children – Page 11 – Myriad & Sundry

Water Baby

May 4, 2014 No Comments

Lately, Coraline has been putting her face into the water, voluntarily. I think we will need to do swimming lessons with her, and soon! She will put her entire head and body right under the faucet, and keep it there, despite sputtering and coughing with water running down her face. When we move her, she moves right back!

When the faucet is turned off, she moves to literally putting her face into the water up to her ears. The other day, she managed to blow bubbles, which encouraged the behavior (my laughter, as well). She did it again, but inhaled instead and even after coughing and gasping for a minute, she wanted to go right back at it! (I stopped her at that point). Even when washing her hands, she loves the water and licks them when we’re done.

This little water baby lady won’t have any problems going underwater I think.

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Gift of Singing

May 3, 2014 No Comments

Jameson sang in his very concert, a preschool concert put on by his daycare, on my birthday!

We had some drama getting his “buttons” on (shirt with buttons are just called buttons, and a terrible trial to get him in) and his jeans. He only ever wants to wear swishy pants and his motorcycle shirt or his caped Batman and Superman shirts.

Thankfully, with a little bribery, we were able to get him in his dress clothes and to the school on time. He was excited that his concert was at a big kid school, and thankfully his best bud Nathan was already there, so getting him to sit with his friends and leave wasn’t a big deal.

I didn’t take any photos, just video, but here’s a photo from Nathan’s dad. Jameson is circled, he’s next to the kid with the adorable tie.

And the adorable video! We got some great close ups with him around 9:45 minutes. Jameson was so serious about singing, but I know he had fun. I’m so glad he participated; I was a little worried we’d only get to see his shy face.

After the show, the school at cookies and lemonade and punch for the kids. Jameson and Nathan hung out. Coraline was so great during the show, she was happy munching on her snack and playing with Nathan’s mom’s hair and sweater in front of her. Even though it was an hour and a half past her bedtime before we were home and sleeping, you would have never known it.

Before bed, Brian played a recording of his performance on his phone, and Jameson wanted to sing along. So I got a solo birthday performance from Jameson at home too! A wonderful birthday gift for me.

children, general life, life with baby

Easter Hunting

May 2, 2014 No Comments

Easter morning, Coraline was up a little earlier than Jameson, so I brought her downstairs for a little ~~egg hunting~~ testing. I wanted to see how observant she was, since the Easter Bunny had to hide the eggs a little better this year for Jameson than in years past.

As it turns out, Coraline was very observant (perhaps more than Jameson at that age?). I took some video of her, and later after church, of both kids doing some Easter egg hunting.

When Jameson joined us downstairs, he spotted eggs right away and wanted to find more. It was tough, but we told him not until after church (just as it was for me growing up!). So we ate breakfast, got ready, took some family photos, and went to church before hunting eggs. It was quite a busy morning.

The Easter Bunny left their two baskets full of good things. Jameson got a box of 7 Jake and the Neverland Pirate puzzles; new bath crayons and bath bubbles; Jake car keys and stickers; a little metal school bus car; and chocolate covered animal crackers and gummy penguins.

Coraline received a new sippy cup which she quickly used with its straw; a Mega Blocks stacking egg with chick; a touch and feel Thumper the Bunny book and hippo puppet; new finger paint colors and stickers; and this Peek N Shake egg carton toy with little eggs and chicks inside which she just adores.

Jameson helped find one of the pink eggs which were designated as Coraline’s, and she got to munch on goldfish (off the floor, how thrilling).

Jameson just loved finding eggs this year, but still passed up likely spots I thought for sure he would see right away. He found all the eggs the Easter Bunny hid high up, but had a harder time being thorough looking at his kitchen set which had several hiding in it.

After Coraline’s nap, we went over to Grandma and Poppa’s house, where the Easter Bunny hid even more eggs for him to find! Aunt Melissa and Grandma helped the search, but Jameson nearly lost interest by the end. Looking for eggs outside was hard work.

Inside, Coraline and Jameson played so nice together while dinner was prepared.

