A Slow Cooker Thanksgiving
4 weeks ago
Monday, October 31, 2011
Bethany turns 2
My how time flies... as I look at little April I can't help but remember back just two short years ago when the baby I was cuddling was Bethany and now she is 2! Such an fun loving active toddler who loves her baby sister and family so much. We had her two year dr. appointment on Halloween and while she has fairly average stats, I feel like she acts so much older than 2. She keeps up with friends that are much older, she doesn't have a lot of fear, and when I read about things she should be doing now - like learning how to jump - I think back to when she mastered that last spring!
Height: 34 1/2 inches - 55%
Weight: 28.4 lbs - 50%
Head: 47 cm - 75%
Bethany is progressing with the toilet training and we've instituted the "Poopy Prize" as a result. I think Bethany is a rule person like me and likes to look forward to things, know what is going to happen etc. So when we told her to sit on her potty chair or the toilet she was like, why? I have a perfectly good diaper for that! But, when we told her about this wonderful prize that she could get if she went, she immediately sat on the toilet and pooped. I took out a slinky from the box of toys I've saved for when I need Bethany occupied while I'm feeding April and told her it was a special prize for when she goes poopy. Oh, a Poopy Prize! she said. We let her play for a few minutes and then carefully put it away for the next time she had to go. It was a huge success, she was now telling everyone about her poopy prize and when she would see anything that resembled a slinky she'd ask if it was her poopy prize. There is a commercial on tv with a slinky that goes down the road and she yells "MY POOPY PRIZE" every time it is on. So happy that it is still working and that we don't have to think of a new prize each time either! I'm not pushing the training but we ask her throughout the day and so far she is most consistent right away in the morning and before bed. Other times will be harder to spot and catch when she needs to go but the Dr said normally kids are interested between 2 1/2 and 3 so she's doing good to be starting now!
Bethany listens and understands us so well that I'm often surprised at what she picks up on even if we aren't talking directly to her. We had been watching the Vikings game and then mentioned the Chicago Bears and she started listing off her cousins that live in "ChicaGO" because we had been talking about that the week before. Grandma and Papa were visiting Chicago and so she remembers that and picks up on it anytime she hears about Chicago.
Speaking of the Vikings, she loves to watch the games with us and although the season has been miserable it is quite funny what she sees us do. Now, just ask her if she likes the Vikings and she'll put her hand on her head, shake it and say "oh no" :)
Bethany is VERY good at counting and saying her ABC's. In fact, it is the choice song to try and help April if she starts crying in the car. So, as I'm driving and listening to April scream because she's had enough of being in the car, all of a sudden Bethany starts yelling at the top of her lungs the ABC's to try and quiet April down! Very relaxing car rides these days.
She is also starting to pick up on emotions. We've mentioned to her when things she does make us happy or sometimes sad and so now if we're excited about something and laughing, she'll come up and say "Happy mommy?" - yes, hunny, I'm happy :) Or, if I'm overwhelmed with the lack of sleep and started to cry once, she crawled into my lap to give me a hug... "sad mommy? It ok." Makes my heart want to burst with her sweet spirit caring for others so much!
Bethany is very aware of April and wants to know exactly where she is at all times! In the morning if we leave her in our room to stay asleep and come out to help Bethany get breakfast she always asks "where's April? where April go?" If I forget and leave our door open she'll always run in and peak at her sister trying to sleep.
At night before bed, our reading the Bible time and prayer as a family always ends with kisses. Bethany has to kiss April first. I've been replaced as the first one she wants to hug and kiss!
We are also entering the "why" phase. She is genuinely interested in why things happen, or why I do things a certain way but asking why 10-15 times is a little much even though it is cute!
If we have plans for the day it is fun to tell Bethany about them and then she looks forward to it all day. For example, going to the zoo with Charlie was talked about the entire day before and afterwards she had so much fun telling daddy about it too.
Bethany loves music and so each car has a kids CD constantly playing if she's riding along and she knows which car she is in and which songs are coming up. In daddy's car she'll say "the bus song" or "jericho" until we turn on the CD! We sing songs a lot at home, she has a clean-up song and we made up a zoo song and they all have dances too. Her laptop she got for her birthday has songs and that button is constantly being pushed :)
She surprises us with a lot of new and funny words like aroma (Dan taught her that when making coffee).
