Maisie-isms

We went and exercised at the University gym/indoor track. Maisie ran laps ahead of us and every time we came around the start again Maisie would be waiting for us just like this just waiting for us to finally catch up.

Maisie one morning made a "nest" or "cozy spot" on the bottom shelf of the changing table complete with the iPad streaming either Phineas and Ferb or Octonauts.

Maisie is hilarious. This isn't new information I know, but lately it seems she has been extra funny. Just the things she says and how she says them crack us up! I decided to write a few down...

Upon walking into the family room and seeing Austin on the couch:

"Daddy are you taking a siesta?"

"Is that Tom Burgeron?" We may or may not be watching AFV together...

Maisie had a really bad ear infection, so Austin had bought her a little special bunny stuffed animal to help Maisie feel better and she brought it to her doctors appointment. After the doctor noticed the bunny austin said "maybe he has had ear infections too." then maisie responded "Dad, its not real. If it was real it would poop on my bed." Yes Maisie. Yes he would.

"Ellie is really cute huh mom? But she poops in her diaper and thats gross." Truth.

"Mommy, the pilot fish is my favorite fish! Oh and the flapnosed ray!"

"I can't be sick! Now I'll have to cancel my summer party!"

The girl has been obsessed about planning a summer party in summer. I'm sure we will oblige her.

Austin: ok, Maisie it's time for scriptures... are you going to read yours first?

Maisie: yeah. The spatulas say... spatulas!?! I said spatulas! I mean scriptures!

"Oh that looks like a fun place to live... I want to live there. But that means I would have to live in Mexico... and talk Spanish... and I don't know how to talk Spanish."

"My mommy made blueberry bread this morning! I am so proud of her."

"Are you so proud of me?" nothing makes this girl happier than when we say we are proud of her, so we say it a lot :)

I could and should do a weekly Maisie-isms post. She is just too much fun right now. I love my little Maisie Moo.

Ellie's 6 1/2 Month Stats

Here are Ellie's stats from birth to her latest Doctor's appointment just a few days ago.

birth:

 7 lbs 8 oz & 19 (?) inches

5 days:
7 lbs 9 oz & 19.5 inches

2 weeks:
7 lbs 14 oz & 20.5 inches

7 weeks:
10 lbs 8oz & 21.7 inches

9 weeks/ 2 months:
11 lbs 6oz & 22.3 inches

4.5 months:

14 lbs & 24.3 inches

33% in weight & 22% in height

6.5 months:

15.7 lbs & 26 inches

30% in weight & 33% in height

I still am having a hard time wrapping my head around how fast time has flown by! Every day Ellie is a little bigger and a little more silly. Her personality is coming out more and more and we are discovering that this mellow child may also have quite the stubborn streak (see this post). I wonder who's going to win the stubborn-ness battle between the sisters.... that could get interesting. 

Ellie bug/ Hazelnut/ muffin is just the most content baby I have ever met. She is effortless to love and makes me feel like I know what I am doing. She is predictable and easily soothed and such a stress reliever to hold, squeeze and kiss. When I get a little wound tight from trying to keep up with home maker duties and being the mommy to a spirited/energetic/down-right-tiring 4 year old, sometimes the best remedy is a chubby baby hug, or a relaxing nursing session. She forces me to slow down and for that I thank her so much. 

Maisie's Pre-Kindergarten Stats

Here are Maisie's stats from birth to her latest Doctor appointment a few days ago.

birth:
7 lbs &19.5 inches

1 week:
7 lbs 3 oz (gained back the 4% body weight + 3 oz)

   
2 weeks:
 7 lbs15 oz & 21.25 inches

2 months:
  11 lbs 1 oz & 23 inches

 
 5 month:
 15 lbs 5 oz & 26 inches

        7 month:
 16 lbs 14 oz & 27 inches

       9 month:
17 lbs 15 oz  & 28 inches

    12 month:
18 lbs 14 oz & 30 inches

 
18 month:
20 lbs 12 oz & 31 1/2 inches

 2 year: 
25 lbs (with clothes on) & 34 inches

3 years 7 months:
29 lbs 8oz & 37.5 inches

4 years 9.5 months:
 36 lbs (with coat and rain boots on) 35th percentile

height: 41.3 inches 40th percentile

Maisie has had a growth in the last year! Don't get me wrong, she is still so little and still tends to hang around kids who are a lot younger than her because they are more similar in height, oh well. Look out world- she's starting to catch up! 

