Just One Day Later....

After summarizing our 7 month old's development yesterday, she decided to add a new skill this evening. I could not believe my eyes.

7 Months Old

Suddenly, we have a 7 month old in the house! Adrienne has turned into quite the busy bee these days, as she is determined to actively explore everything she encounters. It seems she crawls faster each day, and is less content to be in the exersaucer or confined in the "baby jail" (it's as if she knows she is stuck, despite the adequate room it allows for exploration). Today, she had a couple of painful encounters with the hardwood floor as she slipped while attempting to reach up for the shiny handles on the lower kitchen cabinet drawers. The time is rapidly approaching where I will have to empty one so that she can play beside me with approved cups, spoons, etc. while I work. Adrienne is now sitting alone well, and can transition from sit to crawl and back again. She loves to find dangerous things to chew on whenever possible, and mostly prefers to gnaw off some wood finish on the legs of our living room end table. She is like a moth to a flame with that one, and I cringe when I think of what horrible things that stain is made from. It's so hard to keep her out of harm's way, and to stay at least one step ahead of two children, each with her own agenda.
Adrienne is now eating some baby food 2-3 times a day, and has tried a variety of fruits and vegetable in addition to her beloved cereals of the oat and rice varieties. She prefers sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, and apples. Bananas are hit or miss, depending on her mood. She isn't overly fond of squash, and her response to peas nearly broke my heart. Breast milk remains her preferred food, and cereal is really the only solid food she eats enthusiastically most of the time. She thinks the sippy cup is fun to chew on, but isn't wild about the water that comes out of it.
And then there is the dreaded issue of sleep. Sweet Adrienne, why will you not sleep through the night? This has been a particularly rough month of sleep for her (and for me). Adrienne is getting up at least twice, if not 3 or 4 or more times. One or sometimes two occasions are the result of what seems to be legitimate hunger--I can deal with that. The others are a request for her "pacifier" (me). I am doing my best to deal with the issue, while also trying to ensure Jillian stays asleep. Many times it is much easier to tend to her quickly and quietly, than to let the crying that needs to be done happen. Thankfully, she continues to do well overall with 2 naps/day. The length of the naps vary, but she is pretty consistent with timing. Adrienne is not a great car seat sleeper, so if we have to be out during nap time it usually means she is skipping a nap. Missed sleep in any form is a bummer, but often is it inevitable with our schedule. I am grateful that her general disposition is sunny, regardless of the apparent lack of sleep.
Adrienne, we are all so in love with you. Your giggles are infectious, your kisses are the sweetest, and your personality truly does sparkle.

Tidbits

Some things from the last few days I want to remember.....

Jillian learned about Jonah and the whale for her preschool Bible story last week. She recounted the tale to me on our way to Target. I literally had to pull out a piece of paper and write it down while still in the parking lot before I forgot.
Me: "What was your Bible story about today?"
J: "Jonah"
Me: "What happened to Jonah?"
J: "He got taken by the stinky fish. The mean guy put him in there."
Me: "Oh. Then what happened."
J: "He swimmed away. The mean sisters put him in the water".
Me: "Then what happened?"
J: "The fish was really stinky, Mom"
Me: "I bet. Why did that happen to Jonah?"
J: "He was lost"
Me: "Who found him?"
J: "God found him. Mom did you know God loves you? He does. He loves you so, so much".

On Wednesday both girls were laying in bed with me playing/chatting as Matt was getting ready for work. He came to kiss us all goodbye, and Jillian asked, "Daddy, are you Mommy's best prince?"
Matt: "Well you will have to ask her."
Me: "Of course. Daddy is my only prince."
J: "Daddy, you are my best prince, too!"
Matt: "Well, who is Adrienne's best prince?"
J: "Dad, that's silly. Adrienne can't dance so she doesn't have a prince. She can just watch."

Matt picked pizza up for dinner on his way home Friday night. Jillian didn't eat her crust (unusual for her) and kept asking for more. Matt told her she needed to eat the rest of her pizza before she got more. Her reply: "Dad, that's just the peel".

Yesterday morning we were talking about how different family members are related to us. Jillian correctly identified Grammy and Grandad as my mom and dad, and Adrienne as her sister before Matt asked,  "Who is my mom?" Instead of saying "Grandma" she immediately pointed at me. Matt laughed and said, "Close".