Bethany's 2nd birthday was a lot of fun. We played at home in the morning and after her nap Dan got off work early so we could go to IHOP for dinner and then to Mall of America to go on rides. Bethany loved it! As a chaperone we could ride along with her when she didn't meet the height requirement and she just wanted to keep going and going on all the rides. Some were a little scary, but the one we took a video of I thought was so fast but she loved it!
On Saturday we went trick or treating in Wayzata at some local businesses and she had so much fun as a "ee odder" before coming home for her nap before her birthday party. Both grandparents and my sister's family and my Aunt Lynette came and Bethany loved being in the center of attention. Amber brought some balloons including an Elmo balloon which was a big hit! I decorated my first cake as Elmo for her and it turned out good - at least it looked like Elmo!
Bethany, your dad and I love you so much. Whenever I tell you that mommy loves you, you always say "daddy?" Yes, daddy loves you. "April" Yes, April loves you. And we're also reminding you that Jesus loves you too. You are so special to us and everyone around you. Thanks for making our lives so entertaining with your joyful spirit. We can't wait to see you continue to grow and develop into the beautiful little girl that you are!
making my mom's homemade oatmeal bread recipe together
Bethany wearing the "I'm 2" barrettes that I wore when I was 2
of course I had to include our little smiley pumpkin April at 5 weeks old and cutting her first tooth!
Height: 34 1/2 inches - 55%
Weight: 28.4 lbs - 50%
Head: 47 cm - 75%
Bethany is progressing with the toilet training and we've instituted the "Poopy Prize" as a result. I think Bethany is a rule person like me and likes to look forward to things, know what is going to happen etc. So when we told her to sit on her potty chair or the toilet she was like, why? I have a perfectly good diaper for that! But, when we told her about this wonderful prize that she could get if she went, she immediately sat on the toilet and pooped. I took out a slinky from the box of toys I've saved for when I need Bethany occupied while I'm feeding April and told her it was a special prize for when she goes poopy. Oh, a Poopy Prize! she said. We let her play for a few minutes and then carefully put it away for the next time she had to go. It was a huge success, she was now telling everyone about her poopy prize and when she would see anything that resembled a slinky she'd ask if it was her poopy prize. There is a commercial on tv with a slinky that goes down the road and she yells "MY POOPY PRIZE" every time it is on. So happy that it is still working and that we don't have to think of a new prize each time either! I'm not pushing the training but we ask her throughout the day and so far she is most consistent right away in the morning and before bed. Other times will be harder to spot and catch when she needs to go but the Dr said normally kids are interested between 2 1/2 and 3 so she's doing good to be starting now!
Bethany listens and understands us so well that I'm often surprised at what she picks up on even if we aren't talking directly to her. We had been watching the Vikings game and then mentioned the Chicago Bears and she started listing off her cousins that live in "ChicaGO" because we had been talking about that the week before. Grandma and Papa were visiting Chicago and so she remembers that and picks up on it anytime she hears about Chicago.
Speaking of the Vikings, she loves to watch the games with us and although the season has been miserable it is quite funny what she sees us do. Now, just ask her if she likes the Vikings and she'll put her hand on her head, shake it and say "oh no" :)
Bethany is VERY good at counting and saying her ABC's. In fact, it is the choice song to try and help April if she starts crying in the car. So, as I'm driving and listening to April scream because she's had enough of being in the car, all of a sudden Bethany starts yelling at the top of her lungs the ABC's to try and quiet April down! Very relaxing car rides these days.
She is also starting to pick up on emotions. We've mentioned to her when things she does make us happy or sometimes sad and so now if we're excited about something and laughing, she'll come up and say "Happy mommy?" - yes, hunny, I'm happy :) Or, if I'm overwhelmed with the lack of sleep and started to cry once, she crawled into my lap to give me a hug... "sad mommy? It ok." Makes my heart want to burst with her sweet spirit caring for others so much!
