Big girl panties, growing minds, and sickies

Big news! Madeline is POTTY TRAINING!!!

 (She's going to kill me someday for posting this picture!)

While I don't want to jinx it, I think we can safely say we're on track to be totally potty trained soon. ("Soon" being a relative word, of course!) We decided to try again over Christmas break so that we could take advantage of both of us being around to work on it. We loaded on the rewards - she could get "chocolate" (M&Ms) if she successfully went, plus we'd make a huge deal over her successes and give her a "punch" on a punch card. We told her that if she went pee pee or poop 5 times, she could pick out a new toy at Target (got to love the One-Spot, huh?). Well, that was all well and good, but then we had her friend, Lena, over to play. Lena is about to turn 2 and has been potty training, too. Madeline saw Lena use her potty two or three times while visiting us, and she declared that she wanted to sit on the potty!! Yay!!!! Peer pressure WORKS! Anyway, since then she's been having more and more success.

(Notice the "big girl panties"?)

We praise her everytime she successfully goes on the potty ("Yay! You went pee pee on the potty!"), and now she often responds, "Just like you friend, Lena!"

Lena and Madeline.

I often wonder what is going on in that little two-year-old mind. Madeline will get such a thoughtful look on her face, I can't help but feel curious about what her thoughts might be. For example:

We were walking around in the Mall of America when she suddenly asked, "Mommy, you not a baby anymore?"
"No, I'm not!"
"You just a Mommy?"
"Yeah. Kind of..." (we'll have to discuss this "just a Mommy" thing some other time)
"Man-in [Madeline] not a baby. I a big girl and go 'look, I go pee pee on potty!'"

Sometimes we feel like she never listens, but then she'll say something that shows that she does, indeed, hear what we say. Such as her exclamation the other day, "Oh goodnesses!" Or when we told her we were on our way to walk around the mall, and she declared, "Yay! We see BOYS there!" (Uh oh!)

Or when Caleb told her it was time to put the Christmas decorations away, and he asked her if she wanted to help take the ornaments off the tree. She told him very loudly, "NO!! My Mommy says we don't touch them!!"

And then there was the time Madeline was sitting down on the potty and Caleb set up a DVD episode of "Madeline" for her (remember the Madeline books?). The DVD player reset itself, causing Caleb to say, "Oh no!" Madeline put her hand on his knee and told him, "It's OK, calm down. Don't cry." Then the player turned back on, and she asked him, "Does that feel better?"

It's also getting harder and harder to fool her. As a reward for going potty a certain number of times, she got to pick out a toy (we love that one-spot at Target!). She chose markers, which weren't quite as washable as they claimed. Unless we're willing to supervise her with them, we've started "losing" them until later. Yesterday I realized that she knows exactly what we're doing!

"Do you know where my markers is?"
"No, do you?" (As parents, we lie through our teeth a LOT, don't we?)
"My Mommy and Daddy take them."
(Trying for a different explanation) "They're hiding, huh?"
"No, they just take them."

 Madeline is doing super-well as a big sister. She still adores Olivia (who is constantly smiling at her big sister!!), and is a big help when we ask. She's acting out with us a lot less often, too, so I think it's safe to say that she realizes that 1. Olivia is here to stay (she doesn't panic "Where's baby Olivia?!" anymore), and 2. Mommy and Daddy don't love Madeline any less because Olivia is around.

Don't get me wrong, she still has plenty of naughty moments. She just seems to be in a much happier mood now that she's gotten used to having a sister around.

For her part, Olivia is a VERY happy baby. This little one even likes being on her tummy - something Madeline HATED!! We put her on her tummy for "tummy time" and she just puts her head down, just chilling.

I guess we'll have to work on those tummy and arm muscles another way!

She's in the stage where her knuckles are VERY fun (or perhaps tasty?). I LOVE this stage!!! It's so cute, especially when she starts slurping!

She's pretty good at making faces, too! She can be very playful for only 2 1/2 months old...

