The fields are so beautiful, ranunculus in a rainbow of colors in full bloom.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Flower Fields
Today was a beautiful day and our play group went to the Carlsbad Flower Fields. Even though we live less than half a mile from this attraction, it was our first visit!
The fields are so beautiful, ranunculus in a rainbow of colors in full bloom.
The kids, however, couldn't really have cared less about the vista and were much more interested in the dirt and the tape asking them to KEEP OUT of the flowers! Haha, oh well!
We had a good time riding the antique tractor around and attempting to get some poetic shots of them. They also have a playground there, a cool bird cage and a Sweet Pea maze.
The fields are so beautiful, ranunculus in a rainbow of colors in full bloom.
12 weeks
We had our second ultrasound last week and...
We are so thrilled and relieved everything is alright with this peanut! We had a few scary weeks in the beginning with this pregnancy. About a week after we found out I was pregnant, and two weeks before my first appointment with my OB, I experienced bright red blood. I freaked out and headed to the ER at Scripps Encinitas where I will be delivering this baby (we switched me off Kaiser after I had Harper, so I have a new OB and hospital this time around). After a pelvic exam, the ER doc recommended an u/s and thankfully, I saw the little baby!! It was VERY early, 5 weeks or so, so there wasn't much more than a sac and a dot but there was a flickering heartbeat and the tech was confident everything was ok. I saw my OB earlier than planned to confirm all was well, and we got to see the baby and hear the heartbeat again (120 bpm).
The blood was from a subchorionic hemorrhage which is basically benign blood trapped between the sac and my uterus, and it comes out when I over exert myself (the first time it happened, I was lifting Avery's queen mattress all around to make her bed). The only way for it to stop is to let it heal by resting. THAT is a tall order for a mom of a toddler and a 10 month old! But, after about another week of off and on bleeding and LOTS of worrying, it stopped and I haven't bled since.
This pregnancy already seems like the longest one EVER (and I know for a fact I said that with Harper too). Luckily, my symptoms have been there but much milder than both of my pregnancies with the girls. Avery was the worst (headaches, nausea, cramping...) Harper was milder than her and this one is the mildest so far.
I feel the worst in the evenings around dinner time, I just get grossed out by whatever healthy meal I am preparing for the family and usually skip eating it myself. I enjoy salads and smoothies which I HATED with the girls, only wanted carbs and starch. I also feel hungry almost all day and hit a wall of exhaustion around 7 at night, so bathing the girls and putting them to bed is hard for me. Alex is super helpful and has been doing everything he can to make it easier for me. I have to pee all the time, and that was actually my very first pregnancy symptom.
We are so thrilled and relieved everything is alright with this peanut! We had a few scary weeks in the beginning with this pregnancy. About a week after we found out I was pregnant, and two weeks before my first appointment with my OB, I experienced bright red blood. I freaked out and headed to the ER at Scripps Encinitas where I will be delivering this baby (we switched me off Kaiser after I had Harper, so I have a new OB and hospital this time around). After a pelvic exam, the ER doc recommended an u/s and thankfully, I saw the little baby!! It was VERY early, 5 weeks or so, so there wasn't much more than a sac and a dot but there was a flickering heartbeat and the tech was confident everything was ok. I saw my OB earlier than planned to confirm all was well, and we got to see the baby and hear the heartbeat again (120 bpm).
The blood was from a subchorionic hemorrhage which is basically benign blood trapped between the sac and my uterus, and it comes out when I over exert myself (the first time it happened, I was lifting Avery's queen mattress all around to make her bed). The only way for it to stop is to let it heal by resting. THAT is a tall order for a mom of a toddler and a 10 month old! But, after about another week of off and on bleeding and LOTS of worrying, it stopped and I haven't bled since.
This pregnancy already seems like the longest one EVER (and I know for a fact I said that with Harper too). Luckily, my symptoms have been there but much milder than both of my pregnancies with the girls. Avery was the worst (headaches, nausea, cramping...) Harper was milder than her and this one is the mildest so far.
I feel the worst in the evenings around dinner time, I just get grossed out by whatever healthy meal I am preparing for the family and usually skip eating it myself. I enjoy salads and smoothies which I HATED with the girls, only wanted carbs and starch. I also feel hungry almost all day and hit a wall of exhaustion around 7 at night, so bathing the girls and putting them to bed is hard for me. Alex is super helpful and has been doing everything he can to make it easier for me. I have to pee all the time, and that was actually my very first pregnancy symptom.
