15 months

My sweet big baby had her 15 month birthday yesterday.  That meant today we got to go in for her 15 month check up and a couple shots.  She did really awesome, making her momma really proud.

At Reagan's two month check up, a whole year ago, she was a fat chunk.  I loved her rolls for the record.  All that good mommy milk made her top the growth scales and she was a shorty.  Today is a much different story.  She is a VERY active girl, and because of that she was 20 lbs 10 oz making her in the 17th percentile in weight.  She took a growth spurt and jumped from the 20th percentile in height to the 68th.  She's a tall skinny model baby.  What's funny though, is that I still see her as my chunky girl.

She's is meeting all developmental markers well.  She uses a few words, hey and bye being her favorite!  She picks up things and carries them, she stacks blocks (in our house, she prefers bowls), and she self feeds (though not very successfully with utensils).  She is already exhibting her "spirited" personality with her bedtime refusal.  Her doctor gave me some reading material and the behaviors she's showing are very characteristic of two year olds... I"m not looking forward to those terrible twos!  We discussed bedtime at length, and when the doctor was telling me that we, as parents, take too much credit in being the child's safe place, that they can associate the crib as that safe place, Reagan shook her head, quite fervently, no.  It was as if she was saying, "uh-huh, my mom is my safe place."  We all found this quite amusing.

In just a couple weeks, Anna will be having her two month check up.  I am really dreading it; it helps that Reagan has taken her binkie.  It soothes her after those scary shots.  Anna isn't really the best at self soothing, either with a binke or a thumb.  She's just not into it.  We'll pray that she'll be just as tough as her sister was today.  I'm so in love with my fuzzy headed little girls.  I can't believe my babies are already 15 months and 6 weeks.  The time is flying!

Pinterest Inspired

I'm obsessed.  Pinning during feedings and pumping, while going on walks (Anna in the sling, Reagan in the stroller--it's a rare moment when I have a free hand...ha!), during naps, and after bedtime.  It's made me want to clean, decorate, photograph, and craft.  Here's a sampling of the Pinterest inspired ideas we've tried at home.  I've done a few projects with my school babies as well, but don't seem to chronicle it with photographs like I do with my kiddos at home. 


Fine Motor Skill Practice

Reagan loves pipe cleaners and as long as I'm near to play with her, I think there is nothing wrong with her playing with them.  We used a colander and put the pipe cleaners through and she'd pull them out and we'd repeat the process.  To keep a toddler entertained, it takes a lot.  She seemed to really enjoy this!  I would try to get her to sort them by color after she removed them, but that was a little advanced right now.  We'll build on this activity in the future.




Father's Day Crafts
 Brent made his daddy the cutest saw card.  Since my husband comes from a sawmill family, we felt the saw was very appropriate!  David really liked it.




We had to include the babies too, so I had an extra canvas left over from the 2 pack I bought we Reagan made my mom's mother's day gift.  With a little finger paint and mod podge, we made a gift from all three of his sweet kiddos for his office.





Mom's Day
Being two years pregnant and thinking I would have a newborn on Mother's Day, I almost forgot my mom.  Truthfully, I was hoping to get a picture of all the grandbabies for her, but since Anna had her own ideas about when she was to arrive, I ended up making a footprint canvas from Reagan for my mom.  Grandma loved it.



Finger Painting
We've tried several different times at finger painting, and surprisingly Brent really enjoys it still at 7. We did store bought paints in ziplock baggies.  It made for no bathtime afterwards which was a plus.  However it didn't hold Reagan's attention very long at all.  Brent wants to do it all the time though.  Which is kinda nice since he can gather the materials and do it himself. 

Yesterday we made our own finger paints.  With 4.5 cups of boiling water, 1 cup of cold water, and 2 cups of corn starch + a little food coloring we had our own unique goopy finger paint.  Brent really enjoyed making his own colors, and the coloring we bought at Target had a variety of colors you could make on the back of the package.  His favorite was chocolate moose.  It looked just like pudding.  Reagan loved the texture of the paint and making the paints look different by using a fork to paint.  The paint is thick so we had to let it dry overnight, but it drys to create a really neat 3-d effect.  Brent and I decided we may use it to create a landform map of his granddad's house since he has lots of ponds, it would be "more interesting" than just our street! 



Gifts
Pinterest has really cute ideas for gifts.  Teacher Appreciation week was my first week of maternity leave, and I had no baby, so I actually got to see Reagan's teachers to give them their little token of our appreciation.  After being home with two babies, I have a new found appreciation for daycare teachers.  They make kindergarten look easy!  It also gave me a little time to prepare some ideas for Reagan's last day party, though I did have a baby by then to bring to celebrate summer with the toddlers. 


Now...
I'm currently working on a project I'm super excited about.  Hopefully it will turn out as anticipated.  This isn't a project with the kids, so I have to work on it in the little spare time I have.  Since it is a surprise, I'll have to post pictures later!  The babies are both sleeping (miracle!), so I'm going to attempt to work on it now.  I'm sure I need to be cleaning, but crafting is so much more fun!

Tired Doesn't Even Begin to Explain...

We've been two weeks at home: Reagan, Anna, Brent (on occasion) and me.  Oh my goodness, I never EVER knew what exhaustion was before.  I was really tired when I was at home with Reagan.  She wanted to nurse constantly, she was really super needy,and I was a first time mother who knew nothing about babies.  I thought I needed to watch her... Watch her sleep, suck her binkie, play in her gym.  I don't know what was going to happen if I didn't watch her, but I realized this time around, Anna wasn't going anywhere if I placed her in the pack 'n play or in the crib without my eyes on her. Now, I still can't take my eyes off of Reagan during her waking hours, but it's justified.  She's into EVERYTHING!

Our schedule is starting to fall into place.  I can't get the babies to nap at the same time, but if I do, I feel like I need to take advantage of that time with laundry, dishes, and cooking.  When Reagan is up, she usually needs a playmate, and right now that's me (unless Bubba is here!).  When Anna is up, she usually needs a diaper or a boobie, and guess what, that's me too.  Between all that neediness, I spend most of my days, reading board books, changing diapers, picking up cheerios, doing puzzles, feeding a baby (while checking e-mails, pinning ways to keep my toddler busy, and looking at Facebook), singing songs from Nick Jr. and Baby Signing Time, and dreaming of 5 consecutive hours of sleep.

However, I love being home with my girls and their Bubba.  It is the busiest I've ever been.  I'm beyond tired.  I am just trying to soak their smallness in.  I know in a few short months Anna won't need me in all her waking hours, Reagan will be able to vocalize with actual words her dissatisfaction with her 8 o'clock bedtime, and Brent will be back in school (so will I, but that's another post for another day) as a second grader.  These times are precious.  So despite the fact that I'm just depleted of energy, I know that this is a time that's fleeting.  It will be over all too soon.  There's much to look forward to, but I'm not wishing the present away.