Happy 4 Months, Annabel!

Annabel Brynn is 4 months old today.  I can hardly believe it!  Time seems to be flying by even faster this time around.

What is Annabel doing at 4 months?

• Goes to bed at 8pm every night & usually doesn't wake until around 5am which is when I give her meds & nurse her a little bit
• She then goes back to sleep until 8am, so pretty much sleeping a full 12 hours.
• She can now put herself to sleep as long as she's in her crib, swaddled, with sound machine & music on
• If she wakes up in the middle of the night, I just re-swaddle her and she goes back to sleep 
• She is very strong & gets out of her swaddle frequently so we are going to try to cut that out, but I know it's going to be hard because it calms her so much.
• Can roll over from stomach to back consistently
• Laughs & talks all the time
• Wears 3-6 months clothes
• Size 2 diapers
• Absolutely loves Adeline - she can be throwing a fit, but if her sister talks or sings to her, she smiles & laughs immediately
• Very alert & loves to watch other kids & people
• Trying very hard to roll from prone to supine & to sit up on her own - she barely needs much support in my lap to sit up
• LOVES her bath - she is more active in the bathtub every night than she is any other time of day.  She's about to outgrow her baby bath so she needs to sit up soon.  She about wiggles herself out of it every night and it just makes Jon & I laugh each time.  Nighttime is so stressful and pure chaos at our house, but watching her splash and giggle makes it much more enjoyable.
• Nurses 6-7 times a day
• Sometimes still takes 2 oz of pumped milk in the evenings
• Tried rice cereal for the first time last night!

She seemed pretty indifferent to it.  She neither loved it or hated it.  I think she actually ate more than Adeline did the first time we gave it to her.  It did not appear to upset her stomach any, but her diaper was stinkier than normal this morning.  Welcome to the world of solids, Annabel! :)

This was from Sunday before church.

Annabel, Mommy & Daddy love you so much!  We can't imagine our lives without you.  You are absolutely gorgeous and so happy all the time.  We think you are going to be our easy-going, friendly, silly little girl and can't wait to see how your personality develops.

And for a comparison....

Adeline

Annabel

Back in the Swing of Things

This week has flown by!  I can't believe it's already Friday afternoon.  We started up all our activities this week so we have been busy busy and that makes time fly.  Let's start at the beginning...

Monday
Adeline started back to KDO so we got an early start to our day.  I'm back in a routine of working out and I usually do it during the girls' afternoon nap, but since we were going to have such a busy day I stayed up after nursing Annabel at 5 and worked out then.  I hated it at the time, but it really made my morning easier.  I was already completely ready by the time Adeline woke up then I was able to eat breakfast & feed Adeline before I got Annabel up.  That made things much less rushed.

After we dropped off Adeline, Annabel and I came back home for her morning nap and I got some cleaning done.  Then we made a rushed trip to the mall for more PJs for Adeline.  I then took Annabel over to Shannon's for her nap so I could pick up Adeline and take her to her first dance class!

This is from another night when she tried on her new dance clothes.

Moms don't watch dance class, but I think it's for the best.  I'm sure Adeline does better without me in there.  I can't wait for her first recital in April.  

I got this text from Shannon while we were at dance.  Annabel enjoyed testing out Reagan's pretty bed.

When dance was over, Adeline and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to find supplies for her "Potty Prize" box.  It's still not finished, but I will post a pic when it is.  She currently has a sticker chart and she gets a sticker for every time that she sits on the potty.  She gets something (candy) from the prize box if she actually uses the toilet (which she still has not done) and when she completes a row of stickers.

I found these adorable sunglasses when I bought PJs, so she wore them in the car to go get Annabel.  I think she looks so grown up in them!

Tuesday

Our day to stay home and do nothing.  It was supposed to be raining all day, but we barely got any.  However, both my girls were pretty snotty and fussy.  And Annabel has been battling this red, watery, swollen eye stuff all week.  

Adeline has really gotten into dressing herself and dressing up.  I heard her playing in her room on Tuesday and I went in to find this.  Headband, necklace, and stockings all by herself...haha!

Wednesday

We had MOPS group at church.  Adeline refused to let me put a bow in her hair and insisted on wearing this headband instead.  I tried it without the ponytail, but hair still kept getting in her face because she won't leave the headband alone.  I finally convinced her to put in a bow & leave the headband right as we were leaving the house.

This is another fun pair of sunglasses we got.

Our MOPS discussion was on parenting and discipline.  She suggested several books for us to read and I came home and put one on my kindle immediately.  I am already completely humbled and astounded by it.  I think every Christian parent should read it.

 

By Elyse Fitzpatrick & Jessica Thompson if you can't read that.