We love our Maisie Moo/peanut/honey bunny. She never fails to make us laugh or keep us entertained. From silly dance moves, funny expressions and telling jokes that make no sense whatsoever, she cracks us up. She's sensitive and sweet, yet tough and spirited. She's a free thinker, a rule bender and the life of any party. She is always letting us know how much she loves us by randomly telling us throughout the day. And boy, does she speak my love language- the girl can give compliments and butter me up like no other. She's always saying sincere "thank yous" for simple things and giving the biggest bear hugs for anything that makes her excited, like preparing a favorite meal or reading an extra story. She's a force of nature, a beam of sunshine and is and always will be my little baby who made me a Mama.

Maisie & Ellie's Tandem Doctor's Appointment

On Thursday we had a combined Doctor's appointment for both the girls. Ellie was due for her 6 month check-up and vaccinations and Maisie in only a couple months will be due for her 5 year appointment (and vaccinations) so we decided to take care of them together. I was a little nervous about how Maisie would react, but she was incredibly brave. 100x braver than I was a child. She proudly strolled into the Doctor's office and proceeded to tell every soul around her that she was there to get her "kindergarten shots". She sounded excited. I could tell she was a little nervous as they pinned her down, but I held her hand and looked into her eyes the whole time telling her that it would be over soon. She whimpered one quiet "oww" and then it was done. I spun her in my arms and told her how proud I was of her. She was beaming.

Then it was Ellie's turn. Poor baby still doesn't realize whats going on when they hold up the needle and sterilize her chubby thighs- she just happily smiles and babbles probably making the nurses giving the shots feel like real jerks. Usually Ellie wails a good 2 minutes after her shots. Then when she can calm down long enough to latch on, I nurse her and she goes back to being the mellow child we know and love. Normally you can see Ellie after she calms down think about the shots for a brief half second and her lower lip turns down in the most adorable pout with a quick inhale- like the breath before a good cry, but she catches herself and continues her post-trauma snack. BUT none of that happened- not at this appointment. She cried for maybe 10 seconds and then just... stopped. She didn't even need to be passed to me or even nurse! I couldn't believe how well incredible our girls did. Both were so brave and I couldn't be more proud. We really dodged a bullet- that appointment had the potential to go terribly, but it was probably the smoothest doctor's appointment yet.

We treated Maisie to a cherry dipped ice cream cone and then gave the girls a lavender bath. Both slept like a dream- Maisie even slept until a little past 8!

 We realize we are beyond blessed to have such healthy girls. I just find so much purpose and joy from being their Mama. There's not much I wouldn't give to keep them happy and healthy and I am so glad that they seem to be just that.

Anti-food?

Oh this solid food endeavor has been crazzzy. I have tried homemade. I have tried store bought. I have tried purees. I have tried rice teether/cracker things. I have tried baby rice, baby oats and any/all baby cereals and I still have yet to please her pallet. Yogurt drops? She hates them. Small unadulterated bits of banana and peas? Hates them. Applesauce? She gags.

The thing is she's interested. Like really, really, interested. She LOVES watching us eat. Shoot, she even gives it an enthusiastic try, but it seems like she is just as disappointed that she doesn't like it as we are shocked.

I took it into my hands to do some troubleshooting. When I would make her baby oats I always mixed it with a generous amount of breastmilk. There's no way it could taste like anything other than the liquid gold she loves so much. I even made the consistency super runny so it would almost be like her drink of choice. Still she gags. 

bananas- gags.

acorn squash- gags.

sweet potato- gags.

all of these were mixed with copious amounts of milk.

I tried giving her a spoon and having her go to town "feeding" herself, but still, it inevitably ended up like the previous attempts... in gags (this time on the actual spoon she was trying to shove down her throat though). 

This is when I got sneaky. I gave her straight up breast milk via spoon... any guesses to what happened? Yup... she gagged. WHAT!?

So maybe she's just anti spoon/chunks/textures?

Last night she finally managed to eat something and even a really good amount of it... we have finally found her so far, only favorite food: THIS. And thank goodness for it because I thought I was going to go crazy after every failed attempt. I just held the pouch while she sucked out its contents... maybe it all had to do with method of delivery? Because she prefers taking in solids just like she does her milk. She ate 1/2 a pouch and was feeling rather full after.

Now I am scared for the inevitable constipation that will follow with digesting her first REAL food. But hey, she ate! Finally at just a week shy of 7 months!

