I love you, Mama!

Today was the first day that Jackson actually initiated an "i love you." It was great. Yesterday was a tough day for the two of us, I yelled a lot and he spent a lot of time in the cool down chair. So it was really music to my ears this morning to hear those sweet words, totally unprovoked. It was a much better day today, though we still had our fair share of time-outs. I guess it comes with the territory of being two-and-a-half. I'm sure it will get better as Savannah gets older and she does more than sleep, eat, and poop. She slept a lot today, which was nice because I had a few hours to actually get out of the house, go to the YMCA, shower, and pay bills. It was a real treat. And I actually got Jackson to sit down with Savannah for a picture (see above). Progress!

Preschool and Pounds

Yesterday was an eventful day. I took Savannah for her 1 month check up, and here are her stats:
Weight: 10lbs 7oz (80th percentile)
Height: 22 inches (90th percentile)
She is very healthy and very strong; she's starting to lift up her head on her own a lot.

After the appointment, the family had a visit at "Come Grow With Us" preschool, and we loved it. We enrolled Jackson there for the fall; he loved it too. I think it will be great to expose him to other kids and have someone besides Mommy and Daddy reinforce social skills and other learning issues to him. I feel confident in his intelligence, and I'm excited to have him show the teacher how well he knows his alphabet and letter sounds. He's even starting to draw on a MagnaDoodle, and I've seen a few squiggles and circles, a step up from straight lines. Jackson is doing much more imaginative play, and he's having conversations with himself. It's really funny when you stop and listen. His latest infatuation is with the timer that I use for his time-outs. They are working though; he actually understands what he is there for and says he is sorry. Thanks, Supernanny!

1 month old!

Dearest Savannah Grace, you were one month old yesterday! I can't believe this month has simply flown by. You have come a long way since your initial gassy and fussy days. Now, you love to cuddle with Daddy and gaze adoringly into his eyes. You love me too, but really just the milk... You don't have a problem with projectile vomiting anymore. You love your brother, and he loves you and always wants to snuggle you. You tolerate all of your outfit changes with true grace. You love your swing and will take long daytime naps in it. You sleep with me in my bed and only wake up a few times to eat. You have had only three baths since you've been home from the hospital, oops. You are growing so much! We have your doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I will post your stats then. You have smiled at us a few times, though I think it was still involuntary, it made us very happy. You're starting to coo and talk baby talk. You poop a lot. :) We love you so much and are so glad that you are a part of our family.

One plus One does NOT equal Two...

So having two children two and under is HARD. And it is so hard to do it by yourself for a day! I don't know other moms do it, and with younger kids than mine too. And some even have three little ones at a time! So today JW was gone for a basketball camp from 8-3:30. I had planned on taking both kids to the zoo for a church playgroup, which started at 10am. The morning was rough! Savannah was nursing while I was trying to get Jackson to go #2 on the potty, and he was switching back and forth between the big potty and his potty chair every few minutes in the hour we were trying this feat. So I'm walking back and forth with Jackson by the hand, Savannah hanging off my breast, and various toys/books in my hands too to entertain him. Needless to say, we gave up after an hour. I had to get on with my day.

I took advantage of Savannah sleeping to get J dressed and change his (then) poopy diaper. But then I had to shower. I didn't wanted to leave J with Savannah unsupervised because he has been known to try to pick her up (he can do it, too). So I kept him in the bathroom with me, constantly talking with him to verify his presence, while Savannah, who had then woken up, was screaming in her bassinet. Sigh. Somehow, I managed to get us all in the car on time, and we made it to the zoo. From there, it was a breeze.

Savannah slept in either the carseat or the sling the entire two hours we were there, and J actually listened to me all day today. I rewarded us both with a trip to Starbucks afterwards. (Okay, it mostly for my benefit). So all in all the day ended up going really well, but I can definitely see the challenges having 2 little ones will present. We'll see what tomorrow brings, since JW has camp again. Maybe I'll try a trip to Barnes and Noble...

Baby Dedication

Today we dedicated baby Savannah Grace to God's care. It was our first outing to church, and she did wonderfully! She looked adorable, and she slept until it was over, which was absolutely perfect. It was so nice making our debut together, she was simply precious.

In other news, Savannah has been successful at taking the bottle. Because of this, I took Jackson on a date yesterday, just the two of us, to Tropical Smoothie Cafe for lunch and then to Barnes and Noble, for old times' sake, for some reading and train playing. I ended up buying him two books (surprise, surprise). He was so well-behaved and both of us really enjoyed our bonding time. I hope to do that more often, and now that I have some milk stored up in the freezer, I can get away for little spurts without too much worry. In fact, I ventured to the YMCA today for my first "official" workout, and it felt great. I'm on my way, folks!

Jackson continues to attempt to go the bathroom in the potty; he has been successful about 3 times. We try to bribe him with toys that we have bought for him, but usually he just can't be bothered with it. We'll continue to try, as his diapers are getting out of control.

Jackson has been throwing lots of tantrums lately, but I borrowed a technique from Supernanny, and when he is freaking out, I put him in the "cool down chair" to cool down. It's slightly different from time-out, and it seems to work. He also borrows a line from a recent Bob the Builder episode where Brad Rad and Scratch need to relax: "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and think." It's very cute.

Life is good.

An Eventful Day...

