Caylee- 15 Months!

I stopped writing each month after 12 about Caylee's updates.  This was due in most part to the fact that I didn't really have stats for her.  However, she had her 15 months checkup today, so these check ups seem like a good time to update on how she's doing....

Caylee is in the 55% for weight (23 lbs) and 85% for height (31inches).  I still think she's going to be tall and thin, just like Matt.  I know a lot of people say she looks just like me, but that's mostly the hair and eye color.  I see a LOT of Matt in her.  The shape of her eyes, the way she walks and just other little things that remind me of him.  She is definitely 100% a daddy's girl.  She squeals EVERY time he comes home.  This morning we were up early enough to see him leave (which I hope doesn't happen often) and she cried for about 10 minutes after he left.  So sad! 

Caylee is wearing anything that says "12-18 month" and a lot of things that just say "18 month" clothes.  It's amazing how much older she is looking-- especially when I see her near smaller children-- it will be strange seeing her with Micah! 

After her year birthday I tried to cut back on the bottles and just give her cups of milk.  It took a few days of re-learning a new routine, but she got it down, except for the bedtime bottle.  My theory was that there was nothing I wanted her to eat before bed and she could probably use the extra fluids anyways, so we just kept it up.  About 3 weeks ago, she started refusing the bottle at bed.  She might take a small sip, but then it'd be done.  However, she'd wake up an hour or so later fussing and want the bottle.  We started doing a snack time during Wheel of Fortune (her favorite show!).  It has definitely helped and she no longer needs the bottle! 

She loves ALL food.  We can't eat unless it's time for her to eat because she constantly says "more, more".  It does get frustrating saying no when she's had enough, but we can usually distract her with the dogs.  I'm thankful she's a good eater.... loves her fruits (tangerines, pears and bananas right now) and mac and cheese (just like daddy), string cheese, nuggets, peas, oatmeal and yogurt are definite favorites. 

Over the past few months she has really gotten into reading.  She'll bring me books all day long and we can't just read them once.  She says "pah, pah" (please) to keep reading.  I also started her with crayons during the past few months.  She will scribble a little on paper, but it doesn't keep her attention long.  Soon I'll get some real coloring books and we'll see if that helps.  Her favorite toys are her dolls ("baby"), cups, balls, ball popper and kitchen towels-- her new kitchen and the toys with that are quickly becoming a favorite too.  (She loves the towels around her neck and dressing up the dogs).  I also reserve special toys (refrigerator letters, necklaces and pull around dog) for when everything else has failed and we need some new entertainment.  She loves when I pull these out!

The spoon training I started her on a couple months back has really paid off!  She uses a spoon every morning for breakfast and is getting really good!  Towards the end she needs a little help, but for the past 2 weeks she's stopped using her hands altogether with the oatmeal (makes me very happy).  She is very proud of herself when she uses it correctly too.  The fork... well, that's just silly at this age bc they don't make forks sharp enough to get any food.  I don't like the fork....  

Caylee does great in the church nursery, the mom's group nursery and kindermusik.  She is always excited to go in and play, but always excited to see us too (makes me happy).  They love her and say how well-behaved she is!  She still loves her dogs more than any people though... even playing with a friend the other week she spent more time with their dog than their kid.  It's ok, the boys in kindermusik will change that as they are constantly chasing her around-- most of them are only children and I think her hair and everything just intrigues them...

She still doesn't say too many words-- mostly "more"--- it gets frustrating for sure.  We don't always know what she wants.  The main words are "more", "dog", "hi", "bye bye", and she's getting close with "help", "please", "food", and "again".  I am looking forward to the day when her language really picks up.  She has begun pointing to things more in the past few months and that's a little helpful.  She does understand commands really well.  She can go get her snack blanket for me, go get books, find the ball and other helpful chores (picking up things around the house to give to me).  


This day she handed me all the letters in the living room and then one by one put each on the fridge.  That was a great time filler!! I was amazed at how long the game lasted.  It doesn't always last that long :) 

Happy 15 months Caylee Ann! We've been having a blast with you and love you very much!

