Thursday, October 21, 2010

Five Little Pumpkins

One of Adele's favorite "fall" poems is Five Little Pumpkins. (it goes like this:)

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, "Oh my, it's getting late!"
The second one said, "There's a chill in the air"
The third one said, "But we don't care!"
The fourth one said, "Let's run and run and run!"
The fifth one said, "This is Halloween Fun!"
Woosh went the wind, and out went the lights
And the five little pumpkins rolled out of sight!


We stopped by the pumpkin patch at church the other day with all of the quarters from my coin purse, which happened to be just enough to buy five little pumpkins and some fun stickers to decorate them with!





Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Belly Laughs and Birthday Wishes!

Somehow, our "little" Anna turned five months old today. I don't know where the time has gone! She spent her "birthday" being entertained by her favorite big sister (who just so happens to be the BEST big sister, ever!). After dinner, Adele was goofing around in the "piano room" and Anna had the best belly laughs! It was SO cute watching the two of them actually interacting with each other (well, Adele would have been acting silly regardless of Anna's laughs, but still...)
The Best Buds:





5 Month Recap:
Anna is eating solid foods once or twice a day. So far we've tried rice cereal, squash and green beans. She likes them all.
She is sitting on her own for a few seconds at a time. She loves sitting in the Bumbo or in our laps.
She will bring both of her hands together to grab toys (and usually puts them into her mouth).
Her toes are one of her favorite "playthings", followed by the stacking cups and some plush blocks.
She still does not really roll over. She rolls to the side but doesn't like to be on her belly, so she just stops on her side. She can roll off of her belly if she is on a soft surface (like our bed) but doesn't do that often either.
She likes going for walks in the stroller and stays busy watching everything as we go.
She doesn't hate her carseat as much as she used to, but she does get fussy if we go on multiple car rides during the day (she's not incredibly fond of getting strapped into the carseat, is the problem, I think.)

On the Sleep Front:
She has put herself to sleep a handful of times, but usually I rock her (with her paci or nursing) to sleep and then lay her in her crib.
She slept through the night several times, but the past few nights has been up every two hours (!!!) to eat. (Time to let her "cry it out" again, but I've been so tired (because she's been up so much), it's easier to go nurse her rather than staying awake, listening to her cry. It's a vicious cycle. Hopefully it will end soon!)
She takes about three naps a day for a total of 3 or so hours. Naps usually last about 45 minutes, but every now and then she has a long (up to two hours!) nap (which always throws me for a loop!)


All in all, it's been a great five months! I love this little girl more and more every day!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Haunted Happenings

(Alternately titled: The Longest and Most Hodgepodge Blog Post Ever!)

It's been a while since I blogged last. I had a bad case of mastitis last week, Anna's been teething, and Adele has been itchy. What it all boils down to is that the sleep situation hasn't been great...especially for Mommy, it seems! We have been busy enjoying the fall weather, though (but not so much the "summer" weather that keeps reappearing!) and are definitely getting ready for Halloween!

Last weekend we went to a charity event (I guess?) for one of the local hospitals. They were giving away pumpkins ("one per child" while they lasted, which wasn't long considering people took WAY more than their fair share) and food for a suggested donation of $1.00 per person. Costumes were not required, but what's the point of going to a Halloween event without a costume? Daddy was afraid it wouldn't be well attended, but somehow the word got out. We did take one pumpkin for Adele, but skipped on one for Anna since she's so little (and because we saw families carrying handfuls of pumpkins back to their cars without a single child in sight).

Adele had fun bouncing in a bounce house, we saw a wild cat from South America, as well as some rabbits and ponies (we kept our distance from all of the animals, but they were there nonetheless). Adele had fun dressing up in her Belle costume, but Anna's isn't finished yet, so we improvised.

Beautiful Belle:

"I'll get you, my pretty"

uh...

Make that "I'll get you, my piggies!"

Hanging out eating her lunch on the curb

Did I mention that we started Anna on solid foods?
Well...not doritos yet, of course! She did like playing with the empty bag though! (She doesn't really like to be "left out" during meal times!)

We've taken quite a few walks around the neighborhood looking for "scary boo's" as Adele calls Halloween decorations. She usually waves at them as we walk past. She is also quite fond of picking up "treasures" (Sticks, pine cones, crabapples, apples, acorns-although I get a little freaked out about picking up nuts!, etc.) while we walk.





She also insists on "holding" Cookie at times...which is fine, unless there are chipmunks out and about!