Adrienne's third tooth officially popped through this morning--top front one on her left. If you look closely, you can see the line of white here (please pardon the dried snot that had not yet been wiped up after her morning nap)

Under The Weather

Adrienne has succumbed to her first official illness. Not bad for being 3 days shy of 7 months old. She has definitely been healthier overall than Jillian was as a baby--probably the result of not going to daycare, but still I am surprised given that her sister is a phomite carrying a bazillion germs around from preschool, music, RAC, etc.
I hauled her into the dr this morning per the nurse's request, after a long night of fussiness, congestion causing noisy breathing, and a 103.3 temp (too high to be caused by her current cutting of her top front teeth). The verdict? A random virus. She is understandably cranky, and not super interested in baby food--just momma's milk. I am sure it will be another long night. It stinks to see a sweet little person in such pathetic shape.

Boo to sickness! I see lots of snuggling in our future this weekend.

Flying Pigs

Pigs must be flying today. I know this because the most unimaginable thing happened in our house tonight. Are you sitting down? Really, sit down.
Jillian ate spinach. Let me say that again: Jillian, my child who NEVER eats any vegetables at all, and would NEVER even think to put something green in her mouth, ATE SPINACH. Five leaves of raw baby spinach to be exact, when it was all said and done. I am over the moon. I was so excited when it happened that I scared Adrienne to tears with my literal jumping for joy (sorry, A!). Jillian was clearly reinforced by my hoopla, and asked me for more. She also ate three (3!) entire (small, peeled) apples at this meal, which is also unprecedented. Though she likes apples, I usually have to prompt her to eat a few slices. The whole scene was such a blur, that truly, I am not sure how it started. It is no secret that Jillian is incredibly picky. That said, I do not cater to her at dinner. She gets what she asks for (within reason) at breakfast and lunch, but I put everything we eat on her plate at dinner. I also put at least one additional thing I know she likes on her plate, so that I am assured she eats something. It is true that many nights she may only eat cheese, or yogurt, or bread at dinner time (because that is the one thing on her plate she likes), but I believe it is important to teach kids to explore new foods, and they need to learn that mom is not a short order cook. Often I get tired of putting food on her plate I know she won't eat, and tonight was one of those nights. I almost didn't put that spinach on her plate. But as I carried her plate over to the table, I grabbed a single leaf of spinach off of my salad plate and pushed it onto hers. I figured it would be a conversation piece if nothing else. She has started talking about things that are "healthy", so I just told her how healthy spinach is and she asked if it would make her strong. I quickly confirmed that inquiry, and she suddenly put it in her mouth. My joy was so genuine that she lit up, and at my suggestion, chewed it up and swallowed it. As I watched her, I could see how much effort she was expending to please me. She clearly didn't love it (but who does love spinach upon first taste?), and made some facial expressions reminiscent of her first tastes of peas and green beans as a baby (you remember--it was dramatic, to say the least). It may seem odd that I am recording this experience and gushing about my 3 year old eating a few measly leaves of spinach, but I learned something about Jillian tonight that I should remember---she needs my praise to be at an intensity that matches hers. I'd like to think I praise her all the time, but rarely (if ever), do I praise her with such reckless abandon as I did tonight. The kid was beside herself with glee, all smiles, hugs, high fives, you name it. So here I sit with a big light bulb on in my head....of course my little ball of fire would prefer to be celebrated for her small efforts in a BIG, loud, emotional way. That's just the way she rolls. She may not notice my often quiet and generic efforts to praise her. I realize Jillian may never eat spinach again, and that is a-ok.  I just need to look for more moments to dish out that excited "you ate spinach for the first time" praise.

No, the weather is not balmy here in Minnesota. Jillian is trying out lots of possible dresses to wear on our upcoming trip to "we-white"!

Morning

Preschool was canceled today due to ice/snow. I was not the most popular person when I delivered the news to Jillian, since by her logic, Daddy should not have gone to work if it was too dangerous for me to drive her to school (she's probably right). She also is a bit distrustful of me in that she keeps asking if the other kids are at school with her teachers. She doesn't yet know that Moms enjoy preschool, too! Anyway, this pause in the action has given me cause to reflect on the usual routine since we are far deviated from it today. I am in awe of just how crazy mornings are around here. You would think this wouldn't be the case, since my kids are young and I am currently a stay at home mom. I like to be busy, and Jillian is definitely that way by nature as well. As soon as she rises in the morning I hear, "What are we doing today?" I had better have a plan, or I am in trouble! Luckily we have preschool on MWF mornings (A and I run errands MW, then head to Bible study on Fridays), MOPS on the 1st/3rd Tuesdays, and music class on Thursdays. This means we are out the door by 8:45 (though I shoot for 8:30) almost every day. Matt actually laughed at me last week when I rescheduled an 8:30 appointment last Thursday because I decided it was too much work to have everyone out of the house by 8 (I am really working on not complicating things that don't need to be complicated). He is easily out the door by 6 most days. Since I have 3 people to ready every morning, and not just one, you can imagine how well his taunting went over.....
It is a careful dance to get us dressed, fed, and out the door with all we need. I admit I become quite frustrated with myself in those last moments before we leave because I don't have it all together (despite as much prep-ahead as I can muster), and it maddens this structured perfectionist to always be rushing. We will get there. Or maybe we won't. In any case, I am working hard to begin the days with a calm attitude and patient spirit. It is not easy, and even more difficult when the kids are too young to understand the concept of getting somewhere on time. Last week it occurred to me that breakfasting together was finally possible, since A is now eating cereal in the morning. So, I seat J at the bar, bring the high chair in the kitchen, and stand at the counter between the two girls as I shovel bites into my mouth and A's, refill J's cup or bowl as needed, and simultaneously unload the dishwasher. It's a wonder I haven't accidentally given A my cereal or tasted hers--I'm sure that's coming. Last week, in all the madness of the usual rush, I paused a moment to giggle at what sat on my counter.

