Do you see what I see?

I often wonder what a newborn can see and how that process works on becoming more and more aware of the world around you. Maleah will be nursing and then all of a sudden look up and notice that I am there and have a "When did you get here?" look on her face. Or she will be napping in the front pack and wake up, surprised to see me! It is amazing all the changes these little ones go through in their first year of life!

Becoming a big sister....

Reese becoming a big sister is really quite a blur! I remember leaving her that morning to go to the hospital to have Maleah and then Reese entering my hospital room that night as a big sister! She did not seem older all of a sudden as people had warned me, but things between me and her were suddenly different. We were no longer going to spend our days just the two of us...and that created a gap. She has struggled with this and I have too, but we are learning and adjusting to our new mommy, daughter and now big sister roles. And we are both looking forward to interacting with little sister more as she grows older!

I blog because....

I like to remember the details/fun times that go along with the pictures
I like to read other blogs so feel I should return the favor
to help me gather my thoughts
to encourage others
to process all that I am learning and doing....
and currently because it makes me feel like I got something productive done today!

Not that cuddling these girls is not productive and fun, but it is nice to have something to show for the day and to remember these days by.

No birds here....

Because we have our very own scare crow to chase them away! Reese is posing here, asking me to take a picture of how cute she is....we teach humility here at our house! ;) By the way...when did my chubby little girl get so tall and skinny?!

All we need is some fairy dust.....

We have a pretty purple fairy that lives at our house and graces us with her wonderful dancing and twirling.....

Look what I can do now!

Maleah has been working on this skill her whole life and has just mastered it this weekend! We are so proud! Stay tuned....we think she is ready to roll too! :)

A little help from my....grandparents

Gramps and Grammie wanted Reese to know there was a way she could escape Maleah's crying....just put on these cute ear muffs! And they work really well too! Currently, Reese likes to put them on, talk REALLY loud to us and then say: "What mommy? I can't hear you!" Gotta love the 3 year old humor!

Side note: When Maleah is crying in the car (pretty much every time we are in the car) I get stressed, wanting to stop the crying so Reese doesn't have to deal with it. Reese sensed this while we were driving and said "It's okay mommy, I don't mind a fussy baby! I can handle it because I am a big sister now. So don't worry, okay?" Man she impresses me!

Indoor sick week: movie watching

Let's just be honest...she spent a lot of her time here watching TV and movies so much so that by the end of the week she actually didn't want to watch anymore movies!!

Happy Birthday Grammie!

Happy Birthday Grammie! We have enjoyed this last year with you loving and caring for us!
First we enjoyed celebrating your birthday last year as mommy ran her half marathon:

Then was the best part when we got to spend the summer with you, playing at your beach and doing fun things like kayaking with Aunt Kami!

We also loved celebrating America's birthday from your bluff, watching all the fireworks and eating yummy treats!

We enjoyed many softball games together cheering for Gramps, Kami, and Daddo:

And we played a lot of fun games this fall as we waited for baby Maleah to be born.

We love you very much Grammie and we are looking forward to all the fun times we will enjoy together this coming year! Happy Birthday!

Indoor sick week: little people play

We have acquired lots of little people after going to lots of yard sales this summer. And they now provide lots of entertainment. I love listening to Reese's creative play...I try to get it on video but she always stops when I push the film button...wish those flip videos were a little quieter!

Indoor sick week: castle making

My dad was up working on his house here for about 10 days. He had some left over big boxes and offered to bring them over for some entertainment. They had a blast making a princess castle together....and even after Gramps left, the box continued to entertain Reese....MUCH better than my tent did! Way to go Dad!

Indoor sick week: tent making

So after too many days stuck at home inside and sick I came up with this idea to make a tent in Reese's room. After crawling around with Maleah in the front pack the tent was pretty secure. I was excited thinking this would entertain grumpy Reese for an hour or more.....more like 10 minutes, maybe. Took me longer to make it! Oh well, maybe it will work better next time....

Comparison

The first is Reese on her two month birthday and the 2nd is Maleah. I think they look like sisters but Maleah looks a lot like Matt and Reese more like me. Reese was much smaller still at this age so hard to really compare. Reese was 9lbs and 21 inches were as Maleah is 11 lbs 5 oz and 23 inches.

I sure love both my girls!

Sleep like a baby

I have always wondered what people meant when they would lovingly say "sleep like a baby" because my baby and now babies, never slept very well. So Maleah is only napping in the front pack but she "sleeps" through our every day household noise! Dog barking, Reese playing with loud toys, dish washing....she sleeps through most of it, depending what sleep cycle she is in. So I guess that is what is meant by sleep like a baby. Oh yeah...this is Reese playing "Kimber". Pretty funny kid!

Random thoughts about being a mommy....

I was made to be a mommy, team mom was my nick name in high school and college, as I enjoy caring for people....but it is HARD work! I love to plan and nothing usually goes as planned....like right now Reese should be napping but she is fussing! Anyways, I was thinking about what "traps" I fall into as a mommy that make things hard for me and for my family....things I know "mommy hood" is working on in me.

1) Learning to stop, assess the situation, rather than rushing in and reacting to it. I am a reactor, especially to crying babies. But that doesn't always help. I am often thinking...quick! Put out the flames before they get bigger! This creates a lot of stress in me and puts a lot of demands on my husband, ie, do it NOW or disaster will strike! But if I am always reacting to my kids, that is what they will expect, for me to rush in and save them right away before figuring it out on their own. My goal is to work on my nature...less reacting, more waiting and assessing, with the goal of the joy in watching them do it themselves or learn something new.