Bethany is very aware of April and wants to know exactly where she is at all times! In the morning if we leave her in our room to stay asleep and come out to help Bethany get breakfast she always asks "where's April? where April go?" If I forget and leave our door open she'll always run in and peak at her sister trying to sleep.
At night before bed, our reading the Bible time and prayer as a family always ends with kisses. Bethany has to kiss April first. I've been replaced as the first one she wants to hug and kiss!
We are also entering the "why" phase. She is genuinely interested in why things happen, or why I do things a certain way but asking why 10-15 times is a little much even though it is cute!
If we have plans for the day it is fun to tell Bethany about them and then she looks forward to it all day. For example, going to the zoo with Charlie was talked about the entire day before and afterwards she had so much fun telling daddy about it too.
Bethany loves music and so each car has a kids CD constantly playing if she's riding along and she knows which car she is in and which songs are coming up. In daddy's car she'll say "the bus song" or "jericho" until we turn on the CD! We sing songs a lot at home, she has a clean-up song and we made up a zoo song and they all have dances too. Her laptop she got for her birthday has songs and that button is constantly being pushed :)
She surprises us with a lot of new and funny words like aroma (Dan taught her that when making coffee).
Bethany's 2nd birthday was a lot of fun. We played at home in the morning and after her nap Dan got off work early so we could go to IHOP for dinner and then to Mall of America to go on rides. Bethany loved it! As a chaperone we could ride along with her when she didn't meet the height requirement and she just wanted to keep going and going on all the rides. Some were a little scary, but the one we took a video of I thought was so fast but she loved it!
On Saturday we went trick or treating in Wayzata at some local businesses and she had so much fun as a "ee odder" before coming home for her nap before her birthday party. Both grandparents and my sister's family and my Aunt Lynette came and Bethany loved being in the center of attention. Amber brought some balloons including an Elmo balloon which was a big hit! I decorated my first cake as Elmo for her and it turned out good - at least it looked like Elmo!
Bethany, your dad and I love you so much. Whenever I tell you that mommy loves you, you always say "daddy?" Yes, daddy loves you. "April" Yes, April loves you. And we're also reminding you that Jesus loves you too. You are so special to us and everyone around you. Thanks for making our lives so entertaining with your joyful spirit. We can't wait to see you continue to grow and develop into the beautiful little girl that you are!
making my mom's homemade oatmeal bread recipe together
Bethany wearing the "I'm 2" barrettes that I wore when I was 2
of course I had to include our little smiley pumpkin April at 5 weeks old and cutting her first tooth!
Monday, October 24, 2011
April's 1st smile - 1 month old
I can't believe April turned 1 month old this past Saturday! We had gone into the doctor on Thursday to get some reflux medication because she has had a hard time going to sleep by herself laying flat. I think the meds are working because last night she slept 2 hours straight, woke up to eat and then slept another 1 hour in her pack n play. Even today she has take a 1 hr nap and a 1.5 hr nap in there so I think we are doing a little better than before when she'd only sleep laying right next to me or with me holding her.Other than sleeping, April is a wonderful baby. She puts up with a lot of noise from big sister Bethany and lots of inadvertant bonks and overall just loves to be around us. We were so excited that on her one month birthday she was all smiles! I was saying her name in an exaggerated way and she just looked at me for awhile and then her eyes lit up and she smiled and smiled. Bethany joined in and we had fun trying to catch pictures of it.
April you are such a sweetie and while I'd love a little more sleep, I have to say that snuggling with you is pretty fun and I know I'll miss these moments someday :) We love you so much and love your little smiles and smirks. You big cheeks make me smile and want to just eat you up! You are growing so well - 10 lbs 5 oz at the Dr this week (Bethany didn't get to that point until her 2 month bday!) and are getting so strong trying to hold your head up and practice tummy time. Thanks for being so flexible and coming along for the ride with your busy older sister!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Some pics of Bethany and friends in the past 2.5 weeks
love my sister!
double stroller rides are fun!
fun with Brayden
ready for the day
time to help daddy with the leaves
Bethany and Brayden in the leaves
reading to sister "Aper"
double stroller rides are fun!
fun with Brayden
ready for the day
time to help daddy with the leaves
Bethany and Brayden in the leaves
reading to sister "Aper"
April's birth story
Both kids are napping at the same time! So, I'm taking advantage of feeling relatively rested today (oh yeah, I had a cup of coffee this morning too) and will attempt to capture April's birth story so I don't forget.