Unfortunately, almost the whole house has gotten sick. Both kids have seen the doctor and it's just a nasty bug (i.e. NOT the H3N2 Influenza A that's going around), but it's still rough on all of us. Madeline is starting to recover and her appetite is returning, although poor Olivia will probably struggle for a lot longer since she has NO immune system. She has such a hard time breathing sometimes, and her voice is so hoarse and squeaky, it breaks my heart to hear her! And yet, she smiles through most of it. And sleeps, too.

Can you see the bubbles around her mouth? That's actually from coughing a lot. :(

Caleb caught it, too, although he's recovered now. I haven't gotten it, but I rarely ever catch Madeline's colds and flus. Hopefully I'm still producing the antibodies for it, and can help Olivia that way!

Please remember the kids in your prayers, especially Olivia. This hasn't settled in her ears or lungs (Praise God!!), but of course we don't want it to get any worse. Plus the poor thing coughs so violently and keeps choking on the phlegm/mucus, and cuddles and steam-showers can only do so much to help.

Christmas time

The Christmas season is rich with family traditions, and we realize that having young children is the perfect time to establish those traditions (and try out new ones). This year, Caleb and Madeline baked Christmas cookies! They didn't do any of that store bought stuff (like I would have done, LOL). Instead they made the cookies and icing from scratch, which is more time consuming but a lot more fun. Madeline LOVED it! Few activities keep her engaged for very long, but she participated from start to finish in this one!

 

(Notice she's sticking out her tongue in the effort!)

Madeline kept scooping big finger-fulls of icing, while Daddy did the work of icing the cookies.

 

I think a new Christmas tradition at our house will have to be baking cookies!

 

Yesterday Olivia went in to the doctor for her TWO MONTH check up! I cannot believe she's two months old already. She continues to be an absolute delight, and is growing well. She is 21.75 inches (26th percentile) and weighs 11 lbs 6 oz (65th percentile). I looked at a post from back when Madeline was 2 months old (and I'm still in denial that it's been 2 months for Olivia!). Here is a post from Madeline at that age, and you'll see that Olivia is a little bigger in length and weight. As we suspected, Madeline takes after Mommy and Olivia is built more like Daddy.

 

Olivia is a very happy baby for the most part, although once again we're struggling with reflux. Fortunately we recognized the signs early on and have been trying to find a good medication to help her. Aside from a sensitive tummy she's a very happy and easy baby. Madeline adores her and giggles whenever Olivia smiles at her. It's so sweet to see!

 

Recently Madeline figured out that if she carried her step stool around the house, she could turn on any light she wanted. She's so delighted with her own cleverness! We'll have to see if our electric bill sky rockets as a result...

 

After she showed us her enthusiasm for cooking with Daddy, Caleb enlisted Madeline's help with a dish for Christmas day. She was so proud to help!

 

 Christmas morning was really fun with a two and a half year old! She's old enough now to begin to understand about Santa, as well as the real reason for Christmas. She has a few nativity sets that we've played with, and sometimes when we "act out" the story with her toys she'll get a very thoughtful look on her face. Of course, the excitement of seeing her presents was a sight to behold! It took a moment for her to realize that there were new toys and gifts for her under the tree, but then she attacked the presents with all the fervor you would expect of a young child.

 

Santa came and gave her a basketball hoop!

 

She LOVES her new Mr. Potato Head toy!

 

Daddy likes playing with it, too!

 

 

While it was so tempting to just go nuts getting toys and things for the girls, we tried to limit their gifts to just a few a piece. Madeline has been thrilled with her new toys (and was even good about sharing when her friend came over a few days ago).

 

We hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!! 

