Jacob's nickname will be JJ, I think. That's what Ally calls him.
Noo-noo is always way of saying "Love You" and is becoming common-speak in my family.
My brother Rob calls her his Green Bean. When Jane (Rob's wife) asked Ally if she was her (Jane's) Green Bean, Ally replied, "No! Rob's Bean." I was telling Ernest about it on the phone tonight with Ally sitting nearby. Ernest asked her if she was Daddy's Green Bean too. Ally said, "No! Mama's Bean." I guess I rank.
She's doing pretty well with telling us when she needs to pee, but when it's a number 2, she hasn't caught on that she's supposed to tell us BEFORE she goes. If you ask her if she pooed, she'll say, "No" and then "Ally, bum, poo."
When she toots, she says "Me, toot!" Gotta love Dad encouraging the burping and farting. Although, the other day she tooted in the store, and Jane asked her about it. Ally denied it and said that "Dee-dee" (Lucy, one of her cousins) did it. Jane was telling me the story that night, and Ally happened to toot again. We asked if Lucy did it, and she said, "No, me toot!"
When I pick her up from Jane's house, she comes running and flinging herself at me saying "My mama" over and over and touching my face. Then I get a big hug with her saying "Hug, hug, hug. My mama."
If I help her with anything she'll repeat afterward, "Mama helped me" or "Dada helped me" over and over.
She insists that JJ is cute. And if you ask her who else is cute, you'll probably hear (in this order) "Ally" (sometimes she says "Me" now instead of her own name), "Mama," and "Dada."
She knows "two," and can't count to 4 most of the time. She gets a little lost with 5. She also can name the letters A, S, E, and O most of the time.
Common excuses for not going to sleep, mostly in this order: "Drink!" or "Water," "Mama sing," "Potty," "Scared," or the one that cracks me up - "In there!" which means our bedroom. She loves to lay in our bed.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Conspiracy Theory
It's a conspiracy I tell you. Kids have ESP and they use it to communicate with each other for the purpose of thwarting their parents. This was last night and this morning at my house.
7:00 - Begin getting Ally ready for bed. Going potty, taking her vitamin, brushing her teeth, massaging her legs, putting on pajamas.
7:20 - she can watch a 20 minute episode of Backyardigans or Dora, sitting quietly. I feed Jacob.
7:40 - Jacob gets laid in his crib and is asleep. We go to Ally's room and read two books. Say prayers, and tuck her into bed.
7:50 - I stand in her doorway and sing a couple of lullabies to her and tell her Good Night.
7:50:30 - she comes running into the hall - "Mama, mama!" I pick her up and put her back into bed (trying the Baby Whisperer thing where you don't interact with them, just put them straight back into bed).
7:50:45 - running out again - "Mama, mama!"
Continue repeating about every 30 seconds for the next 10 minutes. Then she tries "Potty!" Since we are potty training her and we've told her to tell us when she needs to go, I took her. And she did potty. Unfortunately, Mama (that's me) bumped into the toilet lid while helping Ally get back into her PJ's and caused the lid to fall, which resulted in a wail from Jacob's room. Ernest went to get him and calm him back to sleep. I put Ally back in bed.
8:01 - running out again with her pillow and blanket this time - "Mama, in there!" (pointing to our bedroom. I pick her up and put her back in her bed.
Repeat roughly every 45 seconds for the next 10 minutes.
8:10 - still running out into the hall, but now with her pillow, two blankets, and her bunny - "Mama, scared!" I put her back into bed, and then stood in the hall where she could see me - just in case she really was scared.
Repeat this again about every 45 seconds for the next 5 minutes or so.
8:15 - She starts to settle down. Then Jacob cries. "JJ cry" and she tries to go see him.
Continue repeating, but with the change that when Jacob would start to settle down, Ally would cry out and get him going again, and vice-versa.
8:30 - Ernest and I switch. I feed Jacob a little bit more and cuddle him. Ernest continues to put Ally back in her bed.
8:40 - Ally is singing to herself, but staying in bed. I put Jacob back to bed. No one else comes out of their room.
8:45 - Ernest and I turn on American Idol in the living room quietly and wait to see if Ally comes out again. I cuddled next to him on the couch and fell asleep before 9:15.
9:30 - we both go to bed.
1:00 - Ally wakes up needing to go to the bathroom. Ernest takes her. Then she doesn't want to go back into her own bed, "In there!" Ernest keeps putting her back in bed and trying to keep her quiet so Jacob doesn't wake up.
1:30 - I try my hand at getting her back to sleep by tucking her in and singing one lullaby to her. She didn't like it, but did stay in bed.
