?" "Can I have one please mommy?" She is getting to the age where the questions never end. "Why are you laying down Mommy? ....Why are you sleepy? .....But are you tired?... How are you doing that?" I love that when I ask her a "Why" question, she says... "becaaaauuuse....." I wonder if she gets that from me. Hobbies she likes include painting, yoga, kicking balls in the hall and copying Mommy's stellar dance moves! She is potty trained at home.. just about time to try going out and about some!

She is such a bright, sweet little girl. We are so proud of her. I can't believe how much she has grown and learned over the past two years. This coming year, Lyla might even be going to Threeschool!

We love both of our girls so much! Here's to a great 2013 full of more memories with our little family!

2012

A couple special moments from 2012:

We're having a baby! 

Our first glimpse of her

Meeting our nephew Wyatt!

Girls' weekend!

These two got married! 

Bestie reunion at the wedding!

Snuggling Kallan for the very first time, after 4 weeks of bed rest! Anything to keep our baby healthy!