Thursday

I got no pictures, but we did have quite a day.  We met Tiny and cousin Murry at Jason's Deli to eat lunch then did a little shopping at JoAnn's.  It was bitter cold outside..19 degrees with a windchill of 5!  We wouldn't have gotten out of the house for anyone else but Tiny.  :)

Lunch went very well with Annabel in her carseat, but I had the grand idea that she needed to be out of that and in her Ergo carrier while we shopped.  When I parked at JoAnn's I got out and got Annabel all strapped to me in her carrier.  I turned around and started to go around the back of the car to get Adeline out of her carseat and slipped on a patch of ice!  It was absolutely terrifying.  Normally when I fall I find it funny, but this was awful because Annabel fell too.  It all happened so quickly and I knew there was no way I was going to catch myself so I just put my hand behind Annabel's head and tried my best to keep from falling my whole weight on her.  My knees took the brunt of the fall and my knuckles on the hand that was behind Annabel's head got scraped, but Annabel still managed to hit her head on the pavement.  However, I don't think it was bad at all because she never got a bump and she had stopped crying by the time we got inside the store.  I, however, was shaking like a leaf.  It's one of those things that just keeps replaying in my mind on what I could have done differently.  Today I am sore all over and my knees are pretty banged up, but other than that we're fine.  It was just absolutely terrifying.

Friday

We hosted play group at our house today.  It was so fun to have all our friends over to play.  Once again, Adeline insisted on picking out her own bow.  I can usually beat her to it by giving her the option of two and letting her pick between those, but not today.  She had to have the "purple flower!"

And even though Annabel couldn't get down and play with all the big kids, she was still just as happy and smiley as ever!

As everyone's moms were getting things ready to go, all the kids were waiting patiently by the door.  I thought it was too cute not to get a picture.

Afterwards while I was cleaning up, Adeline sat in this basket and called her Nana on the phone.  She's growing up so fast!

The only plans we have for the weekend is to eat dinner with Shane, Juliet, Murry, and Tiny tonight.  So hopefully, I'll get lots of rest in the next couple days.  Just in time to do it all over again next week!

Daddy's Home!

Yay!  Daddy's project went well so he got to be home with us all weekend.  We all thoroughly enjoyed it.  Adeline got some alone time with Daddy yesterday morning when they walked to the school and played on the playground, and I got to escape to Target by myself for a little while.  It was the first alone time I'd had in 11 days!

I took some giftcards Adeline got for Christmas and bought some potty training paraphernalia.  I got lots and lots of panties and a little potty.  I had already bought several potty training books earlier.  Adeline was very excited about all her new pretty panties.  She has also carried this potty around the house ever since randomly sitting on it fully clothed.

Yesterday evening we went our friend Kellen's 2nd birthday party at The Little Gym.

Shannon got some baby girl practice.  :)

And Annabel finally got her thumb in her mouth.

Adeline had the best time running around like crazy and of course eating cake, and Annabel loved watching all the big kids play. 

We've played with glo sticks in the bath a few times now.  Jon got this fun picture of Adeline with one in her mouth last night.

We moved Annabel's crib into the guest room yesterday, so she slept her first full night in there last night.  She had been sleeping on the Nap Nanny still.  She wasn't so sure about lying flat and woke up twice during the night, but was able to put herself back to sleep without being nursed both times.  This is how she was when I went to get her up before church this morning.  So sweet!

We all enjoyed a morning at church and I of course had to snap a few pictures of my girls all dressed up beforehand.

We all took good long naps this afternoon and Daddy did our grocery shopping for the week for us.  We are so blessed to have him in our lives!  

Adeline had her first accident tonight.  We had left her diaper off after attempting to potty for about 45 minutes when she peed her pants.  She alerted us immediately with, "Uh oh!  All wet."  We are trying to make this a very positive experience so there was no scolding.  A little while later, after I helped her get undressed and her teeth brushed before bath I told her to sit on her potty until Daddy came in to give her a bath.  As Jon was handing off Annabel, Adeline shouted for us to "wook!" and there was about a teaspoon of pee in the potty.  We of course made a big deal out of it and rewarded her with a pink starburst.  We have plans to make a "potty prize" box to keep our candy and special prizes tomorrow.  

We have had such a fun weekend, I hate to see it end...

One of Those Days

Yesterday was one of those days that I just had to keep praying for patience.  Like I mentioned in my last post, Adeline is cutting her two-year molars and we're going on Day #9 of Daddy working 12+ hours a day.  I'm not sure if it's the teeth or what, but not only has Adeline been unusually cranky, but she's been waking up before 7 every morning.  That makes for a long day with a cranky 2 year old!  She threw several colossal fits yesterday.

