Lila at 3.5

Oh Lila. What to say about this little girl? She never stops. She is constantly talking, singing, humming, moving! She is exhausting. She tests my patience every day. But she is incredible!! She is SO smart and hilarious and sweet. She is also sassy, bossy and literally causes us headaches every day.

I'm not sure how to organize my thoughts, so here is my brain dump about Lila:

She is about 31 lbs and 37 inches tall. She is wearing 3T and 4T and size 9 shoes. She prefers dresses but will usually agree to wear what I want her to.

Lila was retested for egg allergy (skin and blood test) and is still severely allergic.

She goes to bed between 8:30 and 9pm and wakes up between 7 and 7:45am. She's done with pull-ups (yay!)

She just started preschool this month. She is going 2 days a week from 9-noon. She is doing really well. She still seems upset when I drop her off, but she has started talking about friends and teachers and says that she has fun. The other day she said, "You know that girl Kate, at preschool, with the yellow hair? She's my friend." I think it is great for her to learn how to handle herself with a group and to meet new kids.

She has a crazy big vocabulary and it is so fun to listen to her come up with stories. She is so creative and funny.

Lila is so klutzy. She falls constantly. She doesn't support her own weight half the time, so she just tumbles over. She is also still quite the daredevil. She will climb up on the back of the couch or the posts on her bed. She will ask, "Is this dangerous?" And when I say yes, she usually says, "Good" and jumps!

She is learning to recognize words, is starting to spell words and knows her letter sounds. She loves PBS online games and Leap Pad apps that show her spelling and letters. She wants to read so badly!

She loves music, dancing, singing and musicals! She is my child, for sure. She loves songs from Newsies, Annie, Dreamgirls, Smash, Shrek the Musical, and many more. I'm starting to introduce her to Wicked, Aida, etc. We are going to our first children's theatre show, Beauty and the Beast Jr. this month! I'm so excited to introduce her to live theatre.

Her favorite things to play with are: Dress up clothes (!!!!), Little People, Littlest Pet Shop, legos, coloring books/easel, any type of craft, playdoh, dolls, magnet dress-up dolls and sticker books. She loves practicing her writing whether it's tracing letters or making lists, maps, recipes, etc. She likes to play outside of course and likes to climb trees, swing, play with balls, riding her bike etc. We got an above ground pool this summer and she has loved swimming! She also just loves to turn on music and dance!

Favorite shows and movies: Sophia the First, Curious George, Handy Manny, Super Why, any Disney princess movie, play-doh shows on Youtube (people demo-ing and reviewing toys and playdoh sets), anything musical!

Lila is a great little girl. She is very challenging because of how strong willed, bossy and grumpy she can be sometimes. But on a good day (and they mostly are good), she is smart as a whip, hilarious and witty, goofy and silly, loving and sweet and great to be around.

She is a sweet big sister. She helps Rosie, brings her toys, soothes her when she cries, etc. She also takes her toys, nudges her so she falls, and wrestles with her. They are really starting to interact and it is so much fun to watch.

A 9 month update on Miss Rosie

Oops I missed the 8 month update! Rosie is now 9 months old! She is getting so big and is really starting to show her personality and is getting very mobile.

Some stats and updates:

Weight - 21 lb 9 oz at her 9 month appt (90th percentile)
Height - 29 inches (90th percentile)
Head circumference - 50th percentile, not sure of size

Sizes - 12 month onesies and pjs, 18 month pants! She hasn't worn shoes yet, but I think size 4.

Eating - She eats EVERYTHING. She is the best eater! She loves baby food of every type. She often eats two containers of baby food for dinner. She also eats a ton of real foods: pancakes, veggies, toast, noodles, diced fruit, chicken, ham, ground beef, etc! She has 4-6 oz bottles 3 times a day and then a 6-8 oz bottle before bed. We've tried a cup but she just slings it around.

Sleeping - She typically sleeps from 8p-7a. She will occasionally wake up and need a paci or a small bottle, probably due to growth spurts or teething. She naps twice a day, usually a shorter nap in the morning and a 2-3 hr afternoon nap.

Motion - Just beginning to crawl on hands and knees. She can get around just by moving in circles, rolling and crawling backwards. She can easily get from crawling position to sitting. She can pull up to her knees, but not completely standing that I've seen. She is getting into everything - pulling on cords, getting into the recycling and of course grabbing Lila's toys!

More new things -

She has her two bottom teeth

She LOVES to dance! Any music or beat she will wiggle and groove!

She can say Mama and Dada. She is babbling and vocalizing a lot. Possibly has said, "hi".

She's been waving for a while but now waves as we are leaving

Trying so hard to clap but hasn't gotten it yet

Personality traits -

Rosie is just the sweetest child. She is mellow and quiet and sometimes shy/bashful.

She is ALL smiles. She hardly ever cries.