1:45 - I get back in my bed and try to go to sleep.
2:30 - Jacob gets up to be fed.
2:50 - Jacob goes back to sleep. And I'm thinking of how this whole thing is a kid conspiracy. I could have slept 5 whole hours if Ally hadn't woken up. I think I've made it past the 4 hour mark maybe once.
5:00 - Ernest's alarm starts going off. I have no idea what time he got up but I think it was close to 6.
6:15 - My alarm goes off and I hit snooze once.
6:25 - I got up and got myself ready
6:45 - Didn't wake Jacob up, but picked him up to begin feeding him. All week when I change his diaper and get him changed before feeding him he wakes up completely and just wants to smile and play. Very nice, but stinks when I have to leave the house before 7:30 and want to nurse him first!
7:05 - Jacob's diaper changed and dressed.
7:10 - Got Ally up and ready for the day. She was pretty sluggish so it took a bit to get her going.
7:30 - got in the car and drove the kiddos to Jane's.
And they look so sweet and innocent.
7:00 - Begin getting Ally ready for bed. Going potty, taking her vitamin, brushing her teeth, massaging her legs, putting on pajamas.
7:20 - she can watch a 20 minute episode of Backyardigans or Dora, sitting quietly. I feed Jacob.
7:40 - Jacob gets laid in his crib and is asleep. We go to Ally's room and read two books. Say prayers, and tuck her into bed.
7:50 - I stand in her doorway and sing a couple of lullabies to her and tell her Good Night.
7:50:30 - she comes running into the hall - "Mama, mama!" I pick her up and put her back into bed (trying the Baby Whisperer thing where you don't interact with them, just put them straight back into bed).
7:50:45 - running out again - "Mama, mama!"
Continue repeating about every 30 seconds for the next 10 minutes. Then she tries "Potty!" Since we are potty training her and we've told her to tell us when she needs to go, I took her. And she did potty. Unfortunately, Mama (that's me) bumped into the toilet lid while helping Ally get back into her PJ's and caused the lid to fall, which resulted in a wail from Jacob's room. Ernest went to get him and calm him back to sleep. I put Ally back in bed.
8:01 - running out again with her pillow and blanket this time - "Mama, in there!" (pointing to our bedroom. I pick her up and put her back in her bed.
Repeat roughly every 45 seconds for the next 10 minutes.
8:10 - still running out into the hall, but now with her pillow, two blankets, and her bunny - "Mama, scared!" I put her back into bed, and then stood in the hall where she could see me - just in case she really was scared.
Repeat this again about every 45 seconds for the next 5 minutes or so.
8:15 - She starts to settle down. Then Jacob cries. "JJ cry" and she tries to go see him.
Continue repeating, but with the change that when Jacob would start to settle down, Ally would cry out and get him going again, and vice-versa.
8:30 - Ernest and I switch. I feed Jacob a little bit more and cuddle him. Ernest continues to put Ally back in her bed.
8:40 - Ally is singing to herself, but staying in bed. I put Jacob back to bed. No one else comes out of their room.
8:45 - Ernest and I turn on American Idol in the living room quietly and wait to see if Ally comes out again. I cuddled next to him on the couch and fell asleep before 9:15.
9:30 - we both go to bed.
1:00 - Ally wakes up needing to go to the bathroom. Ernest takes her. Then she doesn't want to go back into her own bed, "In there!" Ernest keeps putting her back in bed and trying to keep her quiet so Jacob doesn't wake up.
1:30 - I try my hand at getting her back to sleep by tucking her in and singing one lullaby to her. She didn't like it, but did stay in bed.
1:45 - I get back in my bed and try to go to sleep.
2:30 - Jacob gets up to be fed.
2:50 - Jacob goes back to sleep. And I'm thinking of how this whole thing is a kid conspiracy. I could have slept 5 whole hours if Ally hadn't woken up. I think I've made it past the 4 hour mark maybe once.
5:00 - Ernest's alarm starts going off. I have no idea what time he got up but I think it was close to 6.
6:15 - My alarm goes off and I hit snooze once.
6:25 - I got up and got myself ready
6:45 - Didn't wake Jacob up, but picked him up to begin feeding him. All week when I change his diaper and get him changed before feeding him he wakes up completely and just wants to smile and play. Very nice, but stinks when I have to leave the house before 7:30 and want to nurse him first!
7:05 - Jacob's diaper changed and dressed.
7:10 - Got Ally up and ready for the day. She was pretty sluggish so it took a bit to get her going.
7:30 - got in the car and drove the kiddos to Jane's.