Fun and Games

Lately, it's been SUPER cold up here!  We were lucky to have a "warm" weekend of 40 degrees and some sunshine, but today's high is 16 and tomorrow will be "slightly cooler" at 10.  First of all, weathermen should never say "slightly cooler" when the temps are below freezing!! 

Anyways, finding things to do can be a challenge.  Luckily, I have a Dr's appt weekly that gets us out of the house and we also have Kindermusik.  (She's doing GREAT in Kindermusik again-- we've really enjoyed the class!!).

However, at home it's a little harder to stay entertained for long periods.  But here's what we've been doing.....

Prepping for Micah's arrival... (laundry, setting up things etc).. she likes to put her baby in the swing and push it.  We'll have to work on gentleness, but she's very good and loves doing it! :)

Playing peek-a-boo....

Coloring... she's getting great at holding the crayon, but coloring doesn't interest her for long at all... maybe soon..

This past weekend, we also made it out to Applebee's as a family for dinner!  I was SO excited, I can't remember the last time we ate out... it was delicious too!!!

And of course, the normal stuff--- playing with her new kitchen (she still loves to "stir" everything!), playing with the dogs and finding old necklaces that I don't need to put around her neck.  Caylee is constantly on the move and very good at entertaining herself... we're very lucky!  I am hoping winter doesn't last forever though! 

Pregnancy #2 Compare/Contrast

I haven't really updated too much about my pregnancy this time around, so this post is more for me than anything.  There won't be any pics- sorry!

Since there are just 2 weeks left until my c-section, I figured I'd better do a comparison post before Micah gets here.  Once he's here, it's all pictures and all about him!!

People often ask if I can feel a difference between carrying a girl and a boy.  YES!  100%, this pregnancy has been a lot different.....it could be mental too, maybe I'm just more prepared for what is to be expected. 

During the first trimester, I was constantly nauseous with both kids.  However, I threw up a LOT more with Micah than with Caylee.  Both 1st trimesters were stressful and emotional... although, that probably would have been the case being pregnant or not.  We had plans to move during Caylee's first trimester (didn't move until the 2nd), so that was an emotional time.  We physically moved during Micah's first trimester (it kinda made the time pass quickly bc we had to find a house, go to a new area, all with a young child- so the pregnancy kinda got put to the side).  Both moves were emotional for different reasons, plus the added hormones probably made it not great timing, but we did it!  With Caylee, I had a lot more scares during the beginning and therefore, she has about 8 ultrasound pics before 12 weeks :)  With Micah, just one scare, and they didn't even give me a picture!  Thankfully, both turned out just fine. 

The second trimester brought relief during Caylee's pregnancy.  I was less tired and had more energy.  I also was SUPER hungry and was able to eat anything I wanted.  That was a problem....  Also, still trying to figure out a new area added a little excitement/nerves.  With Micah the 2nd trimester brought lots of heartburn and bloody noses (weird, but true).  Nothing severe, but I was surprised.  It could have been the new drier environment for the bloody noses, but I did read it was a pregnancy symptom that some women experience (What to Expect When Expecting).  I also had one weekend of high blood pressure... which caused an extreme migraine.  I've had migraines before, but it's been a while and this one last about 4 days.  Although, we figured it might have been the added stress of traveling I had just done because it hasn't been back since.  (Thank goodness!)  I ended up taking tylenol with codeine for the headache- it helped, but having not taken any medicines (besides my normal asthma and Crohn's meds) with Caylee, I was super nervous to take anything with Micah.  But it was better that I felt better and I haven't had to use it since.  I did have more energy and was thankful for that because we had a 1st birthday to celebrate and our weekends were full of figuring out this new area! 

