Ivie Family: March 2011

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

The Naked Napper

This is how I found Ryan after her afternoon nap.

Naked and dancing

Ryan showing me where her diaper is.

Her hair in her eyes almost bothered me as much as her nakedness!

The good news is I didn't have to wash any sheets.

Making Cookies With Aunt Rocks!

One of my birthday gifts this year from my girls was a rolling pin and cookie cutters! Aunt Mis/Rocks came over with homemade cookie dough and Ryan got to put my gifts to use!

Ryan and I both snuck a lot of yummy bites!

In case you can't tell:

a butterfly, two hearts, fire engine

"E", "R", and a bunny

Monday, March 28, 2011

September 2 seems far away. Five months away. Ryan will be TWO by then. Sadly, it will be here before I know it. Hard to believe that my baby will be two, and that she will be going to "school". Not "mothers day out". I was corrected this morning when I signed her up. Since we will be paying a tuition and there is a curriculum, I enrolled Ry in a "preschool" this morning. I still can't believe it! I think mothers day out sounds more babyish and it helps me feel like Ryan is still a baby. Preschool sounds so old, but it is exactly what Ryan needs and is ready for. I know she needs it and I know she will love it. I am not as worried about her as I am about myself and her dad. (And her Grandpa, who has asked if he can go and stay with her the first day!) The sign up was an experience in itself! I visited the school last week for a tour and had already gotten the paperwork to register. The director of the preschool told me to arrive Monday at 8 a.m. to sign her up. So, this morning I got up at 7, fed Emma and drove the 2 miles to the church. I felt like I was ahead of the game walking in with my paperwork in hand ten minutes early. Boy was I surprised to see the line that was already formed! And most people also had the yellow paperwork in hand. I suddenly felt nervous that I had blown it. I knew that church members had already had the chance to sign up and that there were only a limited amount of slots for us non-members. At first I thought the line wrapped around the corner down the hallway, but I was wrong. It didn't and I was only the twelfth person in line. I hadn't screwed up! Ryan still had a chance! The couple in front of me in line looked just as nervous as I did (the father was actually pacing!) He spotted my yellow paperwork and asked me where I had gotten it. He was worried that they would be sent to the back of the line without the magical paperwork completed. I assured him that it was not required to already have the paperwork! Then, his wife and I started chatting about our kids. Turns out her son is Ryan's age. I got excited thinking this may be a new friend for Ryan and for me! She was very friendly and we had a lot in common. I started hoping that she would answer my next question the way I wanted her to. "Are you signing him up for Wednesday/Friday class or Tuesday/Thursday?" (Please say Wednesday/Friday I was thinking). "Tuesday/Thursday" she replied. Dang it! She explained why she chose Tues/Thurs and I explained my dilemma. I had originally thought I would put Ryan in the Tues/Thurs class because sometimes school is cancelled on Fridays and it works out better for long weekends. Then, I changed my mind and decided Wed/Fri would be better. I hated to not be able to take her to the Tuesday morning library story time she loves, so that was the main reason. I also realized that with Chris' schedule and me working part time it didn't benefit us that much to have her off on Fridays. We could make a long weekend trip Sat- Tues if we wanted to. So, I had made a decision: Wednesday/Friday class it would be. No big deal. It isn't like I am choosing what university Ryan will attend! That's what I thought until the sweet mom (who probably has a sweet kid) told me she was signing up for Tues/Thurs. I started thinking that maybe all the sweet people were going to pick Tues/Thurs. Maybe I should rethink my decision. What if all the mean kids were going to be in Wed/Fri.? Is library story time really that important? At that point the line started moving as registration began. I started to feel panicked! I even considered stepping out of line and taking a quick pole of who was signing up for what to help me decide. Then I text Mom. I actually text Chris first, but I knew that was a wasted text! He was at home sleeping in with the girls while I fretted over these life or death decisions alone! :-) Mom quickly text me back to "follow my heart" (We really are ridiculous.) Silly, but the advice helped and I stuck to my plan. I love taking Ryan to library story time and it is important to me and to her. I chose Wednesday/Friday because it is best for Ryan, and for our family. I did not let the peer pressure change my mind. It was difficult when it got to my turn and I saw that every parent ahead of me had signed up for the Tues/Thurs class! It seems to be the more desirable class for most peoples schedules, I think. (Later, when I told Chris this story he said "Oh great, Ryan is gonna be in the class with all of the slacker kids whose parents were too lazy and didn't get up to the church to sign them up first!") Leave it to Chris to make me second guess myself again! All kidding aside, it will be great! I am so excited for Ryan. I am nervous for me. 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m. seems like a long day for a two year old. And for a two year old's control freak/worry wort mom! I definitely see myself crying that first day and I may sit in my car in the parking lot until she gets out. Just in case she needs me! (Uncle- I know you can relate!) I still have trouble believing that Ryan will lay down on a nap mat and actually nap! I've been told by many that I will be surprised what peer pressure can do. Peer pressure to lay on a nap mat is the good kind. It is the other peer pressure that I am worried about. I dread that peer pressure. The kind of peer pressure that can influence you to make a decision that you know may not be the smartest, or best. But you make it because everyone else did. The kind of peer pressure that I felt at preschool registration! (But I am proud to say I stood up to!) And I will admit- the kind of peer pressure that I tried to use on the sweet mom. "Wednesday/Friday are really going to be the better days because there is an awesome library story time on Tuesdays. Have you heard about it?"