Three different cereals, 3 different bowls, 3 different spoons, 3 different sizes, for all 3 of us girls....all unintentionally lined up in order. It must be my subconscious attempt to bring order to the chaos.

Crawling

Today, Adrienne finally accomplished the goal she has been diligently working towards for the last month or so--she is now officially a crawler at the ripe old age of 6 months and 22 days.

We celebrated this very important milestone by doing some emergency baby proofing--thank goodness we kept the "baby jail".

Noteworthy

A couple of noteworthy events from today:

1. Jillian received her first unofficial haircut. From me. I took no pictures, because as I said, it was unofficial. She has this one piece of bang that makes her look like an unkempt ragamuffin if not pinned back. Despite our efforts every morning to style it appropriately, it is always hanging in her face (hair accessory nowhere in sight) whenever I pick her up from school or other activities. Today I got so fed up with the dance that I gave her a choice--leave the hair accessory in, or let me cut your bangs. To my utter shock she said, "cut my hair, Mom". So I did. She is clearly disappointed because when we were telling Matt about it at dinner tonight she said, "But Mom, you didn't make my hair bigger when you cut it!" It seems we had a miscommunication...

2. We ran to Target after preschool to grab a few forgotten groceries. Jillian struck up a friendly conversation with our checker, and the two discussed the weather, where the checker's son moved to, the beach, stickers, and siblings. Yep. All of that in about a two minute interaction. I literally burst into laughter at the end when I heard Jillian casually say, "Could I have the eggs in a separate bag, please?" as the checker scanned the carton of eggs. It is a request I always make, and she clearly has been paying attention.

Twinkies

Dressing these two alike makes me almost giddy. Jillian thinks it is incredibly special, and Adrienne is just along for the ride at this point. I wonder how long I can get away with this?

Masterpiece

Jillian is really into drawing right now, and is especially excited when she gets to use markers. Yesterday, she created a drawing of her Care Bear (that she named Dalissa....what??) that Matt and I found to be remarkably accurate considering her age. For starters, it was nearly the exact size of said Care Bear.

If you look closely, you can see she included most all body parts in the correct location. I labeled them with her exact verbiage:
-eyes
-nose
-mouth
-ponytail
-arms
-legs ("the part that makes her jump")
-feet
-"the part that makes her fly" (the emblem on her stomach)

She was so proud of this drawing that I had to make sure it got recorded and saved, hence the special post in its honor.

6 Month Pictures

I had my friend, Rachel, take some pictures of Adrienne a couple weeks ago to mark her 6 month birthday. Of course she fell asleep on the way to her house and was not her usual cheery self, but Rachel still managed to capture some good shots that represent the charm of our baby girl. Here are my faves...

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

The king of our hearts turned the big 3-4 today, and no one was more excited about it than Jillian. She put 100% into helping me prepare for our "party", serving as the official party blower tester and attempted balloon blower-upper.

Daddy had specific requests for his birthday dinner: iceberg wedge salad with bacon and blue cheese, Mommy's famous spaghetti and meatballs, bread with Italian butter, and a white cake with chocolate frosting to be decorated by Jillian. After some discussion in Target about which "sparkles" to buy, she settled on red and blue sprinkles in honor of the Kansas Jayhawks (smart girl) that she applied with a heavy hand.

 Everyone was all smiles when it was time to sing and cut into the masterpiece.

 

Poor Adrienne didn't get to enjoy any cake....just some rice cereal and carrots.

 The evening concluded with presents, and it was all Jillian could do to contain herself during that process.

