10 Months Old

Hayden turned 10 months old yesterday. I can hardly believe it but first birthday planning has already descended upon us! We didn't do much celebrating over the weekend however. She is still as cute and cuddly as ever, but also impossible to hold at times. She scratches, pinches and pulls hair. Then she flails around like she wants down. But you put her down and she cries. Plus anytime she is in your lap, Jillian wants to be there as well. So then Hayden proceeds to pull her sister's hair, which is also not much appreciated. How do you explain to a 2 year old that the baby doesn't know better? Ugh.

Oh and remember a couple weeks ago when we had the stomach flu, and I bragged about how my kids never get sick? It turns our that karma is a bitch. I really should have known better. Last week Jillian began coughing. Then a fever was added into the mix. While Jillian's fever (but not her cough) subsided over the weekend, Hayden started coughing. Now I have two coughing babies and four nights of very little sleep. No amount of caffeine, it seems, can overcome the effects of sleeping in the recliner with a restless baby, which is what I resorted to after waking up ever 30 minutes to comfort Hayden. Her cries have become hoarse, which is perhaps the most pathetic sound in the world.

I am now just clinging to the hope that some time these girls will finally start feeling better and that I'll get some sleep. And that I won't get sick too.

The Joys of a SAHD

Have you ever left your husband alone with your kids? Do you want to know what happens when you do that day after day? Well it leads to decisions like this on how to dress your 2 year old when Snowpocalypse hits Seattle (aka a couple inches of snow).

Of course Jeramy defending himself well by pointing out that it was Jillian and not him that chose the outfit. And at least she thought to put on a hat.

This and That

I enjoyed a long weekend for President's Day. On Friday, I got a day off from everything which I spent shopping and having lunch with a friend and then doing some more shopping. Of course much of my shopping time was spent at kids clothing stores buying stuff for the girls. Shopping for cute toddler clothes is downright addictive. Even when I need stuff for myself, I can't help but be drawn in to these places.

On Saturday, Jillian started a parent and tot gymnastics class. If you've read my blog for any length of time then you know exactly how much this is right up her alley. Let's just say that she loved it. I'm pretty sure she didn't stop running the entire class, and watching her with the other kids reinforced exactly how energetic she really is even for a two year old. The hard part was getting her to slow down for the circle times and sing songs with the group...it was glaringly obvious that she is not used to being in any sort of instructional type setting. She's only two, so no big deal. But I think this will be a good thing for her for that reason as well.

Overall it was a fun weekend. I can't really say relaxing...because well that word doesn't really exist in my vocabulary for the time being.

And here are a couple of the latest pictures of the girls. And yes in response to everybody's comments on recent pictures, these two are looking more and more alike.

Cousins

Just prior to everybody getting sick, my sister and I managed to get a picture of all three girls together in their cousin's t-shirts. Have you ever seen a cuter group of girls? Jillian was sooooo excited about getting to hold Lily. It is amazing how much of a difference nine months makes. Prior to Hayden's arrival she was oblivious to my pregnancy and once she was here Jillian did not seem to notice very much other than adding the word "baby" to her vocabulary. Now at nearly two and a half years old, she is enthralled with babies. She loves to watch them and hold them. Part of it is probably having had a baby sister for some time now, and part of it is probably just an increased level of awareness. She spends much of her play time now putting all her stuffed animals to sleep...an obvious reflection on how Jeramy and I spend our days trying to get her and her sister to sleep I suppose!

P.S. Between my house and my sister's, little Lily was the only one who didn't get the stomach flu!

Sick :(

We are rarely sick at my house (knocking on wood as I type this). Sure we get a cold or two each season but for the most part the kids and adults in our household seem to be rocking some pretty healthy immune systems. In the 2.5 years since Jillian had been born, neither of my children have had the stomach flu. But that all came to an end this past Monday...

My sister and another friend came over for a play date Saturday morning. We had a fun time and all seemed well. Then on Sunday morning news came that Jaime and her boyfriend had been sick all night. Ugh. By Sunday night it all started at my house when Jillian threw up all over me while sitting on the couch watching TV. I had no idea so much could fit in such a small stomach. I also had no idea how long blueberries and raisins last in your digestive track.