Since it is Fall in Indiana, there are times that it is too hot/cold/windy/rainy (although not so much on the "rainy" this year) to go outside as often as we'd like. Anna is glad for her "new" bumbo seat (on "loan" from a friend from church) for the times when we're stuck inside! She is working on grabbing toys with both hands, and of course, EVERYTHING finds its way into her mouth. Including her toes, although she refused to "participate" in that activity while I had my camera out today. (Or maybe she was distracted by those cute leg warmers aka "babylegs" I made her on my recently spontaneously-fixed-on-its-own sewing machine!)
Look at her trying to sit up! (too bad that's not what I was trying to take a picture of!)
Almost:
Finally!
Where is baby Anna? Can you find her?
this is seriously how Anna spends a good portion of her morning "awake" time-she is happy as can be kicking her little legs up while playing in the pack-n-play. I usually am busy getting Adele her breakfast (okay, and MY coffee!!!) and on school days, making Adele's lunch as well, so its nice that Anna entertains herself in the pack-n-play like this! I look over from the kitchen and see her kicking her little feet and fall in love over and over again!


While Anna eats her toes (or naps...), Adele and I have been making lots of Halloween "art projects" to decorate our house as well...I suppose I should try to take some pictures of Adele with her creations at some point! I feel like Anna gets featured a lot more on my blog right now, but really that's because I feel guilty because I take so many fewer pictures of Anna as compared to how many pictures I took of Adele as a baby...life's rough being the second born, eh?

Last tidbit: Today is Memaw and Bapa's anniversary. I tried all morning to get Adele to say "Happy Anniversary" (so we could send them a little video) but she looked at me with this confused look on her face, then tried to say the words, but all that would come out was, "Happy Versary, Anna!" I guess she heard the name "Anna" in the word anniversary, and Happy Anna Versary didn't sound right to her, so she changed it around!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

ONE SONG!

(my apologies in advance, Daddy... I'm "doin'" it.)

If you know Aunt Dee Dee and I, you probably know about our laughing fits. You know, the ones where we are both laughing so uncontrollably that even if we could talk to you and tell you what we're laughing at you wouldn't get it anyway? Well, if you don't know us in person, it happens.

Another thing you may know is that we randomly quote songs to each other. Usually October is "Rent" month because (for reasons unknown) we both like to listen to Rent in the fall.

I digress.

Adele has picked up our passion for quoting songs. However, (and this is probably a "because she's not our twin" thing) it is frequently VERY difficult to figure out just what song Miss Adele is singing...and therefore very difficult to sing along with her, which is what she (sometimes) wants.

For example, during her "big sleepover" at Aunt DeeDee's this summer, Adele was laying on the futon, trying to go to sleep when she started shouting (she doesn't really "sing" just yet) "Mwon San". DeeDee thought something was seriously wrong. Either Adele was incredibly sick, or some cows were dying somewhere. Eventually (somehow?) she figured out that Adele was trying to sing a song. As the weekend went on, we learned that the song was from Snow White (Adele is very good about explaining these things, however she's two, so it still takes some detective work). A few days (and a few You Tube "Snow White, One Song" searches later) we figured out the mystery song (appropriately titled "One Song").

We now have a new "Mystery Song" this time its supposedly from The Little Mermaid, although no amount of You Tube searching seems to be helping. She's singing something about "Princess Dijon". She says that it happens in a scene with Ursula, but Daddy and I can't figure it out. At least she doesn't get *too* frustrated with us when we keep asking her over and over again about this mystery song.

Here is our (appropriately dressed in her Ariel nightgown) "Princess Dijon"




Now get down from there, silly girl, your "dress" clashes with the wall!

Monday, October 4, 2010

But Then Again...

Babies in jeans ARE pretty darn cute!
Especially when they're wearing pumpkin shirts!

or when they're wearing clothes that are several sizes too big! (Okay, technically Adele's not a "baby" anymore...)


It's also tough to top sleeping babies:
Look at her all snuggled up in the sling!

And this one...ahhh...makes me want to go get her out of her crib and snuggle her all night long!

These two weren't sleeping, but they looked pretty cute all bundled up, snuggling on the swing after dinner tonight!

Know What's Cuter Than Babies in Jeans?

Sisterly Love!






Sisterly Love!

They sat like this for about 20 minutes this morning (none of these were posed)...and yes, Adele let Anna suck her thumb. Is there ANYTHING sweeter?!?!

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Where to Start?

Lately my "free time" has been pretty few and far between, as the girls are on different napping schedules. But when I do have a few minutes to myself, my choices have been: Blog, clean or rest.