Emma's 2 Month Stats

Happy, smiley, long legged girl!

Emma's daddy is so funny!

Weight: 11 lbs and 8 ounces (70th%)

Length: 24 inches (95th%) She is SOOOOO long!

Hair: sparse and dark

Eyes: dark blue

Eating: she is still breastfed every 3 hours throughout the day starting at 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. She has made it 9 whole hours overnight in between feedings! Yay for me! She still takes a 3.5 oz pumped bottle every other day. She is an excellent eater and her weight and length reflect it! I am sure her thighs will soon. Her spitting up seems to be a little less now that she is on Zantac for reflux. I can't wait to start solids with her next month!

Sleeping: She usually falls asleep between 8 and 9 p.m. I still wake her at 10 p.m. to nurse her and swaddle her. I am pretty sure the swaddling days are almost over. She is almost too long for the swaddles and she usually breaks out of them by morning. I lay her down awake after she eats at 10 and she puts herself to sleep, usually without a paci! She usually wakes up between 5-6 a.m. and I will feed her. In a few weeks I won't anymore, she will have to wait until 7 a.m. She has proven that she can go 8-9 hours already. Just like Baby Wise said she would! If she continues on this awesome path of great sleep she will be sleeping 8-10 hours every night when I go back to work. Emma sleeps in her own room all night! The co-sleeper is put away. She is awake more during the day and gets at least 2 long naps a day, usually 3. She is still young enough that we can take her into a restaurant and she will sleep in her car seat while we eat. Those days are numbered and we are enjoying them!

Size: some 0-3 month tops, 3 month pants (for length, the waist is always too big), size 1 diapers

Likes: her sister, baths, lotion application, pacifier, her mobiles, being held belly to belly while being patted, being upright, swinging

Newest Accomplishment: smiling, batting and kicking at her mobile on her exercise mat, sleeping 8 hours on average at night

What a little punkin!

Sisters snuggling in my bed

Such a happy baby in the morning!

Serious face

Relaxin' outside with Daddy

She is sooooo long! She is longer than Ryan was at 3 months!

The nurse told me that most babies grow about an inch a month and Emma

is growing an inch and a half each month. My dad may be right in predicting

that by the time Emma is two she will be bigger than Ryan!

Thomas The Train: Rain or Shine!

Ryan LOVES trucks, planes and trains. She really loves Thomas the Train! So, when Chris heard that Thomas was coming to Grapevine we had to get tickets. Chris had to work Saturday (when the temp was in the 80's), so we bought Sunday evening train ride tickets. The forecast was cooler, but didn't sound too cold. Like always- don't believe the weatherman! It was a lot cooler than we had thought and it misted throughout the day. It didn't stop us from seeing Thomas though. Ryan was lucky enough to have a bunch of her friends join her on Thomas! Chris and I enjoyed hanging out with their parents. So, even though the weather wasn't great, we had a good day with Thomas! Choo Choooooo! (Followed by dinner with margaritas!)