I could not believe that on September 21st, the day before my due date, that I would still be pregnant! The Dr's had warned that we may always have premature babies and so I was prepared for an August baby but understood that if I was careful it may be possible to extend my pregnancy and go longer if not full-term. When Labor Day came and went, then the 37 week mark (full-term), then 38 weeks, 39.... I started wondering if I was going to go PAST my due date!?! My back pain had continued for most of the 3rd trimester and while the beautiful weather helped some, I was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable. I started thinking about what natural ways I could speed things along and remembered that with Bethany my water broke shortly after I had a massage to try and help my severe back pain. They had said they would not use the massage to induce me, but sometimes just being really relaxed causes the body to go into labor if you are otherwise ready. Even if it didn't I'd get a massage out of the deal :)
So, on the 21st I had a wonderful massage and got a lot done around the house that evening while Dan went to sleep early around 8:30 as he was getting over a cold. I chatted on the phone with my dad while cleaning the entire kitchen, doing laundry and picking up the house (can you say nesting?). At about 10:30 I was getting tired and climbed into bed. Just as I got all my pillows situated around my large belly I felt my water break! I ran into the bathroom while telling Dan to get up and 5 minutes later poked my head out the door to make sure he was awake (he wasn't). He called his parents to come stay over with Bethany so we could head to the hospital, and I called Methodist to let them know my water broke and to see if we should come right away or wait for the contractions to be closer together. They were glad I called as they were over capacity and needed to divert me to another hospital. I was not prepared for that and had tons of questions about whether our insurance would cover another place, if my Dr would be there, where was the next closest hospital etc. A few friends had delivered at Waconia and loved the birthing center and it was only a little farther from Methodist anyway so we had them send my files there. They were actually pretty busy too so I started checking with Maple Grove to see if they had room but when I called back to Methodist they said Waconia would be expecting me and it would be fine. I tried to figure out the insurance situation too by calling Health Partners but being after hours I couldn't get an answer and so we ended up just packing our bags and going. At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart and remembering stories of other moms quick deliveries of 2nd and 3rd kids made me think it was important to just get to a hospital. Dan didn't want to deliver a baby in our car :)
We checked in around 12:30 a.m. and my contractions started getting farther apart so we tried walking the hallways. It was a long night and I was tired! They wanted to speed things along after I started to stall so gave me a very small amount of Pitocin and it worked immediately. I started having contractions 1-2 minutes apart around 5 am and after my epidural tried to rest for a little bit. Just like with Bethany, as soon as I started to rest I started feeling a lot of pressure and asked the nurse to check me. The Dr. came by at 7 on his way to a twins c-section and said "wow, I wasn't expecting that - you are crowning!" He couldn't do the delivery since the other mom was already ready so they called another Dr. who lived nearby to come over quickly and deliver our baby! I felt like I needed to push but they told me to try not to (ha!) so every couple minutes I wanted someone to make sure she wasn't coming out too quickly - Dan did not want that job so thankfully the nurse stayed nearby. Finally, the other Dr arrived and got on her scrubs and we were ready to push. I tried to remember what to do and 3 pushes later, April Faith arrived! As I was pushing my water burst again and was very memorable seeing the floor flood (Dan jumped out of the way). The other thing that was scary was that the cord was wrapped around April's neck and body twice. They said it was a long cord but thankfully they got her unwrapped and since it was a quick delivery everything was fine. I got to hold her right away and hear her cry... the most amazing sound! They got her cleaned up, she weighed in at 8 lb 1 oz and was 20 in long born at 8:12 a.m. on her due date, September 22nd, 2011. I had a reminder on my outlook calendar telling me it was her due date from 8-8:30 so she came very promptly during that meeting invite to arrive at 8:12!
