Daddy Bonding Time

Last week I had to go out of town for work which meant Jeff was on daddy duty from Wed afternoon until late Friday night.  This was the first time I had been away from both of my girls for more than one night so of course I was a little nervous.  Jeff still had to work though so I organized a team of friends and family to help with the girls during the day.  Janice and Linda took a couple shifts during the day and the girls had a great time playing with them!  Sharry (daycare provider) who has been a lifesaver these past two weeks was flexible with her schedule and helped us out tremendously!  And of course we couldn't have done it without  PaPa and Grandma who were a huge help!  Thank you everyone.... knowing the girls were in very capable hands helped a lot with the worrying :)

While I am guessing Jeff doesn't want me to make traveling a regular occurrence, it did allow for some great bonding time between daddy and his girls.  I am the first one to admit that I have the tendency to be a bit controlling, but with me being away Jeff had the freedom to do what he wanted the way he wanted and guess what they not only survived, they thrived!  Note to self, I need to relax and go with the flow more. It really is ok that they ate the lasagna I made for three nights in a row.  It's ok that Katie ran around the backyard barefoot all of the time.  It's ok that Katie got to watch some tv in the evening while Jeff put Carly to bed.  And it's ok that Carly got a bedtime story before her bottle instead of after.  All was well with the Garner Girls! 
 

One of Those Days

I think we have hit the terrible two's at the Garner household.  My sweet, very verbal, and oh so compliant Katie is changing on us.  She has become a very emotional little girl who has a major meltdown over the smallest things.  I don't know if it is because Daylight Savings time totally messed with her internal clock and she has been getting one hour of less of sleep because she has been waking up at 5:30 am.  Or if it is because her new 4 month old sister has been taking up a lot of mommy's attention lately.   Or maybe it is just being almost two and trying to figure out to navigate the world around her.  Whatever the reason, it has been one of those days where I just want a break.  I would love to go for a nice long walk by myself, stop somewhere and get coffee, and maybe even go shopping for a few hours without worrying about if we will get home in time for Carly's next feeding.

I know every mom has days like this so I just keep reminding myself that this is part of motherhood.  Luckily my day improved dramatically when Jeff surprised me by coming home for lunch.  He ate with us and then did all of the dishes which was fabulous.  And the best part of the day was when Katie made Carly laugh.  I was holding Carly in my lap and Katie just started giggling.  Next thing I know Carly busts out laughing too.  Carly has giggled a few times before but we have never heard Carly laugh like that.  In those short two minutes, my mood completely changed and I realized that moments like that are rare and that I need to just soak it all in which is exactly what I did. 

Bugs, Bubbles, and Babies

Things have been busy the past few days so this is an update whats been happening in our life. First I will start by telling the story of our pantry bugs. Some of you may remember when my cat Shadow got fleas and how obsessed I was about trying to get rid of them. That will give you an idea of how I reacted when I went to use some flour a few days ago and discovered tiny little bugs crawling on the bag and on the shelf. After throwing the bag away I began a thorough search of the whole cupboard and discovered more of the little creatures! They were so tiny but with a flashlight they could be seen crawling on the white contact paper. I was disgusted and of course did a Google search to try and figure out what they were but all I learned was that there are a lot of pantry pests that can infest your kitchen. So, the cleaning process began and it continued until this afternoon when I think (hope) we have gotten them all. We threw away a lot of food, put a lot of things in the freezer (to kill anything left behind), vacuumed the cupboards, and wiped everything down with bleach. I was so obsessed with this that Katie now comes into the kitchen and says "mommy bugs!" because she thinks I am looking for bugs. I REALLY hope they are gone because if not I am not sure what else to do.

So moving on from bugs to bubbles. Katie had her first bubble bath a few nights ago and to my surprise she didn't like it. She loves her bath and she loves bubbles so I just assumed she would like them both together. Well I was wrong. She cried and didn't even want to get in the tub. Finally I got her in but she wouldn't even sit down let alone let me wash her hair. Needless to say it was the shortest bath ever and I now have a big thing of bubbles that maybe I can use.....if I ever have time to take a bubble bath.

Lastly, our baby girl is getting bigger and changing every day. I go back to work in two weeks and she will join Katie at Sharry's three days a week. In preparation for that I have started giving her a bottle once a day and surprisingly she took it really well. Katie on the other hand went through 3 different types of bottles and would only take it from my friend, Janice and later Sharry. Thank goodness Carly did much better. The other thing I am trying to do is get her to nap in her crib which isn't going well. She prefers her swing but I don't because her head always flops forward about half way through the nap. She sleeps great in her crib at night but will only nap there for about 45 minutes. Who knows....I will just keep trying.

Yesterday for some fun and to get my mind off the bugs we went to the Northwest Washington Fair. It was a lot of fun and Katie really enjoyed seeing all of the animals and getting her first taste of fair food but I think it will be even better in a few years when she can go on the rides. Carly enjoyed it by sleeping through the entire trip. I am terrible at remembering to take pictures on outings so I only got a few. One is of Katie eating a french fry (she refused ice cream if you can believe it) and the other is obviously of Carly sleeping.