Jillian and I spent the better part of the night together. And then when she seemed to be keeping fluids down again, Hayden started in. And then Jeramy and I weren't feeling so good. It was not pleasant. I so badly wanted to call somebody and have them come take care of all four of us. But then they would get sick too. So we were stuck. And miserable.

It was a lovely Valentine's Day.

By Tuesday we were starting to mend and considering solid foods an option again. I'm back at work today, but not quite 100%.

Being sick sucks. Being sick and having to care for other human beings sucks even harder.

Learning to Speak Jillian

Jillian's pronounciation leaves a little to be desired. Here was our conversation the other day:

Jillian holding toothbrush: "Butt cheeks".

Me: "Butt cheeks? Are you saying butt cheeks? Why are you talking about your butt?"

Jillian: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "Are you poopy? No. Why do you keep telling me butt cheeks???"

Jillian still holding toothbrush: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "What are you trying to say? Are you saying toothpaste?"

Jillian gleefully: "Butt cheeks!"

Me: "Oh you want toothpaste!" I gave her some kids toothpaste.

A few minutes later Jeramy walks in the room.

Me to Jillian: "Tell your daddy how you say toothpaste"

Jillian: "Butt cheeks!"

A Healthy Check-up

We took Hayden in for her 9 month appointment yesterday. Dr. M declared her a happy and healthy baby girl. The stats are:

Height: 27.5" (50th)

Weight: 21 lbs 10 oz (90th)

Head: 18.25" (95th)

So yeah she continues to be a bit on the chunky side but her rolls are crazy adorable. I'm sure her weight gain will slow down as she continues moving more and more. The poor baby seems to have taken a queue from me in the thighs department. She is a definite pear shape. When Jillian was 9 months, she was the same height but a mere 19 lbs...nearly 3 pounds less. Looking back at pictures she was also a lot more mobile. Hayden can do many of things Jillian was doing at the same age in terms of crawling, pulling up on things and climbing stairs but with much less proficiency. Hopefully Hayden will put off walking a couple more months than her sister as well. Jillian was practically running by her first birthday. I much prefer Hayden's low key style.

Whining About Whining

Jillian has hit a phase that cannot pass soon enough. Whining. Oh God does this girl have a talent for it. Plus she is persistent. The whining goes on and on and on, and on the really good days becomes an inconsolable temper tantrum. It increases before nap time and bed time, and a sign of a really horrible day is when it starts first thing in the morning. That was today. I was only too happy to ditch the husband and kids for work today. (But before you go feeling too sorry for Jeramy I should point out that the girls had overlapping naps today for two days in a row which never ever happens on a weekend!)

Now don't get me wrong. I love Jillian. The girl is fun and full of personality. I just hate the whining. I think that I could handle it better if there were some logic to it. Time outs now work well for bad behavior but they do nothing for whining. Jillian's communication skills make it worse too. You know she wants something in the kitchen so so so badly, but who knows what the heck it is. Trying to understand Jillian is like trying to understand Charlie Brown's mom. Jeramy is better at it than I am. I'll be standing with the refrigerator door open showing Jillian food options (and be met with no's and whining) and Jeramy will say she wants an apple.

It is also impossible to figure out what sets her whining off into full blown temper tantrums. For example, on Sunday I decided to wash a blanket from the living room (not on of her blankets but just an ordinary blanket). When she saw me put it in the washer she threw a fit. "Noooo Mama. Please mama noooo!!!". I tried explaining that the blanket was dirty, but rationalizing with a two year old is wasted energy. She screamed and she cried and she begged me to stop washing the blanket for a half hour. The only thing that alleviated the situation was serving macaroni and cheese for lunch.

The only thing we have figured out that does work for whining is tricking her into thinking that we gave her what she wants. For example when she kept dropping macaroni and cheese on the floor after the aforementioned tantrum, she'd cry that she wanted me to pick it up so she could eat it. As I don't trust my floors, I'd pretend to put it in her bowl but then stick it in her napkin. At bedtime she asks for more water than what is in the sippy cup in her bed (bad for potty training I know). Instead of giving her more water, which equals wetting through her diaper, I just go out and pretend to get her more. Dishonest, yes. Effective, yes.

I never said that I was above dishonesty.