I am not showing anything besides food baby but I am bloated and rocking maternity pants for comfort (not that I ever really stopped wearing them, ha!)
Next post will hopefully be a gender reveal post! Yippee!!
Party of Five
On Sunday, February 10th we found out, much to our surprise, that we would be welcoming Baby #3 into our family in mid-October! Some might know about my desire to have another baby quickly, and while we weren't "trying" we weren't preventing either. It took us 4 months of trying to conceive Avery and 8 months for Harper, so I assumed it wouldn't happen until well after Harper's first birthday. Those who have done it, know "trying" to conceive really sucks so I can say we are both relieved not to have to go through that this time. My "clock" is ticking louder the older I get so I am SO HAPPY to be welcoming another baby so soon. I really missed being pregnant and though some will say it seems like I was JUST pregnant with Harper, I have forgotten how wonderful baby kicks and a baby cute bump are. I am so looking forward to experiencing it all again.
For those that are wondering, all the Chinese Gender Charts I have checked and the baking soda test predict....BOY! Both predictors were correct for both of the girls so FINGERS CROSSED! We are participating in a local study in which they need 1,000 participants in hopes to detect fetal birth defects in the first trimester by drawing the mother's blood and separating her DNA from the baby's. In doing this, they are able to determine the baby's gender very early. So we might be able to find out the gender as soon as 10 weeks! AND they pay me $250 for my participation! Where do I sign up??
Stay tuned!
For those that are wondering, all the Chinese Gender Charts I have checked and the baking soda test predict....BOY! Both predictors were correct for both of the girls so FINGERS CROSSED! We are participating in a local study in which they need 1,000 participants in hopes to detect fetal birth defects in the first trimester by drawing the mother's blood and separating her DNA from the baby's. In doing this, they are able to determine the baby's gender very early. So we might be able to find out the gender as soon as 10 weeks! AND they pay me $250 for my participation! Where do I sign up??
Stay tuned!
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Harper's 9/10 Months!
Haha, whoops doing a double month post here...Harper is now 10 months old, so close to being ONE! Party planning is in full swing, and Harper is growing so fast!
She is 20 pounds, 29.5" long (3 pounds lighter, and 1.5 inches longer than her sister at this age) and crawls/cruises around so fast! She still sits well in the stroller for some time, but prefers to be mobile. She has stood on her own for a few seconds two or three times, but hasn't made any move to take unassisted steps yet. Avery was fully walking by 11.5 months so Harper needs to get on it if she wants to keep up with her sister.
Harper is still breasfed in the morning, has formula and table food the rest of the day. She loves ALL foods we have given her except avocado. You name it, she has tried it, loved it, and devoured it. She eats versions of what we eat for the most part and baby food pouches for snacks when we are out and about. I plan to introduce whole milk to her in the next few weeks so she is weaned from formula by her birthday. Avery was more picky with food had a hard time with that transition so I hope Harper takes it better than her.
She drinks water from a sippy cup but prefers a straw cup or her bottle. I plan to cut out the bottles by her first birthday as well.
She is wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She can sign "more" and we are working on the sign for milk. She can point with her index finger, can clap and gives the sweetest, slobberiest kisses. She says mama and lots of unidentifiable jibberish. She has four teeth (2 top 2 bottom) and seems to be working on 4 more.
Harper is a great sleeper! I lucked out with two really good sleepers, I am a happy mama! She sometimes naps in the morning if we are home or takes little cat naps in the car. She usually goes down when Avery does between 1 and 2 and will sleep for an hour or more usually. She goes to bed at 7/7:30 and wakes around the same time in the morning, giving me a solid 12 hours most nights. She loves her pacis and can find them herself in the night if she wakes. She is in a sleep sack which I love, and she has a "lovey" blanket that she likes to have on her face when she is cuddling with me before bed.
Harper lives up to her name and is truly a joy, giggling, smiling and flirting every chance she gets. LOVE HER!!
She is 20 pounds, 29.5" long (3 pounds lighter, and 1.5 inches longer than her sister at this age) and crawls/cruises around so fast! She still sits well in the stroller for some time, but prefers to be mobile. She has stood on her own for a few seconds two or three times, but hasn't made any move to take unassisted steps yet. Avery was fully walking by 11.5 months so Harper needs to get on it if she wants to keep up with her sister.