2) Be willing to guess and check. Kids and babies are always growing and changing. What works today at noon may not work tonight at 6. I don't like the risk involved with guess and check...too risky if it makes everything WORSE than it already is. BUT what if it makes it better...what if my kid or my baby learns to calm themselves. I have to know that I am up for guess and check and have a back up plan if possible. But I need to be more willing for things to go wrong just to see if they might be better, for my kids, for my husband, and for me. Guess and check should come naturally, as there are so many theories about child raising, from books to blogs to any mom you talk to, everyone has a sure fix for your situation. What is the harm in trying it out? The harm in not trying it out is "painting myself into a corner" I can't get out of...." I have to.....or else chaos will happen. Surprisingly I don't have to wear the front pack 8 hours a day.

My dad watched Maleah for me last week while I took Reese to the doctor. I figured she could cry with us at the appointment or maybe nap with my dad in the front pack at home. This was a pretty low risk guess and check for me. Turns out she napped for him and he discovered something helpful for me. Maleah does better with a longer wake time! I had been keeping it to 45 minutes and now know she naps better after an hour plus of wake time!

My goal in being a mommy is for my kids and I to enjoy each other rather than need each other. Hopefully working on these two areas will get us closer to that goal.

New Years Eve and New Years Day

For News Years Eve we spent a nice day at home together. We talked with Reese what a new year was, she was interested to know if it was America's birthday again, if that was the reason there were fire works. Explaining the concept of a new year is tough!

After baths, at 9 pm, we toasted cider and water and each said one goal for the new year:
Matt: get healthy
Kimber: Read the bible consistently
Reese: not say the word stupid any more (thought of this all on her own!)
Maleah: we chose for her: sleep well! :)

It was fun to toast together and think about starting a new year with our new family.



For New Years day we started out doing the 2nd annual run to benefit police officers. Maleah decided not to sleep in her car seat but wanted the front pack so I opted out of the race....as racing with a front pack on did not seem like fun. It was only 23 so it was cold!! Matt pushed Reese in the jogger...last year she got out to run at the end...this year she stayed in cause it was so cold. Afterwards we went to Grammmie and Gramps house for a little play time in the sunshine and so I could try and get Maleah to do a car seat nap. Since it was a holiday, I was wanting a holiday from my normal schedule too! :) Next year I look forward to running this race again as a family!

Cousin "play" time

Wish we lived closer to the Wingers so the cousins could have more time together. But for now, we skype and watch videos of each other....and look forward to the visits we get!

Cuddle time

These girls really enjoy some time together already. No, it is not much time, but they coo and giggle together and Reese is already saying "I need some Maleah time." and "Maleah and I are best best friends." I love seeing and hearing that!

Books on tape

Reese loves listening to books on tape and turning the pages herself. She is so proud to be "reading" all on her own. When she is in the mood to do this she will listen to about 10 books! And yes, we are old school, still have a tape player and use it! :)

2 months old!

So much has changed this month! Maleah is so much more aware, looking around and cooing mostly at Reese. She began this month playing baby Jesus in our Christmas program at church:

Then she decided it was time to sleep train me! I used to lay her down, swaddled for each nap that we were home and she would sleep well. Then she started waking up at 30 minutes like clock work and crying....she was still tired but couldn't make that transition to more sleep anymore. First I let her cry...but she did this for 1 1/2 straight, still not finding sleep. Reese was the same way. After trying just about everything, we found peace in the front pack:
After trying to have Maleah CIO for one nap a day and having her fight sleep that whole time I gave up for now. Plus Reese has a really bad cold that has her up every hour at night so I don't want Maleah to miss any sleep in trying to fight off this cold that Reese has.
In perspective, it is going really well. At least I have a way to nap Maleah that still gives me both hands! Some people talk about the 4th "trimester" and I think Maleah would agree with them!
She did take her first bottle this month and did so really well. My goal is to give her a bottle once a day...but right now it has worked out to every other day. We will do what we can for now! :)

Cold and Sunny

The last two weeks have been great for getting outside. Yes, it is cold, in the 30s, but the sun makes it feel warmer. We dress warmly, Maleah in the front pack all snuggled in and play outside for about an hour. It is wonderful! Sure breaks up the day and there is just something about being outside. Sadly the rain has come back these last two days and even though we have had fun places to go like Discovery Village and Jump, it just is not the same as playing outside!

Haircut

Matt kept saying that Reese needed a haircut....I didn't think so but decided to take her anyway. We took Reese to Tickle the new kids hair cut place in Uptown. We were the only ones there, which was a good thing because there was only one lady working. She set up a movie for Reese to watch and Reese sat perfectly still. Matt was right, her hair looks much better now, so I guess she did need a cut. I loved the cute pig tails the lady did....just wish Reese would sit still enough for me to do them for her sometime!

She digs!

While Matt was out washing the cars on one of our sunny days, Reese decided to dig in the yard. She filled a whole bucket with dirt. Not sure why I am so impress with this! I think it is mostly that she is so able to play joyfully on her own and then come show me what she has done. I love how excited she gets about this independence. And the connections she makes. In her mind, she was digging like the dwarfs do!

1 month old

Maleah was one month old on December 10th. In that first month, she was born, had her first photo shoot, had her 2nd photo shoot, met all her aunts, cousins, uncles, grandmas and grandpas, would sleep anywhere just put her down when she is tired, smiled for the first time, and slept once for 6 hours! She is a peaceful baby who really responds to Reese when ever Reese talks to her. We so enjoyed our first month with our new baby girl! (Don't worry, the 2nd month posting is not far away and not so blistful either! ;) )