Yesterday we had a very momentous occasion...Jackson used the potty for the first time! And it was entirely initiated by him, it was awesome. He had the "look," but before I could say anything, he said, "Potty." So we put him on the potty, he played for awhile, said he was done, and we diapered him up. I didn't realize he had gone, he was so nonchalant about it. When I got up to walk over to the potty, sure enough, #1 and #2 in there! I was SO proud of him, I gave him his promised new car (DJ from the Cars movie), and praised him all day. I'm hoping he'll try it again today.

Savannah and I went to my work yesterday to see my coworkers and introduce her. It was great to see everyone again, but I did NOT miss the stack of paperwork on my desk (thankfully, it belonged to someone else.) Savannah nursed most of the day yesterday, I had to pull the old nursing in the sling trick again, which thankfully worked, since we had company for dinner, and I really wanted to join everyone at the table. Today, I pumped for the first time, only 2 oz, but we're going to try the bottle today to see how she does. I hope it works!

3 Weeks Old!

It's definitely harder to find time to blog with a newborn and a VERY active 2 year-old. We had Savannah's 2 week check-up this past week, and she already is 8lbs 12 oz! (She was 7lbs 7oz at birth). I see why she is such a little chubster; she eats 24/7. I think she went thru her 2 week growth spurt because there were a few days this week where all I did was sit on the couch and nurse her. We finally moved up to size 1 diapers, and we've now made it thru every newborn outfit she has. I think we will be ready soon to try the next size up. She is getting more alert, and she will actually sit in the bouncer or on the playmat for a few minutes without fussing. I want to try a swing too, just for one more option. What she REALLY loves is to be held. My new sling is a big hit; she gets to be my little kangaroo, I have 2 hands free, and I can actually DO stuff with Jackson. I even tried to nurse her in the sling, and it actually worked, I was laughing, it was pretty comical. We've decided she is a high-needs baby, unlike Jackson was, but even more reason to just heap loads of lovin' on her. Her reflux issues have gotten much better now that dairy is no longer a part of my diet. And she sleeps nearly 4 hours at a time at night now that she sleeps with me in the bed. I'm working on getting her a co-sleeper so that I don't worry so much about sleeping with her. We'll see if that works out. I still call her my little sweet pea, and I actually found a Halloween costume that is a peapod that I may end up getting her. That would be SO cute! Our baby dedication is next week, my first trip to church since her birth, so I'm really looking forward to that. These 3 weeks have been such a blessing getting to know sweet Savannah better. We're finally in sync, I think. :)

Meanwhile, Jackson is just thriving. He is so adorable lately, I just swell with pride for him. His fave thing to do right now is play basketball in the basement with his Daddy. He shouts, "Labron James for 2!" "Kobe Bryant" "MJ" "Raining Buckets!" It's hilarious. He can entertain himself for hours, literally. It's great, because my scrapbook table is downstairs, so I can watch him with Savannah in the sling and scrap away. He can sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" all the way through, "I'm a Little Teapot," and the alphabet. He knows practically all of his letter sounds, thanks to some videos and tapes that we have to use as aids. He plays very well independently now, lining up his cars and making them talk to each other, like "Hi, I'm Mader." He can jump with 2 feet and LOVES to climb on things. He still has no interest in potty training, though we're planning on stepping things into high gear soon in hopes to get him into preschool in the fall.

I have my hands full, but I love it, and I'm cherishing this time off work to enjoy being a mommy.

First Photo Shoot

Today was a momentous day. I took Savannah to her first photo session, and we had SUCH a good time. She was such a little princess! I decided to cut out dairy today to see if that helps with her reflux issues, and I think it did! She didn't throw up all day, and she didn't poop during the entire photo session, which lasted 2 1/2 hours! I was so proud of my little lady. Here is a link to the photographer's blog, which shows some of the best pictures. Enjoy!

http://www.sarahdavisphoto.com

Jackson was adorable today, too. We started playing "Simon Says" with him to try to get him to pick up his toys, and today, he played by himself and picked up the entire room! We were so proud of him that we gave him a toy. He was happy. :) He also helped me make Fiber One Apple Cinnamon muffins for breakfast; he poured the water in the bowl and the entire egg (shell and all) into the mix as well--I hadn't yet shown him how to crack the egg. I love my kiddos!

Welcome Baby Savannah!

Well, it's been awhile since my last posting, but I had a good excuse...she's finally here! On Sunday July 25th, only 6 days late, little baby Savannah Grace made her arrival into the world at 11:18am after only 4 hours of labor. The ordeal was painful but quick, and WELL worth it after seeing our little bundle of joy in our arms. She is so sweet, and I've taken to calling her "sweet pea." One of my favorite things about having a little girl is being able to dress her in so many different adorable outfits. She has a little problem with spitting up...it's more like projectile vomiting or a geyser erupting...but the bonus is many clothing changes throughout the day and night, for both mom AND baby.

Jackson handled his new sister's arriving with grace and admiration...we have it all on an adorable video. He calls her "baby sister" or "baby Savannah," and he talks baby talk to her. He is (usually) very gentle with her and is obsessed with her bouncer (whivh of course used to be his.) He even chose to sleep with her rattle tonight, cute!

It's amazing how different two siblings can be. Looking at their baby pics, they are a lot alike, but their temperaments couldn't be more different. Savannah is more needy--she eats a LOT and would much rather be cuddled than sleep in her crib. Hmm, who wouldn't? It's just hard for me sometimes when I am SO sleep-deprived and still trying to find a balance between both kids and myself. But probably the newborn period is NOT the time I am going to find that balance. All in good time.

Tomorrow is her first photo session, I'm really excited, she will be sooo cute!

Here is her bible verse:

2 Cor 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" NIV