Now I'm in the final stages of the third trimester.  With Caylee I remember spending many nights on the couch.  It was the only place I could find a little bit comfortable.  The sleepless nights could have been the result of the pregnancy, or the anticipation or who knows... but the couch had a little more support and just felt a little better.  By the beginning of the 3rd trimester I was extremely uncomfortable with her (could have been the unnecessary weight gain too-- but thankfully I would lose most of it in the months following her birth!).  With Micah, the beginning still felt great, except for one thing.  Charlie horses.... you know where your leg and toes cramp up?  I have NEVER had so many in my entire life!  As a kid, I'd get them in my toes while swimming.... now, I get them in my legs in the middle of the night-- SO painful!  I added bananas and other foods that were supposed to have potassium, but it doesn't seem to matter.... they come back every night and have left my legs very sore during the day.  Other than that, I haven't had as many sleepless nights (except when up with Caylee occasionally, but that's not pregnancy related).  It could also be the new mattress we got is awesome! :)  I do feel more forgetful this time around than I did with Caylee.  It's now 2 weeks until my c-section and we still have a list of things that need done before he arrives and before company arrives.... I was definitely WAY more prepared with Caylee and I think I had everything done before the 3rd trimester.  Again, this could be that I'm more relaxed this time, or that I have a 1 yr old or who knows.... either way, we have some work to do!  Also with Micah I have had more contractions.  Maybe I had them with Caylee and didn't realize, but because I didn't have full days with a little one I think I was more concentrated on drinking my water and resting- whereas now, sometimes I forget and by the end of the day the contractions start up until I can get fluids and rest a bit.  Nothing serious, and the dr says it's normal, just not super fun for me!  

I really didn't have a ton of cravings with either pregnancy... with Caylee it was mostly the desire for watermelon, which thankfully I had lots of with a majority of her pregnancy being in the summertime.  I was also always hungry with her (maybe that's why she's constantly asking for food!)  With Micah, all I have really wanted is Dr. Pepper and RootBeer. (Matt promised to bring me some when I have him!!)  However, I do mention random things to Matt and he's been amazing at indulging me with those (the other night was french fries from McDonald's- the salt sounded good-- he surprised me with some!).  Otherwise, I've tried to watch what I eat more-so with Micah. 

People also ask about my Crohn's during all this.  It really seems to do a lot better when I'm pregnant.  After having Caylee it flared a ton, but we figured out that it could have been intensified by the pain meds they gave me too (my dr wasn't too great on keeping tabs like my new dr is).  This time around we'll see how it goes, but my current dr is going to give me different meds.  We'll see how it turns out....

All in all, I am SO thankful that Caylee's pregnancy turned out wonderful.  She is so healthy and such a wonderful little girl!  We are praying that Micah is just as healthy too and that the surgery and all goes smoothly.  So far, we've been blessed with his pregnancy even though there have been a few surprise symptoms.  We're definitely excited and ready for him to join our family!

New Oven!

Well... as many know, it's been 6 months since we've had an oven/stove in our house.  About time to get one right?  We did!!!

One minor problem.... 

It doesn't actually work.... 

It works for Caylee though :)  Yep... we bought Caylee a little kitchen.  We couldn't pass up the incredible deal ($90 kitchen for $44).... I had thought we might save it for later in the year, but Matt was too excited to set it up so he did.  She seems to enjoy the pots and pans and stirring.  Over the next few days we'll figure out the food stuff.  Hopefully, she'll love to play in it while I'm in the kitchen cooking meals, that seems to be a hard time around here!So for now, at least there is one oven in our house!! :)

These days...

These days we haven't been up to much.  In fact, many days we spend in our pj's for a majority of the day.  I am exhausted and it's cold outside.  Combine those two things and we have to stay inside to play anyways- so why change?!  We have gotten back into kindermusik for the semester and will go to a few of our Mom's group meetings before Micah arrives.