The Newborn Guessing Game

So I actually have both girls still sleeping this morning and am able to enjoy my bowl of cereal and cup of coffee in peace....at least for a few minutes.

Last night went really well and we think we have found a solution to the spitting up problem, or at least a way to make it better. Since Carly was doing it after almost every feeding and multiple times I decided to take her in to the doctor. Well they weighed her and to my surprise she was 10lbs 9oz! So, obviously my chunky monkey was getting plenty of food, and actually she was getting too much. Our pediatrician said that some babies just don't know when to turn it off and it looks like Carly is one of those babies. Since I am breastfeeding I have no idea how much she is eating so I just kept her feeding her based on time and most books say to go 15 minutes on each side. Well, it looks like I have a very efficient eater who doesn't need to eat that long so I was told to only feed her from one side, don't worry about waking her up to eat, and don't force her to keep eating. It looks like her little tummy was just getting too full and therefore the milk would come back up.

I am happy to report that just since that visit things have improved and I am keeping my fingers crossed that that is her only problem. If not, she will have to go on reflux medicine but I don't think that's going to happen.

And now my time is up...Chunky is ready to eat but at least it only takes her 12-14 minutes now compared to the hour it took Katie.

I also got some pictures taken this past week but, unfortunately I didn't get any of my aunt and uncle that were in town from Montana. We had a very nice visit though and it was great seeing them.

Life With Two

The past few weeks have been a little crazy with Jeff going back to work and my aunt and uncle from Montana coming to visit so I am very behind on the blog. Here is a quick update on things. Last week Jeff went back to work so I was on my own with both girls and things went surprisingly well. It did help that Katie went to Sharry's on Wednesday and Friday, so really I only had one day solo (Jeff went back to work on Wednesday), but it was still a nice way to transition. My biggest concern was being able to juggle feeding times for Carly, meal times for Katie, and awake times for both of them. Like always though I worried for nothing. Katie was great while I was breastfeeding and would either sit next to me and look at a book or simply play by herself. I did have to turn to Sesame Street once but I am ok with that.

The honeymoon stage is over with Carly and we are struggling a little with her. She has started spitting up quite a bit after every feeding and seems very uncomfortable. It makes it hard because when she is awake she grunts and fusses but luckily she rarely cries. Besides one difficult night, which luckily was on the weekend, she is a good night time sleeper and goes anywhere from 3-5 hours between feedings. She still is very sleepy baby and I struggle getting her to wake up to eat but I don't worry about it too much because at Katie's well child check up last week we weighed Carly and she was already a pound heavier than her birth weight. When she is awake and comfortable she is a doll and loves looking at the world around her. Her big sister is still doing very well with her and I just can't wait until Carly is old enough to really interact because I think these girls are going to be close.

I don't have any new pictures but I will try and get some posted in the next couple days. Life with two is very busy, not always easy, and definitely chaotic at times but, we are all handling it very well....at least for now. :)

34 Weeks

I can't believe we only have 6 more weeks before Carly is here with us! As we left the Dr's office today it really hit me....I am soon going to be the mommy to two beautiful girls. It's also hard to believe that Katie is going to be a big sister. My little baby is about to become the oldest. She knows that something is different about mommy and she points at my tummy and says "Carly" but in reality I don't think she has any idea how much life is about to change. I am doing my best to talk about the new baby and she is responding by really getting into playing with her dolls. I just don't know how, or even if you can prepare a 16 month old for the type of change that is coming her way. I want to give her a lot of attention now since I won't be able to as much after Carly is born, but then again I want to encourage her independence as well. It's a fine balance and isn't that what parenting is all about?

In the meantime, I cherish moments like this where she holds still for more than 5 seconds and cuddles with Jeff or I.

Transition Time

***Evening Update: Katie slept for 2 hours today!!!!! Wooohooo!

This week I have been transitioning Katie to one afternoon nap instead of two. She has never been a great napper and lately it was taking her 20 minutes or so to fall asleep so I figured we might as well take the plunge. The first day was great. I kept her busy all morning and she slept from about 1-3:45. Wooohoo! That was way too easy. Second day we stayed busy again in the morning and she never really got fussy until lunch time. I gave her lunch and we went through our little pre-nap routine. She went down at 1:00 but was awake at 2:00 and ready to go. I guess I got lucky the first day. Yesterday she was at daycare and again only slept for about an hour and fifteen minutes. The frustrating part is that she is not only getting less sleep during the day but she is also waking up earlier in the morning. I have read a lot of conflicting things about how much sleep a 16 month old needs but I suppose that since she is happy most of the time I shouldn't worry about it. It sure would be nice to have a regular, consisten 2-3 hour break in the afternoon, especially with a newborn on the way.

Today is day four of one nap and we will see how it goes. My goal is to get a 2 hour nap out of her and then have her sleep for about 10-11 hours at night. That may be too much though so I will just have to let her take the lead on this one. It's so hard giving up control when you think you know what is best for your little one. I have tried a lot of things to get her to sleep longer and nothing works. Once she wakes up she is up, but the good thing is that she will stay happy and content in her crib for 30-45 minutes. So technically I get about a two hour break which this preggo mommy defintely needs and appreciates.