She getting a little ornery, like messing with Lila or her toys seemingly on purpose.

Rosie LOVES Lila. She is so entertained by her but also is rightfully a bit overwhelmed by her!

She is such a great complement to Lila, quieter but will still let her opinion known.

I am SO lucky to have these sweet girls!!!

Rosie is 7 months old!

I can't believe Miss Rosie is already 7 months old. She has changed so much this month! At her 6 month checkup she was 18 lbs 5 oz. and almost 28 inches. She is 95th percentile for height and 75th for weight.

She has tried lots of new foods this month, including pureed baby foods like pears, apples, peaches, etc and baby oatmeal. She has also tried bites of toast, corn, potatoes, avocado, plums, peaches and other veggies and fruits. She can pick up puffs and cheerios now too. She LOVES to eat!

We are done breastfeeding now and she is now on formula. It was a totally simple process to wean her, I'm kind of surprised. I am feeling very free now, but it is a tad bittersweet. My last baby is growing up and is done with the boob! I am so happy to be finished pumping! Rosie has made the transition just fine. She is so laid back!

I am also happy to say that she has been sleeping pretty well the last few weeks. Most nights she does sleep through the night 11-12 hours, from 8pm-7am usually. She still occasionally wakes up though around 3-4am. She sometimes naps well, 1 hour in the morning and a longer nap in the afternoon, but other times not so much. We are on the go with her a lot so sometimes she doesn't have the luxury of quiet peaceful nap times. 

Rosie loves sitting on her own and playing with toys, especially cups and bowls. She loves to laugh at Lila. She loves to wave and blow raspberries and bat her long eyelashes. She is the sweetest baby! She is trying pretty hard to crawl or at least reach things. She will lay on her belly and spin all the way around in a circle. She still doesn't roll much at all. She loves to jabber and says mama and other sounds all day long!

All in all, Miss Rose is a happy lovely baby! She makes everyone smile with her funny faces and her sweet personality. We love our Rosie girl!

Rosie is 6 months

Miss Rosie has been here for 6 months and it has really flown by. She turned 6 months old on June 26th. We don't even realize it sometimes how much she is developing and growing! She is getting to be such a big girl.

We go to the pediatrician on Friday, so we don't know her height and weight and all of the stats. But, to me she seems like she is about 18 lbs! She has the chubbiest thighs and I love it!

Rosie can sit all on her own now! She can also roll but chooses not to do it very often. She loves to cuddle, give kisses, blow raspberries and bounce in her jumperoo. She doesn't have any teeth yet but is drooling a lot. She is getting more hair and it is very blond. Her eyes are very light blue and she still has those long lashes!

She generally sleeps from 8pm-7am, but wakes 1 or 2 times. We are trying to get that under control! She usually takes two naps, an hour one in the morning and a long 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. 

We are still nursing, but she is getting more formula now and I am slowing down on pumping (once per day). We will be slowly transitioning to formula only over the next few months. She has tried lots of foods: pureed sweet potatoes, carrots, pears, apples and fresh peaches, bananas and melon. She LOVES eating a ripe peach!

We love our sweet Rosie. She is so calm and mellow and hardly ever cries. She is so content to just lay around and look at a toy or talk to herself. She is so funny and so cute. We love her so much!

Rosie at 5 months

Poor 2nd child Rosie. She is for sure getting the shaft. I have to write her 5 month post because she is 1 week from being 6 months old! She turned 5 months on May 26. To add extra craziness, since May 1st I've been back to work and we've been showing our current house, fixing up our new house and finally moving in a week! Rose has been right along for the ride and she is such a trooper and such an easy baby!

Rosie is a big girl. We think she is close to 18 lbs, but we haven't really weighed her precisely. She is so chunky and has the cutest rolls on her thighs! She is so cuddly. She wears mostly 6-9 months Carter's stuff, but she wears 12 month sleepers. She's in size 3 diapers but I probably just should've bought size 4s. 

We are still going strong on breastfeeding and pumping and she gets a mix of breast milk and formula at Miss Amanda's. Pumping sucks but I'm still doing it and planning on sticking with it for a couple more months. She loves to nurse and is super efficient - 5 minutes and she's done. 

We tried pureed foods this month at about 5.5 months I think. She has had sweet potatoes once and pears once. She did better with the pears and seems more into it each time we try. Lila loves feeding Rosie.

Rosie loves the jumperoo and Bumbo because they allow her to be upright and she is not sitting on her own yet. She is also not rolling but will be soon I'm sure!

She has bright white blond hair, bright big blue eyes, super long lashes that curl up and is SO happy all the time. She rarely cries!

Rosie wakes up a lot at night still. Sometimes 2-3 times, sometimes only once. She naps well on the go or at home, and usually takes at least one long nap and once short one each day. 

