Lydia is 6 months old

Technically Lydia has been 6 months for almost two weeks, technically.

I did post on her half birthday. So I am not a totally unfit parent (blogger).

After a doctor's appointment this week I am fully prepared to update you on the youngest member of our family.

Growth
She is 27" (the 90th percentile) and 15#12oz (the 75th percentile). She received three shots and, according to her big sister, "was very brave." Our pediatrician measured her as absolutely adorable and practically perfect. We'd have to agree.


Food
Lydia has followed in her sister's footsteps as a lover of food. She is eating spinach, broccoli, peas, green beans, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, pears, apple sauce, prunes, rice cereal, oatmeal, and just started eating cheerios this week. The only food she has totally turned her nose up to is avocado, but I will keep trying. I love avocado, and at least ONE of my children will like it too so that I am not the only one in the house eating it!

Gross motor
Lydia is stubborn. On January 25th she rolled from her belly to her back 7 times in the course of 3 minutes. She has only done that twice since. That means I can count on two hands how many times she's rolled from belly to back. That is a lot considering I can count on one hand how many times she's rolled from back to belly. (I think it is at three now with the first being mid March.) When the Doc asked if she was rolling and I explained how she has been sitting up on her own for weeks (since March 15th) and can sit for 45 minutes easy his response was the same as mine. She's just to smart and stubborn for her own good. She figures why lay down and roll over when I get such a better view while sitting up? I mean really? She is starting to tripod, or lean over to get up on her knees. So I am sure she'll start crawling in no time. Then I am going to have problems, it is time to baby proof this house for the first time! ARGH!


Fine motor
Lydia successfully grips toys and passes them from hand to hand in both directions. (Left to right and right to left.) She also successfully got a Cheerio into her mouth today. The look of accomplishment on her face was priceless!

Language
She is babbling a ton. We visited the botanical garden today and while strolling around she narrated our walk with her coos and "words." Madeline started out the same way and if Lydia talks as much as Madeline does, I may never have a quiet moment ever again.


Sleep
Lydia isn't her sister. She is a more restless night sleeper than her sister was, but she is finally sleeping through the night. She goes down for the night around 7pm (although most nights she'd like it to be closer to 6pm). She is the up at 7am (if I'm lucky... most of the time it is closer to 6:30am) and back down for a hour nap at about 9am. Then there is another hour or two at 1 or 2 pm depending on our day. She goes down easily, and it is only the night time that can be frustrating. She likes to wake up an hour after going down and want to play. She's yet to get that it isn't going to happen!

Social
She is totally a momma's girl right now. If it is close to bed time she wants no one but me. I can't leave the room without her protesting. I love it and I hate it. I love that I am so loved and Madeline is in a daddy's girl phase so I like having Lydia all to myself. BUT I'd love to be able to hand her off to someone else and walk away some times.

She is an easy going happy baby. We have hit the baby jackpot, twice... Lucky.

mg

Perspective

One of the top reasons I love reading blogs is that I get a glimpse into the lives of other people. I am a habitual people watcher, just ask Kevin. Eating out is always fun for him, and I normally make sure I am facing as little of the restaurant as possible so that I am not distracted.

But is was about me loving blogs. I get to share in others ideas, their stories, their joys and sometimes, their sorrow. Almost two years ago I started following the blog of the Lauer family. They had an extraordinary son named Noah who was given a difficult for me to imagine diagnosis just months after he was born.

Noah lived 364 days.

I read their blog during most of 364 days and I learned so much from their joys and sorrows. I learned to hold tight to my babies. I learned to be thankful for what I have. I learned that even when life is getting me down, it can always get worse. So much worse.

Although the Lauers said goodbye to Noah their story is far from over. I have watched them welcome little Eli to their family. That is just it, blogs bring sorrow and joy. I love learning from the stories of other people.

I learned about the Lauers from Jodie of Fresh Art Photography. Jodie has such a compassionate heart and she has shared the stories of many families with her blog readers. Today, one year to the day they said goodbye to their son Seamus, Jodie shares the story of the Johnston family. You can read more about it here.


So today I hugged my babies a little closer. I played a little longer. I read a few more books and I held them longer as they were getting ready for bed.