Home Preschool

Maisie had been looking forward to starting her preschool again at the end of January, but unfortunately we underestimated how fast it would fill up, so now Maisie can't go until spring. This was very upsetting to Maisie and in turn, upsetting to me. So I kicked it in high gear and decided we would set apart a couple hours every day to "preschool". Since I love planning, I throughly enjoyed finding activities that Maisie would enjoy, but also activities that would develop her talents and teach her new things. I went to the print shop last month and printed 60+ pages of various worksheets. I was super excited to get started, but after everyone was asleep I grabbed the large stack of papers and thumbed through them. And that's when I had a realization that maybe I'm taking this too far. If she wants to do them that's fine and dandy, but what if she doesn't? Do I push her? Do I focus on just having fun? Or teaching? Both? Should my home feel like a school or a sanctuary? And if I want a good balance how do I go about creating a healthy ratio? 

So after pausing to think about it I decided I would push her as far as she wants to be pushed. Maisie is very vocal about not liking a certain activity or loving another. So I'm following her cues and encouraging her on things she's uneasy about. It's so fun to see her push through (even when she's complaining) to being so proud of herself after conquering a task... this last one? Drawing hearts. And you better believe they are the cutest little lopsided hearts you ever did see. 

So even though I did print out 60+ pages and have an entire workbook we can work on, its not dire to do every single page. And its ok to go out of order if there's a certain page/project/activity that gets her excited. So, if/when sitting down and doing worksheets becomes stagnant I will have a backup craft/activity/books we can do instead. 

Some things that are helping me with Maisie's preschool: This workbook, my "toddler activities" Pinterest board, and I LOVE this website for crafts and fun projects. 

I still can't believe Maisie starts Kindergarten in only 6 months! I'm terrified and so so excited for her. I hope with my help she feels prepared and confident going in, but most of all I just want to play with her. I want to soak up this time I have with her now. I want her to feel loved and accepted more than anything else. Geeze, I am going to miss that little ray of sunshine around the house, but my plan is just to be present- not to worry about the inevitable future. I just want to be right here, right now. And I fully intend to do just that.

An activity we did where we read about and looked at some Monet paintings and then made one of our own.

Ellie Hazel is 6 Months Old!

This little girl is a half of a year old!! Time continues to fly by faster than ever and I find myself torn between feeling like it was just yesterday that she was born and with the feeling that she has been here all along. Theres something about how she feels in my arms that's so familiar- like I have always known her. She is just so cuddly and feels so good to hold- she's sturdy, yet tiny. Squishy, yet strong. Did I mention kissable? Above all else she's so darn kissable. 

Here are some pictures of Ellie at 6 months:

Just finished up a nursing and nap session in the mother's lounge.

first sister bath

Patiently putting up with Maisie's dress up antics

LOVES mirrors. She wakes up each morning to stare and giggle at our stand up mirror.

Lately when I am nursing Ellie she stops and just smiles at me, I have been wanting to get a picture of it for a couple weeks, but never had my phone around me. Finally I got one. She's not smiling per se, but she's lovingly staring and gosh, is she cute or what?

Happs:

Ellie learned how to sit up a few days before she was six months old, but she can now, slightly controlled, get onto her side and roll away from a sitting position. Even when she takes a tumble she has yet to cry (very opposite of Maisie as a baby).

Still has no interest in solid food despite many, many attempts.

Enjoys a sippy cup, but ends up just letting all the water run out of her mouth leading to an outfit change.

Loves pulling herself up when she's holding onto our fingers. She gets the proudest smile whenever she does it.

Said "Dad" last weekend. We were prompting her to say "dada" and finally she belted it out. It made Austin happy, but she's been saying "mama" for a couple months now, so take that Austin!

Still adores being swaddled.

Since Christmas she has been waking up twice each night to nurse. It doesn't bother me very much because she is such a fast eater and falls asleep right after.

Ellie is so mellow. She is alert, but very calm. She can go days, even weeks without crying. If she needs anything she usually complains for a second or two to remind us she's hungry or tired. 

She falls asleep for all her naps by herself. After I swaddle her, nurse her and sing her songs, I put her in her rocker tired, but awake and she falls asleep quickly without a peep. Austin enjoys rocking her and singing to her for a bit at night so most of the times she falls asleep in his arms, but she does just fine going down by herself then too. 

HATES her crib...  any tips for how we can transition her? She still prefers her rocker because it's much cozier.

Favorite toys: Como Tomo Teether and the Munchkin twisty teether.