In the meantime...
Caylee has figured out how to play with her dogs though.  It gives me a nice break and is SO FUNNY to watch.  She realized that throwing a ball will make Diego run- however, she normally aims for his head, we're working on that.  She also learned that Sammy LOVES attention- of any sort.  So, she can pretty much do whatever she wants to him- and does.  Currently, it's putting towels and necklaces over his head.  She's also been enjoying her books lately.  This makes me happy! I love reading (when I have time) and I hope she will enjoy it too.  She brings me lots of books and we read a few pages in each before she usually hands me a new one. 

So that's all we've really been up to... gearing up for Micah to come and getting everything prepped for that also takes up our time.  So many little things to remember to do!!!


She loves giving her dogs hugs and kisses too....

 Sammy is a good sport :)

 This day her pj's were around her neck... she likes to put any clothing she can find around her neck- or towels, or whatever and walk around the house that way.

 She's learning to say "give" so that he'll give her the ball back

 

So excited to throw the ball for him! 

Sunrise

A week or so ago, Caylee was getting up SUPER early! She had been sleeping in til 8, and since we never have much going on I was completely fine with that.  I was enjoying the extra sleep.  Then we went through a short phase of waking between 7 and 7:15 (ya, that's still not early for some, but it is for me when our days are long and we have to stay inside so much).  That was not fun, especially because it's so dark up here for a lot longer in the mornings.  Partly because the sun doesn't shine much anyways and partly just because that's the time of year we are in.  But one day, there was a gorgeous sunrise!  I was happy to be up to see this because the sun quickly faded behind the clouds, but since I had seen the sunrise I knew it was still there.

I think God works that way sometimes.  We might not see Him for stretches of time and think He's not near, but sure enough we'll get a glimpse every now and then and remember that He's always near--even though sometimes we can't look past the clouds ourselves!  What a blessing the sunrise was that day....

 

2013 Begins!

Well... 2013 is officially here!  We made it til 10:30 and never could see the ball drop.  We are SO not prepared to wake up every 2 hours with a newborn... ah!  Even with going to sleep so early we were able to sleep in til 8! (Thank you Caylee!)  Amazing... what a great way to start the new year, with lots of sleep :)

Matt headed out to work this morning.  He had one horse to treat.  Caylee and I had egg and cheese omelets for breakfast and played in the morning.  When Matt came home we decided to build a snowman ("we" means "he"- snow is cold!)  It didn't happen because the snow is too powdery.  So we helped Caylee walk up and down the drive- a little slippery, but she did good!  He pushed her in her car for a little bit and I shoveled the drive.  Don't worry- it wasn't hardcore shoveling... I just pushed off the inch that we got yesterday so I could get my car out. 

Since the snowman didn't work out, Matt thought she might like the large piles we have around... nope, not really interested :)

 Dogs were loving running around outside today.  The temp was 22, but with sunshine it feels much better-  I even took the dogs on an afternoon walk!  When that sun disappears though, watch out- it gets COLD quick!

 Snow driving... looks pretty easy from the driver's point of view :) 

For lunch we went back to our college days and had bagel pizzas!  YUM!  I have to say, they were really good... it's a great meal!  I turned on the Rose Bowl parade of course and we watched that through Caylee's nap.  Then it was time to make snow ice cream!  I was so excited.  I had heard of it, but never made it... here's how it went:
8 cups of snow
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk
splash of vanilla

I thought it was DELICIOUS!  (Maybe that's the pregnancy talking)
Matt hated it! (Didn't like the texture... it's not an ice cream texture for sure)
Caylee will eat whatever you are eating so she seemed to like it... "more, more" is all she says when you have food.

So I ate my bowl of fresh snow ice cream with reeses pieces and I enjoyed it!  I threw the rest out (8 cups is a lot) and I think Diego found it outside to enjoy too...

That about wraps up the new year for us.  Having a holiday on a Tuesday is pretty nice- it threw Matt off some because he keeps thinking tomorrow is Sunday.  I keep thinking only 3 more days and then he's off again!  I kinda like mid-week holidays....

Even though I know we have some hard times coming up, I am glad for days like these- relaxing, full of sleep, good family time and good food.  I hope to have many many more days like this in 2013.