She is really a wonderful baby. She LOVES watching Lila. She loves playing with her toes. She loves talking to herself and playing with toys. She is so much more aware of the world now. 

We all love our Rosie girl so much. She is such a great addition to our little family and I'm so glad she has been such an easy, mellow baby so far! I also really cannot believe she is already almost 6 months! 

Rosie is 4 months old!

Rosie was 4 months old on April 26! She is a pretty chill little girl. She hardly ever cries and just kind of sits there and takes it all in. She is pretty enamored with big sis Lila but still flinches when Lila walks by!  

Weight - 14 lb 14 oz at her 4 month checkup still 75th percentile

Height - 25.5 in, I think this was 50th percentile

Size - Diaper size 2, clothes mainly 3-6 months, but her legs are a bit too chunky and long for 6 month pants. She wears 6-9 months or 12 month pjs and pants.

Eating: Eats every 3 hours or so. She is breastfed at home and gets breastmilk and formula at daycare (I started back to work on May 1). Is doing well with the bottle for the most part! Doctor said we could begin food, but we won't until closer to 6 months. She is not ready at all.

Sleeping: Rosie is a pretty good sleeper most of the time. She is normally down for the night at 7:30 and up once around 3-4am. Last night she didn't fall asleep until 8:30 and was up at 2am and 5am! Ugh. But she has slept through the night a few times in the last couple weeks. She's getting there. I swaddle her at night with one arm out typically, but sometimes not at all, especially if it's warm out.

Rosie is so mellow and sweet!

She loves to blow bubbles and coo and practice her voice. She does this weird gasp too. 

She is still not rolling over really but will roll from side to side. She loves playing with her feet now.

She is constantly drooling and chewing on her fingers. 

She gives all of us "kisses" by sucking on our faces. Lila especially likes this.

So far she has liked dipping her toes in the baby pool and swinging in the baby swing. 

Rosie is super chubby and I love it! She is just a wonderful baby!

Just a bit about Big Sis. Lila is doing pretty well too. We've had some growing pains with Lila adjusting to having Rosie, but she is doing better. She does say she loves her now, wants to hold her, play with her, etc. The only problem is Lila also wants to try to get in Rosie's bed, wear her clothes and bathing suits and get up on the changing table. 

The "Terrible Threes" are real and rough. Lila challenges us and throws fits and pushes boundaries daily. But when we witness her being nice to a friend, sincerely thanking someone for a gift, bringing Rosie a toy or being sweet and loving to either myself or Neil, we think we are doing an okay job and she is truly a great little girl under all the 3 year old chaos. 

Lila is strong-willed, opinionated, daring, articulate, imaginative, hilarious and extremely cute. We love her so much and we hope we are doing the right things to help her blossom into a wonderful young woman. We have been given quite an honor to be in charge of raising two little girls, and I hope we are off to a good start!

Here is to another great month with my little blue-eyed beauties.

Rosalie June at 3 months

It's so hard to keep this blog updated, but I wanted to at least get Rosie's 3 month stats recorded since this acts as her baby book. We are selling our house and buying another one, so things are crazy around here.

She doesn't look happy here, but she is ALL smiles these days!

Weight - 13 lb 13 oz at her 3 month checkup (she was 3.5 months), 75th percentile
Height - 24.5 in, also 75th percentile
Size - Diaper size 2, clothes 3-6 months

Eating: Eats every 3-3.5 hours during the day. Typically once overnight between 2-4am, then somewhere around 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm and 7pm and then she is down for the night.

Sleeping: She is a pretty good sleeper with the exception of some growth spurts or developmental leaps here lately which had her up a lot during the night. She goes to bed early between 7 and 8, wakes up to eat in the early morning. She goes down for naps very well on her own, usually without crying at all. About 1.5 hrs after eating, if she looks tired or is yawning, I just lay her down and she falls asleep. Sometimes I swaddle for naps and I always swaddle overnight. She's had some crying spells in the evenings some, but nothing compared to Lila. I remember a lot more cluster feeding and crying with her in the evenings.

Milestones/Things to remember:

Rosalie is just a super sweet baby. She is very mellow and almost seems shy! She will look at you and smile and look away. It's super cute.

She is laughing so much now!

She is grabbing at objects and loves her play mat and chairs with hanging toys.

Not rolling yet, but lifts her head and looks around.

She still loves the bath! Her skin is pretty dry so I don't bathe her often, just a couple times a week for a full bath.

This isn't a great pic of her below, but you can really see how LONG her eyelashes are and how blue her eyes are! Beautiful eyes.

And we can't forget about big sis Lila! 

Lila is doing well! She is the sweetest most loving girl one day and a complete and total hellion the next, just like any good 3 year old is. She has tantrums and whines and talks back, but she is also loving, kind, funny and a pretty good big sister. She loves princesses, the color pink, playing dress up, singing, dancing, coloring and playing with stickers and stuffed "aminals". She loves Rosie now and really likes that she is beginning to respond to her and laugh at her. 