Favorite songs: "Why I Love You" and "Edelweiss" also any and all songs Maisie sings to her.

We just love our little Ellie baby. She is the perfect compliment to our family.

My Little Valentines

On Friday (the day before Valentine's day) I took the girls out in the backyard to take a few pictures. Maisie hasn't been loving getting pictures taken lately, most likely because she gets stuck holding a baby a lot. Don't get me wrong Maisie adores Ellie and loves to hold her, but her little arms can only take so much (about 3 minutes) until she's ready for a break. I don't blame the girl... Ellie gets heavy in my arms too, so I can relate entirely. Ellie is still trying to decipher if she likes the camera or not, so its hard to get her to smile unless Maisie is on "jump-up-and-down-to-get-Ellie-to-smile-duty." This particular day Maisie was too preoccupied by the swing set and trying to crack her skull open "swing." So it was just me and Ellie left to get some pictures. Ellie was more interested in finding sticks and leaves perfect for choking on and with Maisie moo nearly killing herself on the swing set, lets see here... 3 times, I called the backyard outing/photoshoot off. Luckily I didn't come away empty handed.

Cousins

Over Christmas the cousins were able to play to their hearts content. It was equally fun for the adults too because at least Maisie and Emerson kept each other busy while we talked/watched movies/ played games. Ellie and Jane were still to little to "play" per se, but they were darn cute together- so much chunky thigh goodness. Maisie misses Emerson so much, but hopefully we will be able to get back over soon enough.

p.s thanks Camille for taking so many cute pictures!

1st Ear Infection

So it's happened. We stepped onto new ground as parents. We have now endured the dreaded ear infection. Maisie has been really sick a handful of times, but other than an occasional cold she has an iron immune system. She has never had antibiotics or any medication really. So it all came as a shock when Ellie, our barely 6 month old already needed antibiotics. 

It all started when Ellie (and me) got a pretty bad cold at the end of January. She was incredibly stuffy and nursing and sleeping was hard on her. A few days into the cold Austin and I both noticed Ellie felt warm. She progressively became warmer and warmer until she was burning up. Even with a dose of tylenol it wouldn't come down. That night was rough. The nights before were difficult too, but man, this was crazy. It got to the point that Austin and I had to take two hour shifts- one of us in the bedroom with her and the other on the couch. It was almost impossible to get her to sleep. She would dose off, but quickly erupt in painful cries. And that's saying a lot too because Ellie rarely ever cries. At every one of my "shifts" I would take her temperature and we both became alarmed when it climbed over 103-the poor girl was beyond uncomfortable. I called the doctor first thing in the morning and Austin called out of work because of how exhausted we were and he wanted to help with Ellie throughout the day. The pediatrician squeezed us in and gave her an exam. One inflamed ear and the other infected and to top it off an inflamed throat. He prescribed amoxicillin which we were SO thrilled about - (did you pick up on the sarcasm? Ellie hates medicine. She refuses her vitamin D drops, if I do manage to get her to swallow them she will spit them up. Even Tylenol she will just let it pour out of her mouth). So Austin and I were dreading the twice a day dose for over a week. It was hard, but it paid off. Within a couple days she was back to smiling and laughing. We sure missed that happy little girl. We are so thankful that everything is back as it should, but lets all just cross our fingers that our little Ellie didn't inherit Austin's ear troubles!

This is what a sleep deprived and miserable little baby looks like while waiting for her prescription to be filled.

What is it about having a sick baby/child that makes you feel like real parents? Is it the way your child needs you differently? Is it because you realize that over all else having a healthy child is the most important? Does anyone else feel this way?

Sledding @ The Dunes

Last month when we were still buried in snow and daily high temperatures rarely went above 32 degrees, we went to the sand dunes to sled with our friends. Sarah and I stayed in the car with the two babies while our husbands took the crazy kids up (and down) the hills. I managed to sneak out for a few minutes to snap some pictures, but it wasn't until after the sledding was done, that I realized that the setting I had my camera on wasn't suited to the speed of the sleds and the brightness of the snow (notice the top two pictures) but I'm glad I at least got a few right?

With the weather we've been having lately (55 degrees!) who knows if we will get enough snow again to go sledding so at least we went once this year... thats more than we did last year haha. Also, to be honest I wouldn't mind if spring started and the snow stayed away. This last week as been so nice and getting outside without bundling up has been amazing. This may be wishful thinking, but the forecast so far is looking good!