Destin 2016

We just got back from an impulsive 3 days at the beach. Olivia didn't have school this past week and my parents didn't have any renters in their condo. We rented a mini van, packed up the girls and the dog and met Gaga and Papa for the beach. 

Olivia was great in the car. She was so excited that she wouldn't even get out at rest stops to use the restroom. "No mama. I yust went. I want to go to the beach!" I had wrapped all these fruit snacks and little toys for Olivia as "presents" to keep her entertained in the car. She didn't need any of them. She just wanted a direct shot to the beach. 

Emma was a little bit of a mess, but we all survived. 

Olivia kept telling me, "I love the beach! Last time I went I was a baby!" (She was almost two). She spent most of the time at the pool, and despite having an absolute blast building sandcastles and playing in the waves with Dan and my dad - she said "me no like the waves, me no like the sand."

By the last day she was "swimming" underwater and I couldn't be more proud. I have to put swimming in quotes because Dan said, "you mean drowning?" Well .. technically yes. But she wouldn't even get her face wet earlier - and here she was going under and kicking her feet until you pulled her up. 

She kept calling her googles 'bubbles,' and telling all the kids she met, "My mama got me these bubbles for my eyes so no water gets in them." I just love how she thinks it's so cool that her mom bought her something. I said on Instagram that soon she won't think it's cool, she'll be 7 and be all "I just ubered to Target and picked up these sweet shades myself."

Olivia saw someone order a strawberry daiquiri at the bar. She HAD to have one. Creeping by the bar asking other people to buy one for her. When I finally caved, she chugged it. We will have big problems when she's a teenager. 

Emma hated the sun and heat. We had a tent for her with a baby bath tub for kicking her feet. A little fan blowing on her. This whole set up! After 20 minutes of crying I called it quits and went up with her. We go back in August so hopefully she'll like it then.

On the way back both girls did great in the car. Olivia found my favorite movie from when I was little. Cinderella. She watched it 3 times and then asked if she could get back in the car (after an 8 hour drive) to watch it again. Sweet thing keeps saying 'bitty bitty boo' (bippity boppity boo). 

And we stopped at a Dwarf House Chick Fil A and Olivia loved the "ah-yivia sized doort!" 

The beach with little ones is definitely different. No more laying out from 10-2 (prime tanning hours). But its so much fun to live all the magic through their eyes. 

Emma vs Olivia - Four Months

Starting to look a little more different.

Emma - Four Months

Height: 24.25 inches
Weight: 12 pounds

Sleep: I actually have good news to report! The Zantac diminished the night wakings for sure! She started to trust that eating wouldn't hurt her. Started eating more. And then started sleeping longer stretches at night, and is pretty much down to waking once per night. Olivia did the 4am feed until she was 8 months. I'm cool with that. Especially because work starts soon and I leave without seeing the girls in the morning. I kinda like an excuse to snuggle her before getting ready for work.

Eating: Still doesn't take the bottle. Work starts back this week, so hopefully daycare and our nanny will be able to get her to. I've heard that some kids will refuse to eat and then make up for it at night. Please Emma - keep sleeping!

Best Moment of the Month: The first time she laughed out loud. I had been rushing around, helping our dictator, getting snacks, the TV turned on, lugging Emma around through all of this. I set Emma down, changed her diaper while telling Olivia 'almost nap time.' I stopped for a second to look at Emma and smile. It was like she was just waiting for me. Her eyes lit up and she got this big smile and then burst out laughing. She couldn't contain her excitement that I was paying attention to her! She's going to be a little ham.

Parent of the Month: Let me take this time to tell you how Emma gets scared. When she was in my stomach if I patted my stomach or touched it, she would jump so hard I could feel her. She is still the little scaredy cat! If I laugh or speak after a slight period of silence, she jumps and screams with her bottom lip out like I was so mean to have scared her so horribly. When our dog barks, when I take her into Whole Foods and that breeze blows that keeps the bugs out, when we go into a store and there is a large climate change, when we enter an elevator, if I pick her up too quickly - scared, sad, screaming. Worst mom ever. She won't be riding the rollercoasters with Olivia!

Milestones: Emma is laughing out loud, 'standing' all the time, and really interactive. She can tell when we walk in the room. She lights up when she sees us. She loves holding her toys, bringing them to her mouth and chewing on them. Loves chewing her fists and drooling like crazy. She's also mastered the 'raspberries.' I just love how interactive she is at this age, but still such a baby. So much fun! Don't get any bigger!

Clothes / Diapers: Still in size 2 diapers but she's in 3-6 or 6-9 clothes. She's able to wear some of Olivia's spring stuff from when she was 9 months - which I love. Olivia's summer clothes are my favorite so I'm thrilled to reuse them.

Favorites: Emma is loving Sophie the giraffe. Olivia never loved it much - but Emma just loves to hold Sophie and chew. This is a great age for her play mat and hanging toys that she can bat and chew on. We've also been using the baby bjorn since Emma likes to look out so much - the wrap days are over.