It was so fun to look at her, her chubby little cheeks and count her fingers and long toes. We were so thankful she was healthy! Big sister Bethany came with Papa and Grandma later that morning and Auntie Amber and Mormor and Morfar came that afternoon. Like a big sister, Bethany shared her cold with Bethany immediately upon meeting her with a big sneeze. I was scared she would get sick, and she did get a cold, but thankfully no fever.
We got to go home on Saturday and while she was jaundiced similarly to Bethany, they expected it was breast milk jaundice and that she'd get better around the 2 mo mark like Bethany did. We had a follow-up pediatrician appointment on Monday that confirmed the high levels and they also detected a heart murmur so we went to Children's the next day for a cardiologist appointment where they showed us exactly where the small holes were. There were two holes but were very tiny and should close on their own within a year. However, we want to document them because any dr that sees April will hear the murmur and want to be sure it isn't dangerous (which it shouldn't be because these holes are very common).
Dan went back to work on the 29th and Bethany, April and I tried to figure out how to all be home together. Bethany thankfully has been very loving to April so far. She has limited listening skills to me, but loves to hold and talk to April whenever she can. We are staying busy with visitors and play dates and are loving the beautiful fall weather. The first 8 days of October had temperatures in the 80's! Bethany is going to be going to Koala Bear one day a week to keep some consistency with her new friends so we don't have another transition in December and hopefully that will be a nice thing for her to look forward to. I know I am looking forward to having a day to catch up on sleep with just April at home. For some reason April hasn't been sleeping during Bethany's naptime so "sleep when the baby sleeps" hasn't been working with the 2nd child at home for me. I'm also hoping that once April's cold clears up that she'll sleep better at night. So far she has been wanting to cuddle and nurse ALL NIGHT LONG. It is sweet to have a newborn so cuddly, but I also know sleeping is important when you have an active almost 2-year old during the day to keep busy. April will be 3 weeks on Thursday so hopefully by then we'll have some longer stretches at night where she is ok sleeping in her pack n play.
April, you are an adorable little girl and we love you so much! Thank you for joining our family and while big sister Bethany may be very loud sometimes and not understand that she shouldn't get so close to your face and point out your eyes, nose and mouth so forcefully, she loves you very much too!
I could not believe that on September 21st, the day before my due date, that I would still be pregnant! The Dr's had warned that we may always have premature babies and so I was prepared for an August baby but understood that if I was careful it may be possible to extend my pregnancy and go longer if not full-term. When Labor Day came and went, then the 37 week mark (full-term), then 38 weeks, 39.... I started wondering if I was going to go PAST my due date!?! My back pain had continued for most of the 3rd trimester and while the beautiful weather helped some, I was starting to feel pretty uncomfortable. I started thinking about what natural ways I could speed things along and remembered that with Bethany my water broke shortly after I had a massage to try and help my severe back pain. They had said they would not use the massage to induce me, but sometimes just being really relaxed causes the body to go into labor if you are otherwise ready. Even if it didn't I'd get a massage out of the deal :)
So, on the 21st I had a wonderful massage and got a lot done around the house that evening while Dan went to sleep early around 8:30 as he was getting over a cold. I chatted on the phone with my dad while cleaning the entire kitchen, doing laundry and picking up the house (can you say nesting?). At about 10:30 I was getting tired and climbed into bed. Just as I got all my pillows situated around my large belly I felt my water break! I ran into the bathroom while telling Dan to get up and 5 minutes later poked my head out the door to make sure he was awake (he wasn't). He called his parents to come stay over with Bethany so we could head to the hospital, and I called Methodist to let them know my water broke and to see if we should come right away or wait for the contractions to be closer together. They were glad I called as they were over capacity and needed to divert me to another hospital. I was not prepared for that and had tons of questions about whether our insurance would cover another place, if my Dr would be there, where was the next closest hospital etc. A few friends had delivered at Waconia and loved the birthing center and it was only a little farther from Methodist anyway so we had them send my files there. They were actually pretty busy too so I started checking with Maple Grove to see if they had room but when I called back to Methodist they said Waconia would be expecting me and it would be fine. I tried to figure out the insurance situation too by calling Health Partners but being after hours I couldn't get an answer and so we ended up just packing our bags and going. At this point my contractions were about 5 minutes apart and remembering stories of other moms quick deliveries of 2nd and 3rd kids made me think it was important to just get to a hospital. Dan didn't want to deliver a baby in our car :)