I want to re-cap the biggest one so I can one day look back and laugh (hopefully).  She's been playing really well outside in the backyard by herself lately as long as Tulip is with her.  Yesterday morning she asked to go out, so I got her all bundled up (hat, socks, shoes, coat) and I took her outside so I could clean. She threw a massive fit because I wouldn't stay outside with her and it was back and forth for 5 minutes in and out.  She wanted to be outside, but wanted me with her, but I was refusing to go.  I finally made her stay in and unbundled her.  She then lost it and begged to go back out.  I told her no and put her in time-out to calm down.  After she sobbed and nearly hyperventilated and woke Annabel up from her morning nap, I decided she probably needed some Motrin to help with the teeth.  She climbed up in her stool at the kitchen counter to wait for the medicine and began rubbing her hands all over the wet countertops that I had just cleaned with Clorox wipes.  I said, "No, don't touch that.  They're yucky and will make you sick."  She then proceeds to bend over and LICK the wet, cloroxed countertops!  So then I had to wipe her tongue with a washcloth and wash her hands which made her throw another massive fit.  I was about to start crying myself!  I did a bit of research, though, and found that she should be fine from licking the Clorox counters.

She always wants to eat whatever we're eating.  Even if she's eating something of her own.  She had just about finished all her lunch yesterday when she started begging for mine.  I told her no, not until she ate all of hers.  This is the attitude I got...  Not crying, just refusing to look at me.

I did manage to get a few pictures of my girls together in their matching shirts their Aunt Amber gave them, though.

 

And here's my sweet, almost always happy baby.  She was a bit cranky herself, yesterday though.

And she's doing so well grabbing things and getting them to her mouth!

And I do have to say, by the time dinner rolled around, Adeline was happier.  And I shouldn't complain about her being obsessed with food.  This is what my 2 year old ate last night: broccoli & chicken casserole, black beans, & SALAD!  I don't think it's anything I've done.  I was just blessed to reproduce with a Richey.  :)

We have hit the sleep-training pretty hard with Annabel this week.  She had been doing so great and sleeping until at least 5am when it was time for meds, but has lately started waking up randomly at 2 or 3.  Last night she fussed off & on from 2-4 but was able to put herself back to sleep without nursing.  I'm hoping every night gets better.  

We are all looking forward to Daddy hopefully being home with us this weekend.  Adeline doesn't quite understand why it's been so many days that Daddy hasn't been home when she wakes up in the morning.  Every day when I bring her into our bedroom she says something like, "Shh, Daddy sleeping" and I have to burst her bubble and tell her that no, Daddy is at work.  Please say a prayer that his project continues to go well and they will be DONE tomorrow.  We miss him!!

Happy New Year!

Ringing in the new year has completely changed since college, but it's so much better, if you ask me!  However, this year was a little sad because Jon has had to work ALL weekend.  He was there over 12 hours yesterday and today, so it's basically just been the girls and me celebrating.  

We did a lot of tummy time and playing on the floor.  Annabel has started grabbing things, bringing them to midline, and of course trying to get them in her mouth.

She loves looking at herself in the mirror.

It's been really warm lately, so after lunch I got out the double stroller and walked up the road to a school to play on their playground.  It was a whole lot windier outside than it looked and I almost didn't make it to the school.  That stroller is heavy enough, but when you add strong winds pushing you in the opposite direction it makes it quite difficult.  Thank goodness Jon was getting a lunch break around that time, so he came and picked us up after we played a little while so that I wouldn't have to try to walk all the way back home (all uphill).

Yesterday evening we ventured out to Wal-Mart pharmacy drive-through to pick up a prescription while it was still 2011 & free.  I think several people had that same idea because it took forever!  Annabel screamed the entire 20 minutes we waited in the car.  Then we went across the street to CFA drive-through and Adeline screamed for "nummies" the whole time we were in line there.  By the time we got back on the interstate I was about to lose my mind!  I finally told Adeline to stop talking and listen to the music if she couldn't do anything but whine.  It worked, and the rest of the evening was nice and relaxed.  It's pretty sad when you start to feel like you can't even leave the house to go through a drive-through!

 These beautiful babies were my dinner dates!

Jon got home in time to help with bath and bedtime...praise Jesus!  Then it was back to work for him again at 5:30 this morning.  Poor guy!  We didn't sleep well at all last night because every dog in the neighborhood was freaking out over the fireworks.  

On a positive note, Annabel woke up once in the middle of the night and put herself back to sleep within 5 minutes all on her own!  She went on to sleep a full 12 hours last night!

This morning I was brave and took both girls to church by myself.

Adeline is cutting her two-year molars so can't keep her fingers out of her mouth.

We've spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoying each other's company.  We hope Daddy makes it home soon!

Annabel says Happy New Year!