 Adrienne won the award for "most clever gift", as she got her dad an otoscope. Matt never bought one in  medical school because he figured it was unnecessary in radiology. What he didn't consider, however, is that owning one as a father would save his wife and children countless trips (and office visit charges) to the pediatrician for an ear check. Now, he can take a peek and tell me whether or not it is necessary to make a trip in. Jillian was pretty excited when she saw the otoscope and exclaimed, "Oh great, Daddy! Now you can pretend to be a doctor!" That girl is pretty funny.

We had a great time celebrating our best guy. He is one of a kind, and we are so thankful that he is ours. Happy Birthday, Matt! All three of your girls think you are pretty amazing.

A Good Sport

Adrienne is already such a good sport when it comes to entertaining the play ideas of her big sister. She puts up with Jillian dressing her up, roughing her up, and invading her personal space on a regular basis. I am sure that one day the tables will turn. For now, Jillian is clearly enjoying her reign as the resident activity coordinator.

A jubilant Cinderella drags a hesitant Sleeping Beauty into the castle.

Apparently, the dr. thinks fairy wings are a surgical necessity. The patient does not appear to be as sure.

Something Else

Jillian really is something else. If you take a good look at the above picture, you can see just what I mean. Her wheels are always turning, she is full of fire, and she always has something (many things, actually) to say. I do my best to keep up with her and record all the funny things she says or does, but it is impossible. Here are a few gems I've managed to remember in the last month....

-We drive by a couple of horses on our way home each day. Jillian likes to comment on whether or not they are outside, eating, wearing their blanket-like coats, etc. On this particular day, she had a burning question:
J: "Mom, where do horses go potty?"
Me: "They just go on the ground outside".
J: "You have got to be kidding me!!"
I hope she didn't get any ideas....

-On Christmas, Jillian had a difficult time wrapping her head around the fact that though we were celebrating the birth of Jesus with a party and cake, he would not physically be present. Just as we were about to begin the celebration, Jillian shouted, "But we have to wait for Jesus!" This began a whole list of theological questions that centered around faith, God, heaven....stuff that adults have questions about and struggle with, not to mention the fresh mind of a wee 3 year old. I can't remember all the details, but I will never forget the statement she made to conclude the conversation: "Heaven is a very far place, and you need to take a donkey!" Got it.

-Over the last few days we have been talking a lot about Hawaii. This is because we are preparing to go there next month, as Matt is attending a conference in Kona (Yes, we are all going. Yes, I have plenty of reservations about traveling all that distance with 2 young children. Yes, the tickets are purchased so I cannot change my mind!). We have tried and tried to help Jillian pronounce "Hawaii" correctly, but to her, we are going to "We-white". It is pretty cute when used in a sentence. I often hear, "I can't wait to go to we-white!" or "Are we going to we-white today?", or (my favorite), "I'm going to ride a sea turtle in we-white!"

-Though Jillian is an excellent sleeper, she has been waking up briefly in the night every few days over the course of the last month (never at the same time as Adrienne, though, that would be too simple!). Her reasons usually center around being "scared". Most recently, the more specific reason is, "I'm scared of the floor" or "I'm scared of the ground". I usually get her back upstairs, assure her that we are all here together, and are safe, and then turn another light or two on to help her settle down. Last night, I was feeling particularly frazzled since I had been up once every hour between the two little ladies. I hauled Jillian back up to her room, and asked her to show me exactly what she was scared of. Her reply? A very casual, "Oh nothing". The girl really knows how to work it.

-This morning, the girls were playing in my room as I was getting ready. They happened to be playing on the floor below the spot on the wall where our wedding picture hangs. Jillian decided it was the perfect moment to impart her wisdom about weddings as they relate to Hawaii and the customs of wearing flowers in one's hair (a direct application of our conversations regarding what people do/wear in Hawaii, and the fact that I mentioned that married women wear a flower behind their left ear, while single ladies wear them on the right). I heard the following in a semi-hushed voice: "Adrienne, see that picture? That's a wedding. You get to wear a dress like a princess, and then you go to we-white and put flowers behind your ear").

-Jillian had been running low on her favorite princess toothpaste for a good week or so. I kept forgetting about this when I was out running errands, but was reminded nightly about how much she dislikes the "spicy" Crest Kids toothpaste sample the dentist gave her. Today, a miracle occurred, and I actually remembered that she needed some new toothpaste while I was at Target, and I  also picked her up a new toothbrush while I was at it. I was giving Adrienne a bath when Jillian came running upstairs to prepare for hers and discovered the purchases I made earlier in the day. She exclaimed, "Oh Mom, it's perfect! This is just perfect!" It sure makes a mom feel good to know she can do something right from time to time.