Harper is still breasfed in the morning, has formula and table food the rest of the day. She loves ALL foods we have given her except avocado. You name it, she has tried it, loved it, and devoured it. She eats versions of what we eat for the most part and baby food pouches for snacks when we are out and about. I plan to introduce whole milk to her in the next few weeks so she is weaned from formula by her birthday. Avery was more picky with food had a hard time with that transition so I hope Harper takes it better than her.
She drinks water from a sippy cup but prefers a straw cup or her bottle. I plan to cut out the bottles by her first birthday as well.
She is wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She can sign "more" and we are working on the sign for milk. She can point with her index finger, can clap and gives the sweetest, slobberiest kisses. She says mama and lots of unidentifiable jibberish. She has four teeth (2 top 2 bottom) and seems to be working on 4 more.
Harper is a great sleeper! I lucked out with two really good sleepers, I am a happy mama! She sometimes naps in the morning if we are home or takes little cat naps in the car. She usually goes down when Avery does between 1 and 2 and will sleep for an hour or more usually. She goes to bed at 7/7:30 and wakes around the same time in the morning, giving me a solid 12 hours most nights. She loves her pacis and can find them herself in the night if she wakes. She is in a sleep sack which I love, and she has a "lovey" blanket that she likes to have on her face when she is cuddling with me before bed.
Harper lives up to her name and is truly a joy, giggling, smiling and flirting every chance she gets. LOVE HER!!
Potty Training Part 2...still a work in progress
So, when we left off, Avery had finally gone pee on the potty for a whole day by herself! We were thrilled and so proud of her. I truly was beginning to think it would NEVER happen (I am a woman so I am not always rational...)
Now it is late March, a solid three months since we started. There have been many ups and downs, but we can happily say that Avery wears panties all day long and rarely has accidents anymore. She might have an accident once or twice a week. I still have to remind/convince/drag her to go potty every hour or so. but she goes on the potty. We don't have/use a potty seat, she just climbs up on the big potty (or I lay down a paper and help her onto public seats) and goes. She does still wear a pull-up for nap and bedtime but we take it off immediately when she wakes up and we don't put it on her until she is climbing into bed. It is always wet.
The big question...what about #2? I am happy to report that 80% of the time she goes ALL BY HERSELF on the potty. She will say "oh, I have to go poo poo!" and she'll run in there, put the seat down (thanks Alex) climb on and go! She still gets a lollipop or 2 M&M's for that, and she goes every other day or so. The other 20% of the time, she goes in her pull-up after nap or when she wakes in the morning, before we can get to her (no reward for that).
Now it is late March, a solid three months since we started. There have been many ups and downs, but we can happily say that Avery wears panties all day long and rarely has accidents anymore. She might have an accident once or twice a week. I still have to remind/convince/drag her to go potty every hour or so. but she goes on the potty. We don't have/use a potty seat, she just climbs up on the big potty (or I lay down a paper and help her onto public seats) and goes. She does still wear a pull-up for nap and bedtime but we take it off immediately when she wakes up and we don't put it on her until she is climbing into bed. It is always wet.
The big question...what about #2? I am happy to report that 80% of the time she goes ALL BY HERSELF on the potty. She will say "oh, I have to go poo poo!" and she'll run in there, put the seat down (thanks Alex) climb on and go! She still gets a lollipop or 2 M&M's for that, and she goes every other day or so. The other 20% of the time, she goes in her pull-up after nap or when she wakes in the morning, before we can get to her (no reward for that).
Needless to say, we are SO VERY PROUD of our big girl! She is acting older and more mature by the minute and it is definitely bittersweet. Avery is becoming more articulate by the day and is smart as a whip. Nothing gets by this one! She loves to dance and is happy to perform anytime, anywhere. She is the sweetest big sister, often asking for Harper first thing in the morning and missing her during naps.
Love you Avery!!!
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Potty Training Part 1...Learn from my mistakes!
Ah, I remember the days of fantisizing about Avery peeing and pooping in the potty (oh the things us moms literally dream about!) and me no longer having to wipe her adult-sized butt or change her sheets because of a leaky diaper. While that is a lovely dream and I am sure we will be there someday, it sure is a long, frustrating and messy journey to get there!
We started receiving the "Signs That Your Child Is Ready To Use the Potty" emails months before we were ready, which added to the pressure we felt when other kids Avery's age were jumping on the porcelain band-wagon. Everyone said "She will do great! Just be prepared for accidents. They are okay." So when Santa brought her a potty, princess underwear and an Elmo Potty Time DVD, we knew it was time to bite the bullet.