Here we come a caroling

One of the greatest parts about the Christmas season are the songs, wouldn't you agree? We're lucky enough to have multiple radio stations that play holiday music, plus a TV station that has Christmas music (with title and artist listed!). Between those and CDs, there was no shortage of holiday cheer in the air at our house! Madeline quickly started asking "Mommy, what's this song called?" (ALL THE TIME, too), and she had certain favorites - such as "Fa la la la la" (Deck the Halls) and "Frosty the Snowman." More importantly, she's been practicing songs at church and, on December 9th, she sang in the Christmas program! Well, danced anyway. She usually sings along with her "church songs" in the car (we play the CD a lot so she learns the words), but apparently couldn't handle singing and dancing at once. We LOVED the show!

 

I can't resist sharing this video, too (below). It is incredibly precious to hear her sing Bible songs; it just fills your heart to bursting! Here she's singing a song "I Am the Door." The words she knows best are "I am the door" and "And you shall be saved."

The same weekend (Dec 9th), Ted and Jan came to visit (thanks for driving the +9 hours guys!!). We had an early Christmas celebration with them, plus they were able to enjoy the Christmas program and Olivia's Baby Dedication held that Sunday.

 

 

It was great to see Caleb's parents, and the kids especially liked the special attention from Grammie and Grandpa. Olivia is a total cuddle bunny, which goes very well with Grandparents visiting! She hardly had a moment when she wasn't held by someone.

 

Giving Grammie a smile!!

 

  

While Ted and Jan were in town, we couldn't resist a trip to the Mall of America (you may have guessed from the last picture above). Madeline had a BLAST going on rides with Grandpa!

 

 

 As I said, we had an early Christmas while they were in town.

 

Grammie and Grandpa gave her a vacuum, broom (not pictured), and snow shovel.

She's become our little helper now! Thanks guys! :)

 

 

 

She got a Christmas train from Great Grandma, and she points out to us that the Santa in her train is the same Santa in her Night Before Christmas book.

 

That was the weekend we got over a foot of snow, so Madeline got to use her shovel right away. Yes, that's right - over 12 inches in just a few hours. It makes for great sledding and shoveling, though!

 

Since most of you don't get a chance to regularly see Olivia, and thus watch her grow, here's a video especially for you! She's become quite alert, smiles a lot, and loved to "chat" with us! As videos go, this isn't terribly exciting, but if you're curious what she's like, this is for you:



 

 

Sleep

Sleep has become a big deal in our household. In preparation for Olivia's arrival, Madeline "graduated" to a big girl bed! Caleb painted the guest room purple, turning it into "Madeline's big kid room," as we call it, and we got a few decorations to put on the wall. She LOVES her new room! For weeks after we moved her in, she kept marveling at how Daddy painted it for her (she didn't understand that it wasn't wet anymore, and would tell me, "Mommy, we don't touch it though!"). She is very proud of her big girl things!

 

Now that Thanksgiving has passed and we've put up the Christmas decorations, Caleb put a mini Christmas tree in her room, too. Last night she was a little too excited about it to sleep (couldn't use it as a night-light just yet), but we'll give it some time.

 

Olivia sleeps pretty nicely, whenever she can...

...or WHEREVER she can.

As you might imagine, Mommy and Daddy aren't quite getting enough sleep these days (certainly Mommy is tired!). Olivia is a fantastic eater, which means that she typically wants to eat about three times during the night. Her great appetite is paying off, too - she weighed over 8 lbs at her two week check-up! Her thighs are starting to plump up, and she's just about outgrown her newborn clothes. *Sniff* My girls are growing up!

We're slowly adjusting to being a family of four. Madeline still ADORES her little sister. At least once a day she asks me, "Mommy, where Baby Olivia?" As if we'd forget her somewhere! It's very sweet, especially when Madeline tries to comfort Olivia when she's crying. What people say is true, though: adding a second child doesn't just double the work, it exponentially multiplies it! I find it takes me at least three times as long to get something done (unless Caleb is home, then it's easier). Time is FLYING by (*gasp!* Olivia is almost one month old!!!), and we're starting to get our feet under ourselves. It'll be a while before we can find a good routine, but we are making progress.



We're really enjoying getting to know our sweet Olivia. She is a girl of many faces - one of our favorites is the one pictured below, with her eyebrows raised and her lips pursed as if drinking from a straw.