So when people ask why I read so many blogs I tell them all of the things blogs have given me. Most importantly, blogs have given me the gift of perspective.

For that I am very grateful.

mg

Bright Eyes

Lydia after this evening's bath.

Oh, I love those eyes.

mg

6 months

Today Lydia has been in our family for 6 months. SIX! I have plans for a larger post, but until our Pediatrician's appointment next week I will wait.

Look at that lovely little girl.

When Madeline turned 6m I baked her a cake. I felt it only right to do the same for Lydia. That and I wanted to try this icing recipe and this low fat mix modification.


If you clicked on the link to Madeline's 1/2 birthday you'd know that Maddy's cake was a 1/2 cake. So those cupcakes, they are 1/2 cup cakes. (They are made with a mini muffin tin) Clever huh?

I had cake batter left after making 24 mini cupcakes, so I let Madeline choose what type of pan to put the rest in. She chose a bunt. "AH!! It's a CAKE!" (10 points for the first person to name that flick.)


I know you can't really read that, but it just says Happy 1/2 Birthday.


I think Lydia liked it. Even though she didn't get any.

As for the cake and icing it was yummy. You can't tell from the photos, but I used a funfetti cake mix. (It was what I had.) The low fat recipe turned out pretty well. When covered in frosting you can't tell the difference really. I'd say it was a success. As for the icing, it was yummy too. Not at all low fat, and although a bit unconventional (there is flour in it...) it was awesome.

What else did we do on my baby's half birthday? We visited the library, grocery shopped, played, napped, and played some more. All in all an excellent day.

mg

The night Olive called DFS

Friday night we took Madeline's bopoo away. I want to clarify, the Bopoo Fairy took them. We told Madeline that when a kid grows up the Bopoo Fairy (BF) visits and takes the bops to babies who need them, and leaves a big girl present. We've been talking this up for months. On Thursday, Madeline told us that the BF was coming on Sunday. (Let it be known that she knows the names of the days, but not the difference between them.) So she left a note for the BF asking her to bring her a baby with a doctor kit (one they sell at Target).
Then, Friday morning rolls around and Madeline told us, and anyone that would listen, that the BF fairy was coming to her house that night. We went with it.

As bed time approached she balked a bit saying she didn't want the BF to come. Then the crying started. She through a massive tantrum, the likes of which I have never seen before. She sobbed, she begged, she pleaded, she tried to reason, she threw books and flung her body to the ground. It was grief in its most raw form.

Have you heard about the seven stages of grief? Shock and denial? Check. Pain and guilt? Check. Anger and bargaining? Check. Depression, reflection, loneliness? Check.
It was heart breaking.


Look at that sweet face. You wouldn't want her to cry either. You'd want to give her back her bops and try again before she left for college.

I was heart broken.

So why would Olive* call DFS?

Madeline's emotions were raw and loud. She cried and kicked and screamed for more than an hour.
Olive sat outside her door as she cried looking at me like, "well, why aren't you doing anything about this?" Then Lydia started crying. Two shrill alarms to make Olive totally loose her mind. Eventually she just went down stairs but not without first looking up the hot line number on the internet.

Man it was hard. I have never seen Madeline that emotional. And she is my little drama queen.
Even before bedtime I was concerned with how she would react. I almost felt like we were taking away a friend. Although she only had her bop in bed and I'd say 90% of the time when I'd check on her at night her bop wouldn't be in her mouth, she still used the bop to calm down and relax at night.
That night she cried herself to sleep. I almost wanted to do the same. I was simply sad for her.

The next morning she woke up a 6am (about an hour and a half earlier than normal). She was still sad, but she had slept through the night so I call that a success. Then Saturday night she cried for another hour. This time she just kept asking if I could get her one of her sister's bopoos. Oh, that girl is clever. Eventually she fell asleep.

Yesterday, she didn't ask for it. She didn't cry. She fell asleep without issue.

Tonight, she asked if she could have her bopoo but didn't cry when I told her the Bopoo Fairy took them with her when she left her big girl present.


She is growing up. Although I knew we had to take the bopoo away it is still such a huge deal in her young life. Just one more step to being my very big girl.

__________
*Meet Olive.


mg

Dear Lydia,

Stop getting so big.