Sure, she was interested in the potty. This we could tell because she insisted on following Alex or I in there whenever we would, umm, pay a visit. She loved flushing and playing with the paper. She would sit on it whenever we asked her to, but nothing ever ended up in there besides the errant Barbie shoe and the occassional hair clip.
We decided to do our ownlazy version of the Three Day potty training method. Which, basically requires you to pump the kid full of liquids, leave them naked all day, and take them to sit on the potty every 20 minutes. The theory being that you increase the likelihood of them having successes, even if they are accidental to start, which will help them connect the dots between going pee and the positive reinforcement you decide to give them. So eventually they go, "Ok, so my mom and dad go ape-shit and give me chocolate, lots of hugs and the keys to their car when I put the wet stuff in that cold chair-thing... Maybe I should do that again!"
We had a jar full of M&M's in plain view and a "treasure box" full of toys, DVD's and coloring books we knew she would love. We were ready to get started!
Day 1: Alex and I were pretty amped up, ready to have our girl potty trained and doing her own laundry by Sunday. Avery was excited too, though she wasn't really sure why. We had her "throw her diapers away" into a bag I stashed in the closet (hey, those things aren't cheap!) and we put her in a shirt and big-girl undies and hung out around the house. Setting the timer every 20 minutes and putting her on the potty was fun for all of us the first 5 times. When she did not put a DROP of pee in the potty, and proceeded to pee several times in the garage and in her room on the carpet, the general ambiance had taken a down-ward turn. Successes: 1 (yay!) Accidents: 5+
Not great.
Day 2: More of the same. This time, she screamed and cried and threw a fit when we made her sit on the potty every 20 minutes. Clearly, we had to re-evaluate our plan. Of all the things we read, the one point that was stressed over and over was to keep the entire experience as positive as possible. Not only was it torture for her, it was stressful and endlessly frustrating for us. I found myself annoyed and irriated with her every time she had an accident. And I am not entirely sure they were even accidents...she didn't seem to bat an eye or even notice when she would pee in her underwear. She didn't seem uncomfortable and we wouldn't even notice until the timer went off again and we had to take her to the potty. So, by the end of Day 2 we had put her in a diaper and Alex and I each drank a bottle of wine.
Day 3: We took some Advil and decided to just screw the whole idea and try again in a few weeks. We left her naked anyway, but didn't set the timer. Lo and behold...SHE WENT PEE ON THE POTTY 100% BY HERSELF! She simply went over to it, sat, went pee, then got up and came over to us and yelled "Pee pee on the potty!!" We were like, "yeah yeah, you are supposed to put pee...whatever." When she finally took us by the hands and dragged us over to the potty to show us, we couldn't believe it! Genuine praise came pouring out of us and we gave her an M&M and an awesome treasure from her box. She did that all day long. So many successes and zero accidents. We were THRILLED!
From this experience I learned that the most important "sign of readiness" is that your kid feels uncomfortable in a dirty diaper. If they don't, very little else will motivate them to use the potty. I also think that while Day 1 and 2 weren't successes in general, this is when she learned to HOLD her pee, even if she was holding it while sitting on the potty (argh). She now has the muscle control to hold it while she runs to the potty without a timer having to reminder her to go. Which, is CRUCIAL to transitioning the skill of going potty into real life.
Now, where to go from here...stay tuned for Part 2!
We started receiving the "Signs That Your Child Is Ready To Use the Potty" emails months before we were ready, which added to the pressure we felt when other kids Avery's age were jumping on the porcelain band-wagon. Everyone said "She will do great! Just be prepared for accidents. They are okay." So when Santa brought her a potty, princess underwear and an Elmo Potty Time DVD, we knew it was time to bite the bullet.
Sure, she was interested in the potty. This we could tell because she insisted on following Alex or I in there whenever we would, umm, pay a visit. She loved flushing and playing with the paper. She would sit on it whenever we asked her to, but nothing ever ended up in there besides the errant Barbie shoe and the occassional hair clip.
We decided to do our own
We had a jar full of M&M's in plain view and a "treasure box" full of toys, DVD's and coloring books we knew she would love. We were ready to get started!
Day 1: Alex and I were pretty amped up, ready to have our girl potty trained and doing her own laundry by Sunday. Avery was excited too, though she wasn't really sure why. We had her "throw her diapers away" into a bag I stashed in the closet (hey, those things aren't cheap!) and we put her in a shirt and big-girl undies and hung out around the house. Setting the timer every 20 minutes and putting her on the potty was fun for all of us the first 5 times. When she did not put a DROP of pee in the potty, and proceeded to pee several times in the garage and in her room on the carpet, the general ambiance had taken a down-ward turn. Successes: 1 (yay!) Accidents: 5+
Not great.