And so far she's quite the water baby, just like her big sister! Here's Olivia's first bath:

We had snow this week, specifically, on Thanksgiving Day. It was just a light powdering, but Caleb took Madeline out the next day and had a blast! She begged us to take her out again (I went with her later that day), and continues to plead to go play in the snow.

Black Friday this year has been extra fun, and not because of the shopping! (Although Caleb did have fun going to Toys R Us and getting kid toys for great prices!) Like most folks, we put up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. This was the first year that Madeline could REALLY get excited about it - and did she ever! She insisted on hanging the ornaments herself and loves Daddy's game of Eye Spy - that is, he asks, "Can Madeline find _____?" and names an ornament. We love seeing the holidays through the eyes of a toddler!

We wish you all a late Happy Thanksgiving!

Our busy week

After a long hiatus from blog writing, we’ve found a chance to breathe and get some things on (digital) paper. Our hopes were high for an early arrival of our 2nd little girl, but those hopes were repeatedly dashed. So, we talked Christina’s doctor about scheduling an induction at 39 weeks. She agreed and we were set to have a baby on October 29th. Not a bad deal, waltzing into the hospital, fresh as a daisy at 7:00am, right? No such luck, because at 3:00am on Saturday the 27th, we knew that was the day. A call to Christina’s mom (who would stay with Madeline for the duration) started the countdown for the trip to the hospital in Edina.

It only took a little walking around the ward to be sure that the baby was coming quickly. We settled into the delivery room at 6:00, and got to work. At 10am, Olivia Joy arrived. She needed a little oxygen to perk her up due to some umbilical cord issues, but with not so much as a whimper, she quickly got into a healthy groove of cuteness.

She was 7 lbs 2 oz, and 20 inches long. Slightly bigger than her big sister was at birth, but Madeline was born a little earlier than Olivia. Regardless, she had the whole room fawning over her in no time! Who could resist her sweetness?

Caleb headed home at about 2:00pm to grab Madeline and Grandma for a visit. When we got there, we got our first glimpse of how Madeline would handle the new addition. She fell in love with Olivia right away, too. Especially because of the gift she got “from Olivia”, a guitar that lets her jam like Daddy. 

Daddy and Madeline came to visit twice more, which wasn’t easy (what two-year-old wants to hang out at the hospital?), but worth it to see Mommy and Olivia. Christina stayed in the hospital for 2 days and Grandma stayed with Madeline again while Daddy went to get her on Monday. Nice to have everyone home. 

 

Olivia settled in nicely, proving to be a champion eater and sleeper. She was back to her birth weight after just 3 days at home! (For reference, doctors prefer newborns to get back to their birth weight by two weeks old) We're pretty fortunate, Madeline loves being a big sister! She's constantly asking us, "Where's Baby Olivia?" She loves to coo over her, find her toes, and especially "hold" her.

This year for Halloween, Madeline dressed up as a pirate! When prompted, she’d even say, “Arrr! I’m a pirate!” Our church had a harvest party that night, so Caleb took Madeline to check it out. Not many kids came (they did have to choose between the party or trick or treating, after all), but Madeline enjoyed the various games, prizes, cupcakes – and especially the bouncy castle!

 

 Madeline got a medal for her mad golfing skills. No other child kicked as many balls in as she did!
 

 As many of you know, Caleb usually carves some rather artistic pumpkins around Halloween. He’s created famous paintings (American Gothic), popular characters (Veggie Tales), and numerous portraits. This year he carved a portrait of Madeline:

 We tried to do a second pumpkin with Olivia's portrait, but it didn't work out. Madeline LOVED trick-or-treating after the harvest party. She delivered all of her lines with confidence - starting with "Trick-or-Treat!" and then telling them, "Arrr! I pirate!" One house she even told them, "Arr! I pirate! I take you treasure!" We don't know where she learned that one... After the fifth house, she announced, "Mommy, we go LOTS of houses! It time go home now." Mommy didn't object!