Earlier today we soaked up some beautiful sunshine with daddy and grandpa. Jeff is painting our deck today and I will have before and after pictures of that tomorrow.

Someone was getting tired and it wasn't Jeff.

Teething - Round 2

We have entered the second round of teething. Unfortunately Lil Miss still only has two little chompers coming, in but by the way she is acting you would think she was getting a mouth full of teeth. She is crying a lot and just wants to be in her mommy's arms and suck her thumb so that was how we spent a large portion of our day yesterday. Luckily she is sleeping well (thanks to baby Motrin) and even took a 2 hour nap yesterday which she never does. We also went over to our neighbors house for a little playdate which was a lot of fun. The 3 kiddos played and the other mommy and I talked about what else, our kids. It was a good distraction for Katie and she had fun playing with some different toys. Next week we will be hosting at our house and I will try and remember to take some pictures.

So as I sit here enjoying my decaf coffee and eating my cereal before the sun has even come up, I am reminding myself that today is a new day. Hopefully Lil Miss will wake up happy and cheerful and back to her old self. And if she doesn't, than I will get a second day of cuddles....which I think can handle.

Swimming and Sunglasses

Katie had her first of four swimming lessons on Saturday and she absolutely loved it! Jeff got in the pool with her and at first both she and daddy weren't so sure, but then as the class progressed they were both smiling and really enjoying themselves. Jeff was a little uncomfortable with all of the silly songs and "circle time activities" but once Katie started laughing and talking more he loosened up and they both didn't want swim lessons to end. I watched from the side and got the lucky job of getting a squirmy, wet one year old dried off, diapered and dressed in a crowded locker room with no place to lay her down. I am going to have to get creative on how we do that next week.


Later that afternoon we did some BBQ'ing and let Katie explore the backyard. She had so much fun walking all around and checking things out. She especially loved grandpa's ladder and the sound it made when she ran her fingers down the metal.



We have been having the most beautiful sunny weather so we figured with spring coming up it would be a good idea to get Lil Miss some sunglasses. We got ones that have a velcro band around the back so she can't get them off easily (although she did figure out how to pull them down). We are most definitely biased but I think she is one cute baby in shades!

Teething or Something Else?

This is one tired mommy here because Lil Miss has been waking up every 1-2 hours the past four nights. She is normally such a good night sleeper and has consistently slept 11-12 hours solid since she was 5 months old so this new pattern has been exhausting on daddy and I. The first night I thought that her tummy was upset and that was why she was waking up. I tried to think about what she ate that was different and all I could come up with was bbq pork but you wouldn't think that would bother her. So I hoped it was a one time deal but nope, Friday night was worse and my poor baby just kept waking up crying. This was when I thought she might finally be getting her first tooth, but then on Saturday she had a really runny nose so I thought maybe she was getting sick. She wasn't real fussy during the day though so I was really confused about what was going on. Saturday and Sunday nights were the same and even with baby Motrin she isn't sleeping well. I am hoping that if it is teeth they just pop through and if it is a cold, I am hoping she gets better before we get on a plane to go to Texas on Saturday. It is already going to be a long travel day for all of us so the last thing we need is for anyone to be sick. I am hoping that tonight I get a good nights sleep again. This mommy needs it!

My Favorite Things

Now that Katie is almost 10 months old and all of the baby "necessities" are out of the family room I started thinking about my favorite, couldn't have lived without, baby stuff. There are lots but I am going to share my top three and one that I never should have bought.

#1 - Bathtub.

This little thing has been wonderful from the moment we gave Lil Miss her first bath. She loved it then and still does today. When she was little we used the net that was like a baby hammock (which isn't in the picture). It worked perfectly. Now, she can sit in the big girl bath tub but we prefer to keep using it because it keeps her a little more contained which is important since she constantly wants to climb around in the tub.

#2 Tiny Love Play Mat
We only used this until she was about 6 months old but it was well worth it for those few months. Katie loved looking at all of the toys but the mirror was her absolute favorite. It was also great because it gave mommy a few minutes of time to myself where I didn't feel like I had to be constantly entertaining her. And in the beginning a new mommy definitely needs some me time.

#3 BuggyBagg Shopping Cart Cover

I love this and couldn't live without it! Yes, I admit, I am a little bit of a germ freak and am the girl that always wipes down the handles of the grocery cart before touching them. Therefore, this product was a lifesaver because now I don't have to worry about putting my precious little baby in a cart where hundreds of other babies have been. Plus, it makes shopping so much easier now that I can actually put groceries in my cart instead of trying to carefully arrange them around the infant seat carrier. It even comes with a little pillow to help support them if they aren't completely sitting up on their own. And it has little hooks to attach toys to so they don't get thrown onto the dirty floor. I think this is a must have for every mommy out there and they come in a lot of different colors. I got a black and white one but couldn't find a picture of it.

And now the thing I wasted money on and could never really use....the Hotsling. Remember this picture....poor Katie was so scrunched up in there and I never could really figure it out so both of us could be comfortable.