And they look so sweet and innocent.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Kitchen Remodel
The never-ending kitchen remodel. We started about a year ago I think. We are mostly finished, but not quite. Here's what happened. It started when our tiny oven went out. It was a wall over that was probably original with the house. Half of my cookie sheets wouldn't fit inside of it. It began to die, so we started to look at replacing it. You could still purchase wall overs that would fit the cutout, but it would cost over $600. We could get a new standalone for less than that. So se decided we'd remodel part of our kitchen and get a standalone stove instead of our countertop cooktop and wall mount oven. One thing led to another, and we eventually ended up remodeling the entire kitchen, including taking out two walls, adding a wall, replacing the floor, filling in a window, new cabinets, new counter tops, new stove and fridge (second hand, but new to us), taking the carpet out of the dining room (yes!!!), and probably more that I'm not thinking of right now. They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Let's let them speak.
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
We did most of the work ourselves. I even reupholstered the chairs (they were a nasty stained brown before). Now they match my curtains and are covered in kid-proof plastic.
We still have some finishing touches. Where we took the wall out, the ceiling still needs to be touched up. The trim boards around the cabinets and walls are not all up yet. I think that's about it. Almost there!
BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
Ally's 2nd Birthday!
My little girl is two years old! It's so strange to see how she's grown-
One of the sweetest things she does now is stroke your face and say, "Mine." Or, she'll say "My Mama" or "My Dada" or whoever you might be. Very possessive, but so nice. When she wakes up from naps she'll usually give me a sleepy smile and then say "noo noo" which is how she says "Love You." She has stolen my heart.
Other things she does now - Jumps. All of the time. And she says "jump jump jump" when she does it. Makes the sound of any animal that she sees or hears you mention. One of my favorites now is "ribbit." Wants to do EVERYTHING herself. We hear "No! Me!" a lot. We try to let her be independent and try not to get frustrated when it slows us way down or makes a bigger mess. Throws her food on the floor if we don't get it off her high chair quick enough when she's done. Loves to clean anything with a wipe. The walls, her toys, her face, her shoes, Jacob - so we have to watch pretty close. She still hates to go to sleep. Though now she insists that I stand in her doorway and sing to her before she falls asleep. It's sweet the first 3 or 4 times I sing the lullaby to her. She's quite good with colors now, and is learning numbers (she thinks counting starts with two though, not one), and even trying do to Left and Right with her.
For her birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago, we just had cake and ice cream and invited our family and a couple of friends over. With such a large family around here it gets hard to do things with very many other people, especially inside in February. Anyway, we didn't do anything big. But I did try my hand at a birthday cake for her again. She's been very into Dora the Explorer lately, so I decided to do a Dora cake. I decided to go get her a Dora figurine from the toy section of the store and use that as a combination gift and cake decoration. I was very disappointed in the selection at Walmart and was too tired to go anywhere else. We ended up with a Bath Time Castle which had a Dora and a Boots in it, both dressed in medival attire. So there went my plan of an outdoor adventure cake. Now I needed a castle.
My neice, Sophie, volunteered to come over and help me decorate the cake. I made marshmallow fondant and a milk chocolate layer cake. I love this fondant, by the way. So easy to make, easy to use, and tastes great. First I did a two-layer square cake. We tried to use smaller squares of cake to make turrets, but I couldn't get them covered neatly in fondant. So, I took four of Ally's small snack cups and covered them in fondant. Then we used cookie cutters to cut out fondant and decorated the rest of the cake. We used icing to stick the fondant pieces on. I thought the end result was cute and it tasted really good. I really need to do this more often so that I can get better at it!
birth
1 year old
2 years old
According to my babycenter.com weekly e-mails, she is now a "pre-schooler" instead of a toddler. I'm not sure I believe that. Whatever you call her though, she is quite the character and smart as a whip. She is loving being an older sister. We hear constantly, "Aww," "Cute," and "Mine" from her when she's referring to Jacob. She loves to hold him, though she gets done with that if he starts to wiggle much or cry. She'll lay on the floor and play with him, or bounce him in his bouncer (he's not so fond of that one), and try to give him his dummy - whether he wants it or not.
Tonight we were getting her ready for bed and I had Jacob on the floor in her room with me. I picked Jacob up so she could give him a hug. She did that very well, but Jacob, being two months old, still doesn't have great control of his head and wapped her on the chin with his head. Neither of them liked that much. It was hard not to laugh though, when Ally grabbed her chin with one hand and wagged her finger on the other hand saying, "No, no, Jacob." It's funny how much she learns just by observing. We are really having to start watching what we do and say around her! She's started clapping her hands when she says "No!" Ernest and I had both done that at times when we were trying to get her attention.