I've been doing a lot of "resting".

At first, I was resting because I was in that weird (well...weird for a person with young children, I guess) phase of actually getting enough, and possibly too much sleep at night, which somehow always makes me extra tired during the day....and then, starting on Friday night, I went back to the state of being tired because my baby/toddler/dog kept me up all night. Ahh. Such is life.

Anna had several great nights' sleep beginning with the night after her 4 month check up. She slept through the night on and off, and on her "off" nights was waking up around 5:30 to nurse, and then going back to sleep until 7:30 or so. Then the 5:30 wake up time started...migrating? until it was happening around 2:00. I believe that I learned with Adele that the 2:00 hour is like my *prime* sleep time or something, because when I am up during that time of the night, even if I'm only up ONCE and for half an hour or less, I just feel like I miss out on so much sleep!

In reality, she is still sleeping great, even our "rough" nights the past two nights have only meant waking up twice.

Adele's nights have been crazy to say the least. She has woken up with a dry diaper for two days in a row...earning her suckers for breakfast. (Healthy, I know! Don't worry...we follow her sucker with a "normal" breakfast too!) She seems to be waking up less at night because she's itchy, but she's waking up for other random reasons, most recently because her knees "hurt". I'm not sure what that's all about, but my knees used to hurt when I was a kid, and my mom told me (as yours probably did too-especially you, DeeDee)that it was "growing pains"...however, I still get those "growing pains" to this day, and I'm pretty sure that any growing I'm doing is not in my knees anymore!

It seems that Fall has finally settled in Indiana, and the girls and I are trying to make the most out of the gorgeous weather! Cookie is getting spoiled with walks again, and Adele actually enjoys riding in the stroller most of the time, which means I am almost getting exercise on a daily basis (I say almost because Cookie isn't exactly a power walker...)

We've also taken trips to the Children's Museum, Conner Prairie, the Zoo and the library. I think that soon I will attempt to take both girls to the Y by myself. In the summer, it wasn't so bad, but now that it's cooler outside (NOT complaining!) I am worried (probably overly so if you ask Daddy) about keeping Anna warm once she's out of the water. Yesterday the whole family went to the Y, and I went and changed while Daddy stayed in the water with Anna so that I could bundle her and change her without getting her wet from my still-wet suit...Oh well, I'm sure I'll figure it out!

Today Anna actually spent a few minutes in "childcare" at church...sort of. The infant room was closed (she was the only infant there, and we didn't bring her in until half way through the service) so the director of children's ministries just held her as she walked from room to room checking on the other children. Anna's a sucker for one on one attention, and she's not terribly picky anymore about who's giving it to her! Starting at the end of this month, Daddy and I will be taking turns volunteering in the childcare classrooms.


Adele is obsessed with Halloween right now (she was last year too-that's when she coined the phrase "Scary Boo" to refer to anything Halloween. She still looks for "scary boos" (meaning any kind of Halloween decorations) on our walks, but refers to the individual decorations by their names. She is pretty unimpressed with the amount of decorations that are currently up, so hopefully that will change.

In addition to going on outings, I like to do some sort of "craft" or "project" with Adele each day. Some days we bake (her favorite is making "birthday cake" or Rice Krispie Treats, which I can't really argue with-they're Daddy's favorite, and SUPER easy!) We also make little art projects. Last week we put "tissues" over dum dum suckers and added google eyes to make little ghosts. now Adele thinks that there are suckers inside of ALL ghost decorations. We made pumpkins out of foam, and she put them on the door...upside down. She's a HOOT. We got her Halloween costume at Target on Saturday and so far she hasn't asked to try it on, which is a good thing, I don't want her to wear it out before Halloween!

I gave in and started feeding Anna some rice cereal. She got a little rashy. Go figure. I can't tell if she likes it or if she's just particular about being "hungry but not too hungry" when I feed it to her. Some days I can't get the spoon to her mouth fast enough, and some days she'll hold the food on her tongue and scream as if it's hurting her or something. I'm a little surprised, because Adele LOVED her solid foods from the very beginning...well, except for the avocado.




She desperately wants to sit up, and will even do little baby "sit-ups" when laying on the floor, as if she can will herself to standing or something. She watches Adele so closely and I feel like she already wants to be just like her big sissy!

I pulled out Adele's old "favorite" music table, and Anna just LOVES watching Adele play with it when she's not trying to figure it out herself!


And last but not least, how could I not share these?!?!