How to Take Pictures of Toddlers

Since I'm an expert, I thought I would share my advice.

1. Bribe them with anything that will work. Candy in our house. I offer something and our little negotiator will say "FIVE!" and then I say "deal." Usually only a deal if I'm sending her to school for the teachers to deal with her sugar high. 

2. Do it first thing in the morning after getting dressed. If they have a few minutes, they will likely spill stuff all over themselves, rip out their bow, and lose their shoes. Just like your drunk friend at a wedding, post midnight when the band plays a Bon Jovi cover. Except its 7am and you haven't finished your microwaved 3x coffee. 

Make sure to do the above two steps, and you too will end up with beautiful pictures.

Olivia and Emma

These girls are my favorite! I keep thinking I couldn't love them more and then they get even cuter! Yesterday, Olivia was laying on the floor next to Emma with her feet in the air. Emma was doing all she could to throw her feet in the air like her big sister. I wish that pictures and videos captured how much they love each other. Emma has just started lighting up when she sees Olivia and I can't wait to see their love grow.

Olivia has started making things up. She told me "Mama, in two weeks, Dada is going to become a girl! Mhmm, he told me." Dan assures everyone that Caitlyn Jenner is not in his future. She told me "Mama, I just saw a bear driving a motorcycle outside!" Not sure if this is an imagination thing to be encouraged, or lies to be discouraged. But she made me laugh out loud with the first one.

Emma is doing SO much better with her reflux medicine. After the first dose she no longer arched in pain all night. She went down without a peep and actually looked comfortable for the first time in her life. Seeing her like that made me so sad we didn't get her medicine earlier. We knew she had reflux, but the doctors thought that my diet change would fix it - and they didn't want to unnecessarily medicate. She hates the taste and it's a challenge getting it down her - but she seems to be (mostly) pain free! 

I'm hoping she'll start sleeping longer. She's trained herself not to eat much (because it bothered her reflux) - so hopefully she'll eat more during the day and let mama sleep at night. 

Our Weekend

Just a quick recap that I wished I did more often.

Dan's grandfather came in town on Friday and it was SO wonderful to see him. We hadn't seen him since Christmas, so he hadn't met Emma yet. Both girls love him and we hope to see him more often. Olivia insisted on riding to and from the airport to drop off and pick up "great papa."

They were busy ALL morning and early afternoon on Saturday. Olivia asked for her friend CJ to come over. We were headed to CJ's parents house for a party that night celebrating their 10 year wedding anniversary. I figured they could use a few hours to run some errands, so we had them drop CJ off. 

The rain finally stopped so all the neighbor kids came outside and every single toy we have was played with that morning. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment, but I love all the chaos of a ton of kids - vs Olivia whining that she's bored. 

That night we headed out for our first kid free night since Emma was born. Our sitter was wonderful - but we were like, "no one has napped, and everyone is cranky, OH and Emma wont eat for you, so good luck, see you in a few hours."

The girls both went down and slept in until 7:30am (minus a few wake ups for Emma), and we had an absolute blast! We need to do that more often!

Sunday started with some leftover rain puddles and Dan mowing the lawn. Olivia threw on her rain boots, climbed the back fence to look over, and kept yelling "Hey Girl Hey!" to her dad with her toes squished in the holes in the fence. So girly and so adventurous. 

We wished we could have spent the weekend at the pool - but it was too chilly. Maybe this weekend Olivia will get some pool time in!

Potty Training Round Two

You guys remember our first attempt at potty training? After a solid 9 days, we gave up. We put her back in diapers. No one was stressed anymore.

Then we though, wow, this is nice. We don't have tarps covering our living room. And I no longer have to help her use the toilet at Harris Teeter, Target, and gas stations. Once Emma came along we were so thrilled that no one had to drag a newborn into public bathrooms.

So Target ran a diaper deal and we STOCKED UP.

The day we got home. "Me no want diapers." Thats fine Olivia, start going potty and you don't have to wear them. That sentence rolled off, because she had been saying that for months.

She hops on the potty, pees and says, "Okay mama, no diapers." 

Well...that was unexpected.

She then convinced her teachers to not put a diaper back on her, and she went potty all day at school.

That's awesome Olivia, but you are at least wearing pull ups here. I'm not worrying about accidents. Knowing that if I don't even remember we have a dog, I wouldn't remind her to go potty.

She would pull up the stool, potty, put her pull up back on and ask for a potty treat.

That's awesome, Olivia, and you don't have to wear pull ups at home, but you need to wear them out. I'm not worrying about an accident while out and about.

We'd go somewhere, and once we got home she'd go straight to the potty all by herself. 

We went to the park and she asked to go and I said sorry, sweetie, you are going to have to hold it, there is no potty here. She waited until we got home.

It seems as though .. despite our discouragement .. she has potty trained herself.

It's been a month now and she's had 0 accidents. 

We put a nighttime diaper on her just in case, but she wakes up dry and goes straight to the potty. 

Who would have thought?

What are we going to do with 5 boxes of diapers?