8.27.2012

We're Excited!

Lea starts preschool next week (GASP!) and we are getting very excited. She will go Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15am to 1:15pm. That means she'll have lunch there. So, I ordered a bunch of fun bento lunch items. Bento basically means a creatively packed lunch...just Google "bento lunch ideas" and you'll get a ton of awesome pictures. Here are a few examples:





I am so inspired and can't wait to start packing cool lunches! You can get as elaborate as you like or just keep it simple. Either way, I think it's a great idea to encourage healthy eating while away from home (and away from mom's watchful eyes!).

So, here's what we got...

Two food containers, silicone cups, food picks and hard boiled egg forms.
Food container with the lid on.
Lid off (there are three compartments inside).


One compartment removed,
revealing the lower compartment.
Both compartments removed.
















Cool silicone cups for smaller food items.

Adorable food picks.


 
Hard boiled egg forms...

Put the hard boiled egg inside and leave it for a few hours.
It will come out shaped like the form. How cool!?
It looks like I'm supposed to put it in a bowl of water?
Everything is written in Japanese so I'm really not sure! lol

Lea is excited about her new lunch "toys"!
All of these items were ordered from Bento USA by AllThingsForSale.com.

8.25.2012

I just don't have fat babies...

and that's ok.

Unless said baby gains weight so slowly that they begin sliding down the growth chart.

That's our little Emma! For the past several weeks, we have been taking her to the pediatrician for weight checks. She is gaining weight, but very slowly.

Here's her percentiles since she was born...

2 weeks - 60th %
1 month - 50th %
2 months - 25th %
3 months - 15th %
3 1/2 months - 10th %

She should be gaining around an ounce a day. She actually gains an average of barely half an ounce a day.

So, since we aren't sure if it's her just not eating enough or if it's me not making enough, we have a new game plan. I am to nurse Emma, at least, every three hours AROUND THE CLOCK. That's right. Our sweet little Emma, who was sleeping so well at night (sometimes over 10 hours straight...which could be part of our problem!), now has to be "disturbed" to nurse twice every night. (I say "disturbed" because she doesn't actually wake up. She just eats in her sleep.) While that is nice and all for Emma... it means that mommy (me!) will not be getting any more sleep for awhile. :( I've done this for only three days and I am already so exhausted. I know I need to be careful and take care of myself but, honestly, I would not feel comfortable giving my baby formula until I can truthfully say that I have done EVERYTHING possible to make breastfeeding work...

and that's exactly what I am doing right now.

I am working hard and praying hard that we can get this under control and things will be back to normal soon.

8.20.2012

Sleeping and Dance

Last night we decided to let Emma try sleeping in her own room for the first time. She's been sleeping in a little crib by my bed for the last four months (Lea slept in it for three months). Well, since Emma has been sleeping so well (from about 8pm to 5am) we thought it was time for her to move upstairs.


This crib has been in the family for decades.
My father and uncle slept in it, my cousins slept in it, my brother and I slept in it
and now my children have slept in it!


Emma slept in her own room from 8:30 pm to 6:15 am!!!
Today was Lea's first dance class. She has been so excited about it...reading Angelina Ballerina books all last week. We went shopping and picked out her ballet shoes, tap shoes, tights and leotard. She was ready!




It was an hour long class (about 40 min of ballet and 20 of tap). I was worried if she (and the others) could stay focused that long... but she did great! She really liked it. They will actually have a dance recital on Mother's Day weekend. I can't wait! :)

8.09.2012

3 Months

Miss Emma Margaret is three months old!


She is truly our little cuddle bunny. She loves all things warm and cozy. She loves to be held, patted, rocked, rubbed, snuggled and nuzzled...and we have gladly given her what she wants! Only problem is, it's getting harder and harder to put her to bed as she needs to be held until she falls asleep. We've got to fix this issue ASAP.

Emma weighs just over 11 pounds and is 24 inches long. We call her our little peanut. She's long and lean, just like the rest of her family.

Look at those long legs!
She has started grabbing at toys and pulling things to her mouth. She loves to chew on cloth (her clothes, blankets, burp clothes, bibs, etc.). She drools ALL the time and chews on her tongue and fist a lot. I wouldn't be surprised if a tooth pops out by the time she is 6 months old. Lea only had two teeth by her first birthday!

She sleeps very well at night...from about 9pm to anywhere between 3:30 and 5:30am. Then she usually goes back to sleep until around 7am. I am praying, as she gets older and stops waking to nurse at night, that her sleep schedule matches Lea's! (Lea sleeps from about 8pm to 7am)

We just got back from a family beach vacation last week. We had a rough start but it quickly got better and everyone had a great time. The day before we were to leave, Lea got a nasty cold. So we postponed leaving a couple days. Then, the night after we arrived, Emma started getting cold symptoms. She didn't sleep at all that night and actually vomited (a tiny amount) a couple times. We felt very lost, not having ANY experience with a vomiting child (Lea has never thrown up before!). Early the next morning, we took Emma to a local pediatrician. They said she was likely throwing up because of mucus drainage from her nasal passages. She also had the beginnings of a double ear infection. So, after a breathing treatment (that was NOT fun), some Tylenol for her fever and a Rx for amoxicillin, we headed back to the beach house. The next day, both girls felt much, much better and we enjoyed playing on the beach. We only had one rainy morning the entire week. We spent that day at the aquarium.

Playing in the kiddie pool with her new Spider Man "surf board" (kick-board).

Lea and her cousin Kristin.

Emma's first time on the beach!

Making apple pies with her cousins and Gaga.


Fishing with Papa.

Lea's catch-of-the-day!

Emma and Lea with their cousins, Kristin, Ross & Lilly.
Lea is almost three years old (wow!) and she is finishing up an 8 month run of gymnastics. She has done so well and has really enjoyed the class, as well as her teacher, Ms. Jody. But, at the end of this month, she will start dance classes! She is really excited and I can't wait to see her in tiny ballet shoes. :) Our big girl will also start pre-school in September. I can't believe it! She will go Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 1:30. I know she will totally LOVE it... but it's a little bitter-sweet for me (for obvious reasons).

Lea is getting really good at coloring and drawing, too. Recently, she likes to draw herself and our family. Here's a side-walk-chalk drawing she did at the beach...

It's a self portrait, in case you can't tell!
Complete with green eyes, a pink mouth and even green ears (which might be earrings).