One of the sweetest things she does now is stroke your face and say, "Mine." Or, she'll say "My Mama" or "My Dada" or whoever you might be. Very possessive, but so nice. When she wakes up from naps she'll usually give me a sleepy smile and then say "noo noo" which is how she says "Love You." She has stolen my heart.
Other things she does now - Jumps. All of the time. And she says "jump jump jump" when she does it. Makes the sound of any animal that she sees or hears you mention. One of my favorites now is "ribbit." Wants to do EVERYTHING herself. We hear "No! Me!" a lot. We try to let her be independent and try not to get frustrated when it slows us way down or makes a bigger mess. Throws her food on the floor if we don't get it off her high chair quick enough when she's done. Loves to clean anything with a wipe. The walls, her toys, her face, her shoes, Jacob - so we have to watch pretty close. She still hates to go to sleep. Though now she insists that I stand in her doorway and sing to her before she falls asleep. It's sweet the first 3 or 4 times I sing the lullaby to her. She's quite good with colors now, and is learning numbers (she thinks counting starts with two though, not one), and even trying do to Left and Right with her.
For her birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago, we just had cake and ice cream and invited our family and a couple of friends over. With such a large family around here it gets hard to do things with very many other people, especially inside in February. Anyway, we didn't do anything big. But I did try my hand at a birthday cake for her again. She's been very into Dora the Explorer lately, so I decided to do a Dora cake. I decided to go get her a Dora figurine from the toy section of the store and use that as a combination gift and cake decoration. I was very disappointed in the selection at Walmart and was too tired to go anywhere else. We ended up with a Bath Time Castle which had a Dora and a Boots in it, both dressed in medival attire. So there went my plan of an outdoor adventure cake. Now I needed a castle.
My neice, Sophie, volunteered to come over and help me decorate the cake. I made marshmallow fondant and a milk chocolate layer cake. I love this fondant, by the way. So easy to make, easy to use, and tastes great. First I did a two-layer square cake. We tried to use smaller squares of cake to make turrets, but I couldn't get them covered neatly in fondant. So, I took four of Ally's small snack cups and covered them in fondant. Then we used cookie cutters to cut out fondant and decorated the rest of the cake. We used icing to stick the fondant pieces on. I thought the end result was cute and it tasted really good. I really need to do this more often so that I can get better at it!
Back to "normal"
So, my dream of staying home after Jacob was born only lasted 9 weeks. It was wonderful while it lasted. I actually went back to work on March 4th, thinking I'd give myself a day to kind of settle in. Everyone knows the last day and first day are pretty much useless for getting anything done. It was great to see all of my co-workers. Most I count as friends, and I had missed them. The work, however. Bah. It didn't take any time at all for people to hear that I was back at work. And by Monday afternoon, it was like I had never left. Except I had a lot more work to do (2 months worth, to be exact).
I did survive the week. Which was actually a little surprising, since Ernest was working 12 hour days. I'm not complaining though - the overtime pay will be very welcome. In the coming months we have a bathroom remodel to complete, repairs in the other bathroom, a trip to Colorado for Ernest's Dad's wedding, besides expenses/daycare for a second kid. Anyway, since he's working 12 hour days, I've been having to get myself and the two kids ready to go in the morning, then pick them up after work, take care of dinner, housework, and bedtimes. Ernest gets home about the time that Ally is ready for bed.
I've had to trick her a little bit. Ideally, her bedtime (as in the time she should be falling asleep) is 8:30. Problem is she fights it so hard and has been known to stay up after 10. I've started getting her ready for bed at 7:00 - potty, brushing teeth and hair, massaging legs, and pajamas. Then she gets a sticker if she potties and one for doing well with brushing her teeth since she doesn't like to let me do it for very long. Next she gets to watch a Dora the Explorer on TV. Then about 7:45 it's time for a bedtime story, prayer, and then I'll sing to her for a few minutes after she gets into bed. It's still a struggle, but she has been getting to sleep before 9, and more often closer to 8:30. It makes for a long evening for us though, and it's hard to get anything done.
I'm back to feeling like I can't keep up with everything. I really need to get over this. It's gotten bad enough that I can't even sit in the evening and cuddle with Ernest in front of the TV. I'm fine for a few minutes and then I start think of all of the things I should be doing (including going to bed because I know Jacob will be getting up in 3 hours to eat). I get antsy and stop enjoying myself. It's really a pain. I am trying though. We've broken down the housework tasks into items to do each day and it is posted in the kitchen. For example, Monday is the day to gather up all of the trash and take it out (Trash Pickup is Tuesday), and clean the living room. Tuesday is cleaning the kitchen and the hall bathroom. We pick up stuff most every day, but I'm hoping that a schedule kind of like this will help stay on top a bit more.
