Funny Photo Sequence

Kallan: "Oooh fuzzy!"

Lyla: "I see you playing with that!"

Lyla: "Yep, I'll take it."

Kallan: "Uh wait.. what...."

Kallan: "Mom, seriously, did you see that?"

Lyla: "Nope, didn't do anything.. just hugging my cats."

Lyla: "Don't touch my stuff, Kallan!"

Kallan: "Hm, I need a plan. Ok, got it! Here's what I'll do..."

Kallan: "Look at me I'm so cute!!!!!"

Lyla: ignoring 

Kallan: "Really, you're not going to go for that?"

Lyla: still ignoring

Kallan's 6 month update will be coming soon!

Lyla 2.5

Oh what to say about our little girl. She is growing up to be such a caring and fun person, and we just love to see her personality shining through.

She is so imaginative and I love seeing the worlds she creates for us. Most of them involve Dora-related activities and stories. She has gotten to be a little imitator. It's kind of funny to hear her say things and know that you must say that a lot.. like, "Can you pick out a book? I'm nursing.." is one she has been saying a lot. "Mommy, can you come in here, it's really important!" "Be right back, I gotta do something real quick!"

The hardest thing has been giving up nap. If she naps, it takes her hours to fall asleep at bedtime. At first it was a really difficult transition for everyone. But now she has about an hour of 'quiet time' in her room to preserve Mommy's sanity, and we're all happy again. It's also great because she sleeps until about 8:30 every morning! So I really can't complain!

She has an occasional accident, but I would say she is potty trained now. We used to put her in diapers while we were out and about, and she would still let us know if she had to go, and we'd take her to the potty. To let us know, she says, "Oh, oh I'm peeing!!!"

Lyla loves to ask questions that she wants us to ask her. Like, "Do you want to watch TV Lyla?" And then we ask her, and she says, "Ok!" Like it was our idea all along. And then if you don't answer right away, she'll say, "Do you?? Do you?" It's pretty cute!

She is a great big sister. Whenever it's just us three, Lyla will say, "Just us girlies!" Whenever Kallan cries, she goes, "Oh, it's ok Kallan! And she'll run around looking for a toy for Kallan to play with or she'll play some songs on the piano for her. This always cheers Kallan up, at least for a second or two! Lyla likes to help out with diaper changes and has attempted to give her a bottle a couple of times. She says such cute things to her. Like.. "Oh, Kallan, you're getting big!" "I'm so proud of you!" "Aw, she smiled at me!" "Where's your tongue, Kallan?!" "Aw, you're hands are so little, Kallan!" etc, etc. 

Occasionally, I still get to enjoy a nap time :) 

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!

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!

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!"

Kallan 2 Month Pics

A few of pictures of Kallan on her 2 month birthday!

Kallan: 1 Month

Ups:
Of course, we love those sleepy smiles and the newborn snuggle fests. I think my favorite part of this past month is seeing her more alert and awake. She seems to stare, study and take everything in. A lot like big sister! She has a piercing gaze and such beautiful eyes, how could you not love it when she is just starting into yours. Her eyebrows are getting even more expressive. They are often furrowed making her look concerned, but sometimes she raises them and looks a bit skeptical. I don't really know what people mean by the term "good baby," but I would say we have one... lucky us! She makes a noise like a dolphin!! I love it. I'll try to get it on video before she quits doing it.

Downs:
Lack of sleep! Now that Kallan will happily sleep in her bassinet, sleep is easier to come by, but I am really looking forward to some longer sleep stretches. It's also hard balancing time between Kallan and Lyla. Sometimes I feel like there are just not enough hours in a day for quiet snuggle time.

Milestones:
Muscles strengthening every day. She is already very talkative, lots of cute little "goo" noises!

Likes:
Eating, sleeping, giraffe pacifier, when whoever is holding her walks around, lights, faces, laying on the ground

Dislikes:
Pooping, wet diapers, gas

Happy 1 Month Kallan! We love you!

"Newborn Photos"

So Erik is against us getting newborn pictures taken of the girls because he doesn't like how they position the babies, although the pictures are cute.. he just think it's weird I guess. I LOVE newborn pictures, not going to lie! Since we weren't going to have any taken, I thought I'd just do it myself. Turns out I couldn't bring myself to position Kallan all newborn-photo-like. It wasn't a complete fail though, still got some cute pictures. This was really going to be a practice .. hence the wrinkly sheets. There aren't many... "Sleep when the baby sleeps" seems a lot more important when you have two!

Here are the pics!

End of Park Days..

During the summer, before bed rest, Lyla and I went to the park just about every day. The weather is cooling down a lot, and I am already dreading the 'cabin fever' feeling of winter. But it's still gorgeous fall weather right now, so I guess I shouldn't get all sad about it yet!

Kallan clearly enjoying her first park trip, and modeling a beautiful knitted hat from Grandma!

Swing lover!

Fun with Daddy

Zeroing in on her target.. the slide!

Lyla helped choose her outfit... orange socks, white sandals. A classic look!

Static.. and I have serious hair color envy.

 Climbing, smiling, having a ball!