Day 2: More of the same. This time, she screamed and cried and threw a fit when we made her sit on the potty every 20 minutes. Clearly, we had to re-evaluate our plan. Of all the things we read, the one point that was stressed over and over was to keep the entire experience as positive as possible. Not only was it torture for her, it was stressful and endlessly frustrating for us. I found myself annoyed and irriated with her every time she had an accident. And I am not entirely sure they were even accidents...she didn't seem to bat an eye or even notice when she would pee in her underwear. She didn't seem uncomfortable and we wouldn't even notice until the timer went off again and we had to take her to the potty. So, by the end of Day 2 we had put her in a diaper and Alex and I each drank a bottle of wine.
Day 3: We took some Advil and decided to just screw the whole idea and try again in a few weeks. We left her naked anyway, but didn't set the timer. Lo and behold...SHE WENT PEE ON THE POTTY 100% BY HERSELF! She simply went over to it, sat, went pee, then got up and came over to us and yelled "Pee pee on the potty!!" We were like, "yeah yeah, you are supposed to put pee...whatever." When she finally took us by the hands and dragged us over to the potty to show us, we couldn't believe it! Genuine praise came pouring out of us and we gave her an M&M and an awesome treasure from her box. She did that all day long. So many successes and zero accidents. We were THRILLED!
From this experience I learned that the most important "sign of readiness" is that your kid feels uncomfortable in a dirty diaper. If they don't, very little else will motivate them to use the potty. I also think that while Day 1 and 2 weren't successes in general, this is when she learned to HOLD her pee, even if she was holding it while sitting on the potty (argh). She now has the muscle control to hold it while she runs to the potty without a timer having to reminder her to go. Which, is CRUCIAL to transitioning the skill of going potty into real life.
Now, where to go from here...stay tuned for Part 2!
Monday, January 28, 2013
Harper is 8 months!
My little lovebug is 8 months old! I feel like this past month from she has grown SO much!
She weighs about 20 pounds, wears size 3 diapers and size 9-12 months clothes.
Harper still has just the two bottom teeth but I suspect the top chompers aren't far behind.
We transitioned Harper to a convertible car seat this week, as she outgrew the infant seat in inches. She seems to like it but this means I have to sit in the car when she is asleep and now we have to get another seat for our double stroller.
Harper continues to eat everything we offer her. We have started some finger foods for her (steamed fruits and veggies so far) and she is getting better at getting the goods into her mouth. We are still making her food every few days or so and she will eat any combo we serve her. Zucchini/carrot/pear or squash/spinach/mango or quinoa/black bean/banana are all received happily by our hungry hippo Harper.
Avery loves to help feed her sissy but doesn't quite have the finesse Mom and Dad do. Harper, of course, doesn't mind one bit! Any attention from her big sister welcome attention.
We are on the go as always, trying to keep up with big sister. We go to the aquarium, the park, Legoland and we recently took a train down to Seaport Village to ride the carousel and walk around.
We have had an unusually warm month which, of course, means lots of beach days!
She is officially on the move, scooting, crawling and cruising her way into trouble. We have to put the dog food up now and keep Avery's potty out of her line of vision.
Harper still has just the two bottom teeth but I suspect the top chompers aren't far behind.
We transitioned Harper to a convertible car seat this week, as she outgrew the infant seat in inches. She seems to like it but this means I have to sit in the car when she is asleep and now we have to get another seat for our double stroller.
Harper continues to eat everything we offer her. We have started some finger foods for her (steamed fruits and veggies so far) and she is getting better at getting the goods into her mouth. We are still making her food every few days or so and she will eat any combo we serve her. Zucchini/carrot/pear or squash/spinach/mango or quinoa/black bean/banana are all received happily by our hungry hippo Harper.
Avery loves to help feed her sissy but doesn't quite have the finesse Mom and Dad do. Harper, of course, doesn't mind one bit! Any attention from her big sister welcome attention.
We are on the go as always, trying to keep up with big sister. We go to the aquarium, the park, Legoland and we recently took a train down to Seaport Village to ride the carousel and walk around.
On Jan 27th at 8.5 months old, she confirmed our predictions that she'd be an early walker by taking her first (assisted) steps. Look out!!
We have had an unusually warm month which, of course, means lots of beach days!
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