All in all it's been a week that I've felt fairly proud of. I made it to work every day at a decent time. I took Jacob to his 2 month checkup. I prepared my lesson for Relief Society. I made dinner every night (except one night I skipped dinner and just had strawberry shortcake). I've mostly kept up with my housekeeping list. I made it grocery shopping. I've had Ally and Jacob in bed almost every night by 9:00 (with Ernest's help). I've managed to give both kids baths when I was here alone - normally it's a team effort. I still have a list of things to work on as I have time and energy, but I feel it was a decent start to our "normal" schedule.
Jacob has helped with this too. He was waking up every 3-4 hours wanting to eat, but all of a sudden in the middle of the week he's started skipping his midnight feeding. It doesn't seem to matter what time he gets his last feeding, as long as it's between 7:30 and 11. If it's anytime in that area, he wakes up right around 3 wanting to eat. And he's been a champ about going right back to sleep. So I can be back in bed by 4 at the latest. Funny thing is, he then goes back to his 3-4 hour schedule and gets up between 6 and 6:30 wanting to eat again. That stretch is certainly helping though. I am trying to be patient though, until he manages to go all night. It's easier with him than it was with Ally, and I think part of is that I KNOW it will get better. It doesn't hurt that he is a pretty good baby anyway and cute as a button.
I did survive the week. Which was actually a little surprising, since Ernest was working 12 hour days. I'm not complaining though - the overtime pay will be very welcome. In the coming months we have a bathroom remodel to complete, repairs in the other bathroom, a trip to Colorado for Ernest's Dad's wedding, besides expenses/daycare for a second kid. Anyway, since he's working 12 hour days, I've been having to get myself and the two kids ready to go in the morning, then pick them up after work, take care of dinner, housework, and bedtimes. Ernest gets home about the time that Ally is ready for bed.
I've had to trick her a little bit. Ideally, her bedtime (as in the time she should be falling asleep) is 8:30. Problem is she fights it so hard and has been known to stay up after 10. I've started getting her ready for bed at 7:00 - potty, brushing teeth and hair, massaging legs, and pajamas. Then she gets a sticker if she potties and one for doing well with brushing her teeth since she doesn't like to let me do it for very long. Next she gets to watch a Dora the Explorer on TV. Then about 7:45 it's time for a bedtime story, prayer, and then I'll sing to her for a few minutes after she gets into bed. It's still a struggle, but she has been getting to sleep before 9, and more often closer to 8:30. It makes for a long evening for us though, and it's hard to get anything done.I'm back to feeling like I can't keep up with everything. I really need to get over this. It's gotten bad enough that I can't even sit in the evening and cuddle with Ernest in front of the TV. I'm fine for a few minutes and then I start think of all of the things I should be doing (including going to bed because I know Jacob will be getting up in 3 hours to eat). I get antsy and stop enjoying myself. It's really a pain. I am trying though. We've broken down the housework tasks into items to do each day and it is posted in the kitchen. For example, Monday is the day to gather up all of the trash and take it out (Trash Pickup is Tuesday), and clean the living room. Tuesday is cleaning the kitchen and the hall bathroom. We pick up stuff most every day, but I'm hoping that a schedule kind of like this will help stay on top a bit more.
All in all it's been a week that I've felt fairly proud of. I made it to work every day at a decent time. I took Jacob to his 2 month checkup. I prepared my lesson for Relief Society. I made dinner every night (except one night I skipped dinner and just had strawberry shortcake). I've mostly kept up with my housekeeping list. I made it grocery shopping. I've had Ally and Jacob in bed almost every night by 9:00 (with Ernest's help). I've managed to give both kids baths when I was here alone - normally it's a team effort. I still have a list of things to work on as I have time and energy, but I feel it was a decent start to our "normal" schedule.
Jacob has helped with this too. He was waking up every 3-4 hours wanting to eat, but all of a sudden in the middle of the week he's started skipping his midnight feeding. It doesn't seem to matter what time he gets his last feeding, as long as it's between 7:30 and 11. If it's anytime in that area, he wakes up right around 3 wanting to eat. And he's been a champ about going right back to sleep. So I can be back in bed by 4 at the latest. Funny thing is, he then goes back to his 3-4 hour schedule and gets up between 6 and 6:30 wanting to eat again. That stretch is certainly helping though. I am trying to be patient though, until he manages to go all night. It's easier with him than it was with Ally, and I think part of is that I KNOW it will get better. It doesn't hurt that he is a pretty good baby anyway and cute as a button.
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