The kids got to open a couple more Easter gifts, and Coraline loved her new pink lounge chair!

After dinner, we played with Jameson new toy, a lightweight Styrofoam airplane. Poppa taught Jameson how to fly it, though Jameson was a bit too excited to launch with a steady hand or figure out the proper position or posture. Still, it was a lot of fun for everyone watching him throw his airplane so excited!

Coraline loved being outside. She has no fear or concern for the grass, and was happy to watch all the activity. And crawl, too, because she certainly doesn’t sit still much any more!

By the end of the day, she was exhausted. Coraline loves to throw her head back and assume someone will catch her (most of the time, this works). She loves to be upside down, so at the end of the tiring day, she was a little slap happy and throwing herself backwards over daddy’s leg. Too funny!

It was a fun Easter, though I imagine next year we might see some more competition for hunting eggs. We’ll see!

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Coloring Eggs

May 1, 2014 No Comments

This year, we dyed Easter eggs at home. Jameson cracked a couple, but that’s to be expected with a 3 year old, right?

We had to start with the color orange, of course. Jameson wanted to get the eggs out right away, so we had to convince him to leave them in longer.

When the eggs were dry, Jameson put stickers on them. I thought he would put as many stickers as could fit on each egg, but instead, he delicately placed just one sticker per egg.

Jameson and Coraline got to try the hard boiled eggs which had been cracked. Both were more partial to the white portion than the yolk, like their mommy.

Certainly, I think the filling in the plastic Easter eggs that the Easter Bunny left were far more exciting! He had fun though, and loves to help.

children, life with baby

Two Makes a Party

April 25, 2014 No Comments

Our good friends JP & Lisa had their second son Joshua baptized a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately, we had to miss the ceremony for Coraline’s nap schedule, but we were happy to come to the party afterwards!

Like all children I know, Coraline had a blast playing at a different house with all different toys! She was occasionally unsettled when she realized I was getting up or moving away from her, hence this sad look below. I like to call her a little kitty cat sometimes because she’ll rub her head on our legs for attention or comfort, I’m not sure!

Jameson spent most time in their brand new finished basement (so jealous), and outside. I didn’t get an opportunity to hang out in the basement much since all the babies were upstairs, but this little car track happened to be upstairs and Coraline enjoyed it just as much as Jameson did!

Jameson’s friend Bobby and Joshua’s brother Jonathan of course were there to play with. They enjoyed their relatively healthy snack foods! Jameson loved his carrots.

Jonathan and Jameson actually had some bickering the lingered into most of their playtime together this visit. They both wanted the same ball, and had trouble sharing. Jameson even took the ball away! They were both a little wound up to properly apologize to each other, but like most of our visits there now, Jameson said he missed Jonathan when it was over!

Coraline loved being outside. She isn’t afraid or concerned about the grass. Next to her is little Jack, Bobby’s little brother. She looks so old!

It was so windy that day, hilarious that she has hair that blows around now.

Coraline is starting to really enjoy pretend walking with our assistance. She throws out her little feet far in front of her and has no balance. She attempting a lot of pushing herself up from us when we sit down, but still doesn’t do much “pulling up”. It won’t be long though!

We had a great time as usual, but it was a different experience really needing to manage two kids since Coraline no longer sits still at all. We now have two active and trouble-making kiddos to watch, occupy and mediate!

children, life with baby

13 Months Old

April 17, 2014 No Comments

After losing quite a bit of weight with her bout of illness at Meemaw and Grandpa’s house, Coraline gained it all back this month. She weighed in at 18 pounds, 5 ounces at the doctor’s office yesterday (back again, of course!). We transitioned her to whole milk, and found that she didn’t really care much about the flavor difference, but definitely still has a temperature preference! It’s a little less convenient for us to manager since with formula we were able to use already warm water and now we have to warm up her milk as we used to.

This was her first taste of whole milk, in a sippy. However, to make it easier on everyone, we transitioned her on the bottle. We’ll do the sippy cup in a couple months; I have a feeling she’s going to be just like Jameson, refusing to drink significant amounts from the sippy until that’s the only option!

We’ve also practiced with the spoon a few times. She likes to guide my own hand, but pretty much plays with the spoon when she’s got full control. She always gets concerned when her food ends up all over her hands!

Coraline’s hair is growing so fast, and recently started to curl! I wonder if she may have gotten some of my hair after all? A mom can hope!

While she still isn’t doing much standing, she is finally starting to show interest in getting on her feet. She still doesn’t pull up, though she will occasionally try now. She almost exclusively will stand only against mommy and daddy when we’re lying on the floor with her. It doesn’t stop her from getting involved in everything we’re doing, though. She loves to be where we are at all times, playing with the things that Jameson is playing with.

She is pretty silly now. Coraline still loves being chased and held nearly upside down (we don’t usually do it all the way so no one tosses their cookies). She loves to lean against things, flinging her arms out and trusting we’ll catch her. Sometime this month she broke through one of her upper 1 year molars, we discovered at the doctor’s office. She may be breaking through more soon, since she has been having some trouble sleeping soundly lately, though thankfully we haven’t had to be up with her.

Now that we’ve experienced some warmer weather (excluding most of this week though, ugh), Coraline loves being outside. She’ll point outside and watch Daddy cooking on the grill. She just started waving this week, though I suppose that will count in her next month update!

We’re all getting anxious for her to start exploring her world on her feet I think, so I try to remember that this phase will seem like it just sped by and enjoy it while I can. She sure is!

children, general life

Spring Is Here

April 11, 2014 No Comments

The beginning of April finally felt more like Spring; we’ve been able to get outside on the weekends and evenings. We’ve planted seeds to try to get our own plants ready for the garden this year instead of buying garden-ready plants at the garden shops. It’s been a fun experiment so far. Our tomato plants have sprouted quickly while the pepper plants are further behind.

I put Coraline out on the grass, and she sat back after every time she put her hand on the ground. She doesn’t remember grass from last year!

Coraline gives great high fives.

I love pulling the kids in the wagon. Coraline is much more interactive when she’s sitting in the wagon than in a stroller. Jameson wanted to help pull the other night which was funny!

We have had quite a bit of rain as well which puts a damper on the warmth we’ve been enjoying. It’s raining right now! I keep telling Jameson (and reminding myself) that we need the rain for the grass to get green and plants to grow! We bought Jameson some rain boots to splash in the puddles with, but he was very concerned when he got his pants wet when he jumped. We had to go inside immediately and change.

Since we’ve been outside, we’ve ran into our neighbors Lily and her brother several times too. Jameson loves playing with Lily, they are so fun together. They have been trying to “pump” and move the swings themselves, but need some more practice. I can’t wait for more opportunities for us to be outside!

children, life with baby

March Visit to Meemaw’s House

April 10, 2014 No Comments

At the end of March, since I am still out of work, I took Jameson and Coraline to visit with Meemaw and Grandpa. Our drive there wasn’t too bad; I think that Coraline is slowly getting better in the car.

Jameson jumped in right away playing with toys at Meemaw’s house. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really that warm yet, so we didn’t spend a lot of time outside.

Don’t let Coraline’s happy face fool you! Within a day of our arrival, she was starting to get sick. She just loved the dogs though, particularly Mayzee who was perfectly nice to let her pet her without getting all up in her face like Shiloh does.

The dogs are always a hit with Jameson too, and he finally seems to be getting a little too big for Shiloh to give him “hugs” constantly. He was so good with them both. When they’d follow him upstairs, he’d say “thanks for coming up with me” and enjoyed tossing their toys for a game of fetch (he wasn’t too keen on tugging the toys out of Shiloh’s mouth though). He even claimed Shiloh was his best friend once.

We did get bundled up and went outside one day. Jameson flew airplanes with Grandpa and wanted to swing in the baby swing (he fell off the big swing when he wasn’t holding on properly–oops!)

I can’t get enough of that excited swinging face! He drove the car around too, but then decided he was too big for it for now.

Coraline was out too, but it was really quite cold and I forgot gloves for her, so we grabbed a couple (mismatched) for her to put on while we walked. She was fascinated. Despite the cold, I did get out on a run with Grandpa which was fun, our first run together.

Even though Coraline was sick, bedtimes went pretty smoothly until our last night there. Each night, I’d put Coraline down first and then Jameson. A couple times she woke up as I was putting Jameson to bed, but I was shocked that they both fell happily asleep. Jameson couldn’t wait to get into Meemaw’s big bed (a blown up full size mattress on the floor is like sleeping in a bounce house to a toddler!)

Meemaw read them Hairy McClary from Donaldson’s Dairy which became a hit while we were there. We got a few more Hairy McClary books and some movies at the library near the end of the week. Our last night though Coraline woke up Jameson and both were up for a couple hours. It was difficult with just me there since they both wanted me. Jameson hung out in my bed with me until Coraline finally fell back asleep and then insisted on going back into his own bed.

Jameson was a big fan of the small cucumbers while we were there, eating them like pickles, whole.

Coraline practiced clapping on command! Whenever I chanted “fee fi fo fum” (just like Daddy does in the mornings), she would clap her hands. It was super cute, and a highlight from our trip which otherwise mostly involved her crying, fussing, clinging, or sleeping. Poor thing! She developed a persistent fever, which did respond to Advil, but returned every time it wore off. She stopped eating solid food, so I was thankful we were still continuing with formula for her bottles.

Meemaw brought out the dollhouse, and the kids both did some playing with it. Jameson enjoyed swinging the Little People from Coraline’s new Little People set high in the swing.

But… the box all the furniture and people came up in was quite a bit more fun for him.

Both kids spent a lot of time in their pajamas, though Jameson was by choice! He would stay in them all day if we let him. Coraline visited the urgent care once for her fever, where they told us it was viral. We followed up with the doctor when we came home on day 6 of her fever, and the doctor requested some tests including blood and chest xray. The white blood cell count was double the norm, and indicated an infection. We never got a certain answer, but when they ran a catheter the following day the almost-too-small-sample did have indications of a urinary tract infection. After a shot of antibiotic, she immediately started getting better. Within 24 hours, she was back to her normal self.

We didn’t let Coraline’s illness stop us from having a little fun at Meemaw and Grandpa’s though. We managed to get out at least once a day for a short period of time. I did take Jameson to visit and play with my friend Katie’s kids, Finley and Marky. Finley is Coraline’s age, so we were disappointed we weren’t able to get them together too.

Jameson and Marky played so great together, it was like they remembered each other! They played with Marky’s turtle masks, so when I needed to use a gift card received for Coraline’s birthday at a close Toys R Us store, we went ahead and used a portion of it for a mask for him.

Coraline was less than thrilled about being at the toy store though, ha! She did get some cute baby dolls out of it though. As Meemaw says, you can never have enough baby dolls.

Our last full day at Meemaw’s we went to the library and grocery store, where Jameson got to push his very own cart. It was very exciting for him, though he resisted our efforts to steer him properly. He wanted to do everything himself, of course!

We had a nice time (all except for maybe Coraline since she was sick). Jameson may even get to go to Meemaw and Grandpa’s by himself this summer. He said he’d like to, we’ll see 🙂

children, life with baby

Birthday Dinner

April 3, 2014 No Comments

Coraline’s big party was on Saturday after her birthday, a couple days following her actual big day. On her birthday, Brian’s mom and sister came over for family dinner (pizza) and cake, of course.

We opened some gifts first before dinner, and Coraline was very interested in the Mega Blocks from Grandma. Whereas Jameson used to tear things down at her age, Coraline likes to put things back together. She does her fair share of tearing down though, too.

After pizza, Coraline, with Jameson’s help, blew out her candle on her cake.

We tried getting Coraline to eat the cake again, since she didn’t like it during her cake smash session in the morning, but she still refused.

Afterwards, we opened more gifts from Aunt Melissa, and then a couple from mom and dad and Jameson.

She quickly got the hang of feeding her new baby doll!

And herself, haha.

A couple weeks prior, I took Jameson out for lunch and errands. He had a great time, and we went to the toy store to pick out a birthday gift for Coraline. Of course, he got a little something too (a little wooden train, Diesel #10). But he also picked out a great gift for Coraline, this little scooter bike.

It’s small enough that I think she’ll get some use out of it later this summer after she’s walking. I look forward to her trying to follow Jameson around as he rides his own bike!

The next day, Meemaw and Aunt Holly came up to visit before the party the following day. We opened some more gifts on Friday then too, and Jameson was excited to get a few things himself again, like this little zipper monster pouch for good zipping practice!

But in particular, both kids really enjoyed the airplane from Aunt Holly. The Little People were a hit, and Coraline received more Little People gifts at her party. Both Jameson and Coraline like to play with them!

Coraline had such a great birthday celebration from the day she turned one through her party. Now that it’s over, it’s hard to believe she’s one.

It means we need to make some changes over the new few months, like transitioning to whole milk and moving her from bottle to sippy (she never did like holding her own bottle, nor could she be trusted to eat enough if we weren’t holding it anyway, so that will be a big change!). I am thankful we won’t need to eliminate the pacifier this time though!

life with baby

The Big One

April 1, 2014 No Comments

At 12 months old, Coraline points to everything she wants now! And I mean everything!

We have a couple almost-words, like “dog”, “sock”, “hi”, and of course, mama and dada (all inconsistently and rarely said except for “hi” – she’s a big fan of that one). I’m also pretty sure she said “baby”, though it didn’t sound close to the word at all she used the same syllables each time she said it for a couple weeks. Since she started sign language class, I’ve seen all done and perhaps light (she opened and closed her hand a few times).

She loves to read books, most often the touch and feel books. I love this video of her around 11-1/2 months old. She looks at a book, says “baby” and plays at the play table — which is actually also a very rare occurrence. She isn’t a big fan of standing yet, so that’s a task for her us to help her learn!

Coraline only really likes to stand when it involves pretend walking. She does however get on two feet and hands and throws her butt in the air, so I wonder sometimes if she’ll just get up and start walking one day!

We’ve had a few, very few, warmer days, and she got out in the wagon for the first time with her brother. She loves the wind in her face.

Speaking of Jameson, I can tell they will be partners in crime before too long. Jameson loves to help her: bottles, eating, making her laugh. He’s a pretty big distraction at the dinner table for Miss Coraline!

This month Coraline got her 6th tooth, the 4th one on top. I thought maybe we were teething for a molar soon but that went away and I haven’t seen anything come through yet.

She loves being “chased” and caught, and still likes playing peekaboo. One of the new things we’ve really seen this month though is Coraline putting things back, or back together. She recognizes when toys or objects belong together, and the Mega Blocks she got for her birthday was a big hit.

She still likes to suck her thumb for soothing, primarily when she’s tired. If she doesn’t have a burp cloth though she typically won’t do it. She’s got a particular preference for the style of the burp cloths too, but luckily we have tons of them, so she has about 3 in her crib at all times.

Sometimes she’ll just lay down on the floor randomly for no reason, which always cracks me up. I wonder if it’s related to the fluid that is still backed up in her ear, the one which the tube came out of.

For now, we’ve opted to continue without putting the tube back in, since we haven’t had an ear infection since. However, the ENT is still concerned about the fluid in there, so we will be visiting the doctor more often and have started trying out a chiropractor which we’ve heard can help fluid drain properly.

Coraline is 18 pounds, 6 ounces (though an illness, probably a UTI, a week later caused her to drop under 18 pounds again!). She’s in the 25th percentile across the board with a good looking growth curve like her brother. She is slightly anemic, so we’ll be starting her on a liquid vitamin dropper with iron. Hopefully soon we’ll attempt a transition to whole milk as well!

The birthday girl loves to make a face where she wrinkles her nose up and scrunches up her face for a smile. It’s my favorite!

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