We checked in around 12:30 a.m. and my contractions started getting farther apart so we tried walking the hallways. It was a long night and I was tired! They wanted to speed things along after I started to stall so gave me a very small amount of Pitocin and it worked immediately. I started having contractions 1-2 minutes apart around 5 am and after my epidural tried to rest for a little bit. Just like with Bethany, as soon as I started to rest I started feeling a lot of pressure and asked the nurse to check me. The Dr. came by at 7 on his way to a twins c-section and said "wow, I wasn't expecting that - you are crowning!" He couldn't do the delivery since the other mom was already ready so they called another Dr. who lived nearby to come over quickly and deliver our baby! I felt like I needed to push but they told me to try not to (ha!) so every couple minutes I wanted someone to make sure she wasn't coming out too quickly - Dan did not want that job so thankfully the nurse stayed nearby. Finally, the other Dr arrived and got on her scrubs and we were ready to push. I tried to remember what to do and 3 pushes later, April Faith arrived! As I was pushing my water burst again and was very memorable seeing the floor flood (Dan jumped out of the way). The other thing that was scary was that the cord was wrapped around April's neck and body twice. They said it was a long cord but thankfully they got her unwrapped and since it was a quick delivery everything was fine. I got to hold her right away and hear her cry... the most amazing sound! They got her cleaned up, she weighed in at 8 lb 1 oz and was 20 in long born at 8:12 a.m. on her due date, September 22nd, 2011. I had a reminder on my outlook calendar telling me it was her due date from 8-8:30 so she came very promptly during that meeting invite to arrive at 8:12!
It was so fun to look at her, her chubby little cheeks and count her fingers and long toes. We were so thankful she was healthy! Big sister Bethany came with Papa and Grandma later that morning and Auntie Amber and Mormor and Morfar came that afternoon. Like a big sister, Bethany shared her cold with Bethany immediately upon meeting her with a big sneeze. I was scared she would get sick, and she did get a cold, but thankfully no fever.
We got to go home on Saturday and while she was jaundiced similarly to Bethany, they expected it was breast milk jaundice and that she'd get better around the 2 mo mark like Bethany did. We had a follow-up pediatrician appointment on Monday that confirmed the high levels and they also detected a heart murmur so we went to Children's the next day for a cardiologist appointment where they showed us exactly where the small holes were. There were two holes but were very tiny and should close on their own within a year. However, we want to document them because any dr that sees April will hear the murmur and want to be sure it isn't dangerous (which it shouldn't be because these holes are very common).
Dan went back to work on the 29th and Bethany, April and I tried to figure out how to all be home together. Bethany thankfully has been very loving to April so far. She has limited listening skills to me, but loves to hold and talk to April whenever she can. We are staying busy with visitors and play dates and are loving the beautiful fall weather. The first 8 days of October had temperatures in the 80's! Bethany is going to be going to Koala Bear one day a week to keep some consistency with her new friends so we don't have another transition in December and hopefully that will be a nice thing for her to look forward to. I know I am looking forward to having a day to catch up on sleep with just April at home. For some reason April hasn't been sleeping during Bethany's naptime so "sleep when the baby sleeps" hasn't been working with the 2nd child at home for me. I'm also hoping that once April's cold clears up that she'll sleep better at night. So far she has been wanting to cuddle and nurse ALL NIGHT LONG. It is sweet to have a newborn so cuddly, but I also know sleeping is important when you have an active almost 2-year old during the day to keep busy. April will be 3 weeks on Thursday so hopefully by then we'll have some longer stretches at night where she is ok sleeping in her pack n play.
April, you are an adorable little girl and we love you so much! Thank you for joining our family and while big sister Bethany may be very loud sometimes and not understand that she shouldn't get so close to your face and point out your eyes, nose and mouth so forcefully, she loves you very much too!
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