But many of their interactions go like this:

We are all adjusting well to life as a family of 4. It's definitely not easy, but I know I am so lucky to have these two beautiful girls! I can't wait to see them continue to grow and be able to play together. 

Rosie is 2 months old!

Rosie's stats at 2 months:

Weight - 12 lb 4 oz (up 2 lbs since last month!), 75th percentile and a full lb bigger than Lila at this age
Length - 23.5 in (grew an inch), 90th percentile
Head circumference - 15.5

Diapers: Size 1

Clothes: Mostly 0-3, but some 3-6 months. She is very long!

Eating: Rosie eats just about every 3 hours, and is such a quick eater. Anywhere from 5-15 mins and she is done! We give her a bottle every once in a while and she does fine.

Sleep: She sometimes will go 6-8 hours overnight but other times is up every 3. During her 6 week growth spurt we had one sleepless night where she was pretty much eating every hour. Last night she went to bed at 8:30, ate at 4am and back to bed until 8am! She is still in the bassinet or swing in our room. We haven't been swaddling at all, just using a sleep sack until a few days ago when we put her in the Halo swaddle and she seems to do better with it. 

Nicknames: We call her Rosie all the time! I often call her Rose, Rosebud, Rosie June, June Bug, etc.. Lila calls her Rosie, Rosa or "poopy girl", I know, lovely huh?

Milestones / Things to remember:

Everyone says she looks like Neil!

She still likes the bath.

She is cooing and laughing.

Holds head up well when we remember to do tummy time.

Still has all her dark hair, except a bald spot on the back!

At 6 weeks she started going a few days in between BMs, so they are pretty epic.

Lila is pretty good with her most of the time and calls her sweetie and tries to make her laugh. But she has tried to cover her face with a pillow and cut her leg with a play knife and did pour water on her face during bathtime. She also has said "I don't love Rosie!" and asks me to put her down. When Rosie cries, Lila will say she's too loud and hurts her ears or will say, "Mommy, feed her!" So we are still working on sisterly love.

Rosie is a really sweet baby and all of us have adjusted to her being here pretty well. We love her so much!

Lila is 3!

Our gorgeous girl is 3! She had a Frozen party and had a blast. We were ALL exhausted after this crazy weekend. We love our big girl!

Rosalie is 1 Month Old!

Rosie turned one month old on Sunday 1/26! She is getting to be such a big girl. Here she is at one month:

And of course a comparison with Lila at one month old, just for fun. Yes that's the exact same outfit, down to the socks. Lila on the left, Rosie on the right.

Rosie's stats at one month:

Weight - 10 lb 6 oz
Length - 22.5 in
Head circumference - 14.5 

Diapers: Size 1

Clothes: She is in 0-3 months. Some things are still way too big and some things seem too short. I think she has long legs.

Eating: Rosie eats every 2-3 hours during the day and usually goes 4-5 hours at night. Those long stretches usually start around 11-midnight, she's up at 4 or 5am to eat and then back to sleep until 8 or so. She is nursing so well and she is a very quick eater. We started bottles around 2 weeks old and she does really well with them. She has had breastmilk and formula in a bottle and does fine!

Sleep: She is a very sleepy baby and is still rarely awake! She will sleep in the swing, the boppy on the couch and the bassinet, but loves to be in our arms most of all. She puts herself to sleep sometimes so we don't do a lot of rocking and shushing and swaying like we did with Lila. We swaddle with her arms out unless her hands seem cold. She is a loud sleeper and grunts a lot.

Nicknames: We pretty much call her Rosie, sweetie, goofy/goof and "the baby". 

Mommy update / recovery: My recovery has been really good with this birth and compared to my c-section it's been night and day. The first week I felt a lot of discomfort and was taking pain meds, etc. Week 2 I was pretty good except I had some issues with clogged ducts and was running a mild fever. I feel almost back to normal now. Once I go to my 6 week checkup I plan to start working out and eating better so I can start looking more like myself! I gained about 50-55 lbs with this pregnancy and I have about 30 lbs to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy weight!

Milestones / Things to remember:

Rosie's umbilical cord stump fell off super early, like 4 days old!

She likes the bath! It seems to calm her down

She started smiling at 4 weeks. Melts my heart!

We are starting to do tummy time, but she is so mellow she just lays there
Still has all her dark hair

First outing other than the doctor's office was Target at 3 weeks

First outing with both kids was Buy Buy Baby! Neil went with me, so I haven't done a solo trip yet

Here are some other shots from the month:

We love our Rosie girl!

Newborn and Family Photos

Love these photos by our friend Joe at Joseph Danzer Photography! Rosie was 9 days old when these were taken. 

and of course, my wild Lila: