The Great Catch Up

Its time to update the blog. For real. I do miss blogging about our adventures and want to try to get caught up now that Kennedy will be back in school. When Kennedy was a baby, I pretty much blogged every time she sneezed. Every life event, major or minor, has been (more or less) recorded on this blog. I have some big time Mommy Guilt that I haven't done the same for Chloe, classic Second Kid Scenario I guess. Our life can get crazy and a little hectic balancing the needs of two little ladies, and I am trying to just soak it in and enjoy it. 

So stay tuned, over the next couple days or so, I am going to try to briefly catch up on our adventures. 

Chloe, 10 months and Kennedy, 4 .

Chloe: Half a Year

It seems almost impossible to me that Chloe is already six months old. Our life can get crazy and hectic, and sometimes I have to remind myself to just slow down a minute and take it all in.

At six months old, Chloe is able to sit up on her own! This makes her very happy and is her preferred position for playing. I still put a pillow behind her, sometimes she gets excited, throws herself backwards and I don't want her bonking that cute little noggin.

She continues to be a good little sleeper and has transitioned from being swaddled to being in just a sleep sack at night. She kept rolling on her tummy with her arms swaddled, and could't flip back over. We went cold turkey on dropping the swaddle and she has been perfectly happy. She is an active sleeper. It is hilarious to watch her move from one end of the crib to the other. She likes the paci but isn't as attached to it as Kennedy was.

She has her first tooth. It broke through this week, and I have to say, its the cutest thing.

She started eating solid foods and so far, carrots have been the clear front runner for her favorite. Right now, I am making her food, and I will keep it up as long as I can. We got a little Babycook and its so handy. It steams and purees all in the same little contraption and I have just been freezing everything left over in ice cube trays. Right now, I am building up quite a food stash in the freezer.

Chloe is so relaxed and easy going. She is happy and entertains herself with her hands and feet. She loves books. She loves Olive. She is just a content and sweet little girl.

Kennedy just adores Chloe and visa versa. It is really sweet to see Kennedy stop what she is doing to go sing to, play with or check on Chloe. And what I love is, I don't ask her to do those things, she does them because she wants to. Kennedy likes to be the one to go in Chloe's room first in the morning to wake her up and Chloe just lights up when Kennedy is around. Today Chloe seemed a little bothered by her new tooth and when I explained teething to Kennedy, she got really upset. When I asked why she was so upset she said it was because she didn't want Chloe hurting. So sweet.

Six Month Stats
Weight: 14.8 lbs (25%)
Height: 26.25 in

She went to her first concert at the Arboretum. 

She tried food for the first time. 

She loves to sit up and play. Especially with Kennedy. 

Sweet Sisters. 

Traveling

I remember the days when air travel was simple. And civilized. A single carry on, a book and a cocktail. No one could reach my Blackberry (remember that relic?). And no one needed a thing from me. See where I am going here? Air travel with kids is about the opposite of everything I loved about flying in my pre-child days. Don't get me wrong, I love to travel with my girls. I love taking them places and exposing them to different things. It is just a lot of work now. Most of the time we are flying to NM to visit family, and since Greg has to stay back in Dallas for work, I am flying solo. Literally.

Today I had both girls, by myself, on a flight from ABQ-DAL and the flight itself was a piece of cake. Kennedy was sweet and pretty much colored the whole time. She waved hi to the "plane flyer man" and made friends with the "airplane juice lady" for her inflight snacks. Chloe is still happy in a carrier and is easy to travel with (for now).

The fun began when we deplaned. I had to get two suit cases, two car seats, Kennedy's carry on, the diaper bag, my carry on, the stroller, the kitchen sink and both girls from baggage claim to the car. My plan to ask a porter for help was foiled when there were NONE to be found. An "airplane juice lady" even tried to help me track one down. So I loaded everything on a cart and pushed it myself with a 15lb deadweight strapped to my person. Kennedy helped with the stroller.

We survived. I was sweating like crazy and thinking, thank god its April and not July.

We got lots of looks and lots of "wow, you have your hands full!" And not one single, "can I help you with anything?" 

Here we are on the way out. Just a weekend getaway. Not moving to Europe. 

My Helper. Same amount of stuff, minus one husband and one dog. 

Seasoned Travelers. 

Chloe: Five Months

Chloe celebrated turning 5 months old with a trip to Disneyworld. More on that fun trip later, but she was a fantastic little traveler.

At five months she continues to be a mellow, sweet and happy little baby. She really is a go-with-the-flow kind of girl. She loves her big sister Kennedy and always has big smiles and squeals for her.

She is rolling over in both directions - from back to tummy and tummy to back. She can sit up unassisted for a pretty good amount of time and loves sitting with the help of a pillow. She still loves her swing and sheep mobile in her crib.

Pretty much everything goes in her mouth right now and she drools all over all her clothes. She has a new look-at-me tactic where she fake coughs and then screams in delight when you look her way.

She has lost almost all of her newborn hair. She has a pretty sweet comb over on top and I find little traces of hair everywhere she rests her head. The new hair growing in looks pretty light, certainly a contrast from the full head of dark hair she was born with. I assume her hair will be about the color of Kennedy's. And her eyes are getting bluer by the day.

A visit to the Arboretum with Grammyflash and Big Poppa. And her first ride on Aladdin's Magic Carpets. 

Happy little lady. Loved her first time in the pool. 

Bathing Beauties. Snoozin and smiling on our most recent flight. 

Beatboxing Preschooler

One of Kennedy's favorite things to do at home is put on performances, or 'aformances' as she calls them.

Tonight we got a real treat. Out of nowhere, she began singing what I can only assume started out as C&C Music Factory's Everybody Dance Now. She then began to beatbox, a talent I was unaware she possessed. And about a minute into the video she began singing straight up gibberish, which she believes is Fench (French, oui). And somehow speaking Fench lead to singing about gasoline for emergency cars. This is two minutes long, but Greg and I were treated to a thirty minute encore.

Chloe: Four Months

Chloe is growing, changing and sadly, losing hair by the day. We have done so much in Month 4, it can be hard to keep up! Chloe had her four month check up and vaccines last week. She seems so much bigger than Kennedy was, and she is, but she is still on the smaller side. She does have real chunky thighs with plenty of rolls...and I just love them. 

She has moved out of the Rock and Play at night and into her crib. Like her sister, she is super easy to put to bed at night. She sometimes wakes for a night feeding, but not every night. Her pediatrician said she probably would until she puts a little more weight on. Usually she is down by 7pm and up around 7am the next morning. She takes a morning and afternoon nap with a little catnap in the evening. We had a bit of a rough go with breastfeeding (I had the same supply issues I had with Kennedy, or rather, lack there of) and have transitioned her to formula. Everyone is happy with the decision and she is taking about 6 feedings a day. We will hold off on solids until she is six months. 

Personality wise, she is very laid back and easy going. She has such a sweet voice and I love when she coos, babbles and squeals. She likes to play with her play gym and she loves her Sophie la giraffe. She's happy in a bouncer, happy being held and, well, just happy in general. 

No one can make her squeal and giggle quite like her big sister, Kennedy. They are so lucky to have each other.

Four Month Stats

13.3lbs, 18%

25.5in, 73%

Lucky Charms

Kennedy and I painted a leprechaun house this year for St. Patrick's day in the hopes of catching a little green guy. Well, the night before St. Patrick's day, Kennedy decided she did NOT want to catch one. I think she was more than a little relieved the next morning to see that a leprechaun did not take residence in the house she made him. There were some funny leprechaun tricks around the house, and she had a good time discovering them. Though, drinking the green milk was not part of the fun. Good thing the leprechaun only colored a glass worth and not the whole gallon.

Luckies

Chloe and her buddy Max

St. Patrick's Day Fun

Feeling Tappy

Kennedy has been in a ballet and tap class for the past few months and she is loving it. I can't watch while she is in class, they ask the mommies not to as it can be really distracting. I am dying for her recital in May, but every now and then she shows me some steps at home. She will say things like, "put on the popcorn song..." and I begin googling things like "pre-school tap popcorn song" until we (most of the time) find the song she is looking for. Thank you, Internet.

This song happens to be one of her favorites. I have to believe there is a little more choreography than she is choosing to show me here...

That Time It Snowed

Kennedy just could't catch a break this winter. She so desperately wanted snow for Christmas, which didn't happen here in Dallas. Then we had a massive ice storm. Then she got super obsessed with Frozen and wanted snow with every fiber of her being. I don't wish of snow for days, but a little here and there would be nice! A few weeks ago we got a dusting and she just about lost her mind.

She wanted to build snowmen (Olaf, specifically), eat snow, have a snow ball fight and make snow angels. It snowed just enough one afternoon to do a handful of those things. The novelty quickly wore off because we don't have the right kind of clothes for snow (like waterproof anything) and after she played for a little bit, she was ready to come in for hot chocolate.

We had to make our angels in the driveway because there wasn't enough snow in the grass. 

(Insert eye roll from my east coast friends who have been buried in snow for weeks)

Brrrrr.

Glamour Shotz

Baby in a Wig Gag. Classic. 

Valentine Sweeties

They Can't All Be Winners

Not every photo shoot we have is a raging success. I tried to get the girls in their leopard dresses after the Sip and See. But neither wanted to cooperate.::sigh::

"Mom, she's pushing me!" Kennedy says through her sobs. 

three months

Chloe celebrated her three month birthday on a visit to Albuquerque. We had a wonderful trip and she got to meet so many new people. More on that trip is to come.

At three months, she is now considered an infant and no longer a newborn. That newborn stage passed so quickly the second time around. ::sniffle:: It is fun, though, to watch her grow and become more aware of her surroundings. She smiles a lot now and is laughing more and more. She's getting grabby and often has a fistful of my hair in her little hands. Kennedy thinks its funny, but she isn't going to find it too funny when Chloe gets some good tugs on her hair.

She loves to hang out on her changing table and watch the mobile. She loves to be outside and still enjoys being carried around in the sling. She loves her big sister and never makes Kennedy work to hard for a big, happy smile.

Chloe is still eating and sleeping like a champ. We are starting to find our way into a more predictable daytime routine. During the day she eats about every 2.5-3 hours, plays for about an hour and then naps for anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours.

She is a happy and sweet little baby and we just love her to pieces.

Little Boo at three months. 

Two Months

We had Chloe's two month check up (a couple weeks ago...) and she is doing really well. Growing and changing by the minute it seems. She is such a sweet little girl, and although our days can get a little crazy, I think we are adjusting to life with two Littles just fine.

I think because Chloe was bigger than Kennedy was at birth, in my mind, she is huge. But in reality, I think she is going to be petite, like her sister. I was actually really surprised to find out she was only in the 11th percentile for weight. But she is happy, eating well, sleeping well, and Kennedy was small, so her doctor isn't concerned.

Chloe's 2 Month Stats: 
Weight: 10lbs, 11%
Height: 23 in, 62%

Chloe loves: 
Sleep. We are slowly but surely finding our way into a more predictable sleeping and eating pattern during the day. She is still continuing to do well at night and will sleep for anywhere from 6-8 hours from her last feeding.

The lamb mobile. It makes her so happy to lay there watching the sheep go round and round.

Stories. She loves being read to. She is so quiet, content and interested at night when we read Kennedy's stories. And during the day, if I need to calm her down, I just need to show her a book and start reading.

Kennedy. She watches, smiles and coos whenever her big sister is near. The feeling is mutual, Kennedy can't get enough of Chloe.

The Sling. She likes to be held and I love holding her, but it is nice to have my hands free every now and then. Kennedy loved being in the sling so I am happy Chloe does as well.

Happy little girl.