Thanks,

Your Momma



Sitting up?!?! Giggling?!?!

Next she'll be driving a car.

mg

This girl

Madeline seems so grown up lately. Everyone said that once we brought Lydia home this would happen, but it wasn't as immediate as I assumed it would be. It may have something to do with the fact that Madeline has grown up so much in the last 5 months, paired with the fact the we are just emerging from a sleep deprived haze that we've been under for the past 5 months.

Madeline is full of energy and all about the drama. From the moment she wakes in the morning until she goes to bed at night is seems like she is constantly moving. She rarely sits for more than a few minutes at a time, and mostly just for meals. She is move, move, move.

She is also very dramatic. She is a typical almost 3 year old in her emotions, meaning she has her ups and downs. Where the drama comes in is in the range of those emotions. She is laughing one minute and on the floor crying the next and then back up giggling. She knows what she wants and she wants it NOW!

To say she is a challenge is an understatement. She pushes my buttons each and every day.

But the rewards she gives me far out weight those troubles. She is loving and sweet when she wants to be. She is totally hilarious and smarter than I am for sure. An example: she has used the words, bland, also, and hibernate correctly without any prompting AND today she told Kevin that flowers have pollinate* in them and bees collect the pollen to share with other flowers to help them grow. HUH? What almost 3 year old is articulate enough to explain pollination?!?! Totally smarter than me.

*She may not have the words just right, but the idea is totally on point.

So this girl is quite special. She is outrageous in her wardrobe and stubborn in her desires. She is laugh out loud funny and totally adorable. Even when I don't think I could love her any more, she does something that opens my heart a little wider. She is simply amazing.



Photos taken on March 10. 2010. Playing with her shadow.

mg

Hi there

How's your day going?

This is when you'd leave a comment so I know the answer...

mg

Our real Easter Best

That's better isn't it. (To be honest, I kinda like the other photo better...)



In her Easter Bonnet, will all its frills upon it, she will be the finest girlie in the Easter parade! (and she was... even if she was the only one in said parade...)


Madeline was quite the hunter as well. We had an early morning hunt in our family room/kitchen/dining room. Then there was a second hunt in Kevin's parents yard. That Easter bunny was busy.

This is the first year that Madeline got the egg hung thing. It was a lot of fun to see her hunting. She got the same excited look on her face after she found the last egg as she did when she found the first.

As for wardrobe, Madeline's dress is from Tar-shay. Fancy, I know. Lydia's dress was Madeline's. She wore it to a dear friends rehearsal dinner when she was exactly Lydia's age. I think Kevin was surprised I didn't buy matching dresses for the girls. I know that some day I won't be able to resist... but for now, we coordinate. :)

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter. We had a great day with both sides of our families. A lot of celebration. A lot of love. A LOT of chocolate! A great day.

mg

Our Easter Best

I told you it was hard to photograph two young children.


I hope your Easter was better than Lydia's*.

__________
*Let me tell you that this was not how Ms. Lydia spent the majority of the day. She was an excellent napper and woke up super happy. She was just fed up with being outside and very hungry...

mg

April 2010

I think this is my best header ever. I took two photos with the timer feature on my camera this week. I was trying to get a photo of Lydia and I together. This was the first one. Nothing planned, or posed. All totally hilarious.

I can't think of a better photograph to illustrate this time in my life. Total perfection.

New month, new masthead. Using a reader? Click here.

mg

Pickles

When Madeline was 8 months old she had her first pickle. Since then every time there are pickles she tells me she likes pickles. At Bread Company she always wants to take a bite. She has to have one at parties were pickle trays are involved. She insists that she likes pickles.

So earlier this week when Madeline spotted a jar of pickles in our refrigerator she insisted upon having one for a snack.

She had the exact same reaction this time that she does each and every time she eats a pickle.


Not so bad right?


Yeah, I like pickles. They are delicious.


Wait, did I say delicious? I meant tolerable.


Ok, so maybe tolerable is going a little far.


Why did you feed me this anyway?!

During all of those faces (oh how I love those faces!) Madeline continued to tell me how much she loves pickles. So I got out the video to capture her {love} of pickles.

Of course she changed her tune.



Man is that girlie a hoot.

mg