Just because....

Just because it's the cutest picture ever.....

Also of note...Juliet survived her SECOND illness. Leah got sick last Saturday....runny nose, cough, low grade fever, major crankiness.... By Monday I was sick. On Tuesday I lost my voice completely and Chris came home from work sick (this has NEVER happened). On Tuesday Juliet starting spitting up after each time I fed her. We all were infected with the "super bug". I took Wednesday off work and Juliet and I rested (Sass was well enough for school). Chris probably needed another day to rest, but trudged off to work anyway. Juliet still has a crusty nose, but is otherwise almost 100% again. I can't believe my baby is 4 months and has been sick TWICE! 

Matching Jammie Girls

Two little girls in matching Gap jammies. They are so warm and snuggly (the girls and the jammies). 

Sassy Cheers!

Leah was really into her pom poms this weekend, so we got down her cheerleader dress up outfit (purchased from Target for 70% off when she was 1 year old). She enjoyed the "twirly" skirt and the shirt which said, "cheer". 

Bath time is the Best time

 Seriously...Chris and I make some cute babies! 

Sisters!

 Leah has been really into playing with Jelly Bean lately. She especially likes to clap Juliet's hands together and tell her, "get those hands OUT of your mouth!" Juliet loves the attention. 

 We had the camera upstairs so I tried to get cute snuggly pictures of the girls in their jammies. I tried for 2 nights, and had no keepers. I did get some extra cute pictures of the girls interacting though. On Friday night/Saturday morning, Leah came into bed with us around 4 am. Juliet woke up, saw her sissy laying next to her, and tried to wake her up. She kept trying to roll over to her and grab her hair. Then she would put on  her super excited scream and smile widely at Leah. I had to take Juliet to another room to calm down and go back to sleep. 

 Look at these girls! It is so fun to see them play! They both love each other so much! 

Exersaucer!

 Jelly Belly Boo hit 4 months, and we knew it was time to get the exersaucer out. She loves it! If she is in the right mood, she will play independently for.....wait for it.....up to 15 minutes! That might not sound like a lot, but in this family, we celebrate any type of success!

 Leah really likes the exersaucer, and likes showing Juliet all of the toys. Juliet loves getting attention from Leah, and just stares at her with a big grin . 

 In other news, Juliet still sucks her fingers. A lot. Chris and I have just accepted it, though we try to yank them out of her mouth once she is asleep. 

 Also, Juliet has stopped sleeping through the night. For the past 3 nights, Leah and Juliet have shown their sisterly bond by waking up at the exact same time each night (usually between 2-3). I nurse Juliet and Daddy gets Sassy back to sleep. 

 What a joy Miss Juliet is. She may be demanding, but I can't believe how much she smiles and coos. 

Smugness

With Leah, I was so smug. I was so glad I didn't have a drooly baby or a baby who sucks their thumb/fingers. I knew it was a direct result of my awesome parenting. Well, now I have both a drooler and a finger sucker. And I'm pretty sure there is nothing I can do about it. At least if I have a drooler and a finger sucker, I'm glad she looks so darn cute doing it!  

Leah Loo Monthly Update

 My Sassy Bean,

What a month! This month you started school. You were a little nervous at first. Not to go to school, but to stay the entire day (which includes a nap with NO Nuk). We did a little bribing with Tangled paraphernalia, and you did great. To reward you, you received a Tangled tunic, a Tangled lunchbox, and a little Tangled doll.  Your love for Tangled hasn't faded, though you are more into Tangled "things" rather than the actual movie. I don't think you've watched it in close to 2 weeks. 

This month you also became a better sleeper. After trying every "Supernanny" trick in the book, we backed off and took you and the situation for what it is. You like to be with people. You do not like to be left "alone" and you do not care for the dark. After too many nights of threatening to leave if you didn't go to sleep, we realized that all we were doing was building your anxiety, not your independence. We told you we would sit in the chair, not the bed, until you fell asleep. When you realized we weren't going to leave (until you were asleep), you started falling asleep in 20 minutes or less (a big improvement over 2 hours). Like clockwork, you are back to waking up once a night, though all you usually need is a quick snuggle and you are back asleep in 3 minutes or less. 

 You also let Daddy take you to bed most nights now. I really miss you at night, even if you are just down the hall. I cherish reading you stories and snuggling with you at nap, though! I think it is nice that you have a Daddy routine now, too. Every night he gives you a piggy back ride to bed and reads you an extra book before you go to bed. 

 You had your 3 year check up and did really well. You are in the 16% for height and the 28% for weight. The doctor was impressed with how smart and articulate you were. You did a super job and told me you were excited to tell your teachers about your adventure.

 You still love to go places. You were very excited for the Fall Fest. The website had a picture of a Merry-Go-Round, so we assumed there would be a Merry-Go-Round. There wasn't. All the other rides were a bit too intimidating for you. Your favorite "game" was the Duck Pond game pictured above. To play, you give $5. The carnie tells you what kind of duck to find. You were instructed to find a princess duck. You did, and you "won"! You selected a giant duck. You named him Duck Squeaks A Lot. He now lives in our bathtub. 

You are also into all things "Princess". At the beginning of the Disney movies, you look longingly at the castle. I told you we would take you to the Castle (Disney World) when Juliet is 2. Now you talk about it all the time! You said you are going to ask the princesses if we can live with them and drink tea with them. 

You continue to be one of the best behaved kids on the planet. You get compliments everywhere we go about how cute and smart you are. You love to learn new things and have almost all your letter sounds down pat (T, W, and  D seem to consistently trick you). Right now you are sick with a low fever and a runny nose, but aside from your restless sleep and nose, you would never know. You hate to be "sick" and argue that you are "fine". You don't even want a Band-Aid when you are hurt! 

You are such a gift, Sassy!
Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

4 Months!

 Dear Jelly Belly Boo,

You are 4 months old! What a month! This was the month that Mama returned to work. To say you had a difficult time would be an understatement. It took you a long time to take a bottle. Auntie Renee finally coaxed you into it, but (like your big sissy did) you'll only take enough to get by. Most days you eat 1-2 ounces for our nanny. The first day Mommy went back to work, the report we got from our nanny was the following, "She really missed you. She didn't even want me holding her. She wanted to lay on her play mat. When I put her down, she would roll away from me and go to sleep. She didn't even want me looking at her." You improved for the nanny, but yesterday we left you with Aunt Renee to go to big sissy's "Meet the Teacher Night". You cried the entire time, and again, wanted to roll away and not look at your baby-sitters. Auntie Renee's comment was, "well, she knows I am NOT the Mommy". Mommy feels guilty for leaving you, but tells you that it is in the best interest of our family that Mommy works. Also, to be happy it's only 1/2 time, because with Leah, it was full time!

This month you have proved that you are one strong willed baby! You love your fingers! Daddy and I laugh about the post where I said that you only "played" with your hands. Starting shortly after I wrote that, you decided that you needed to suck your fingers. More specifically, your left index and middle finger. It is not to play. It is to comfort. You refuse the Nuk. We try to trick you, but you are smart and fight HARD for your fingers. 

You are also a drooler. Let's just say I've bought a few bibs over the past few weeks. Hey, if you're going to drool, you might as well do it in a personalized soft minky bib. 

 I though that I could eat dairy again, but I was wrong. I think I can safely get away with a piece of cheese here or there, but your little tummy is not ready for me to eat even small amounts of dairy regularly. Your tummy gets tight and your entire body stiffens. I hate seeing you uncomfortable. 

 You are also a sleeper! The new norm is that you sleep until 5 or 6 am and go back to sleep until I wake you up for the day around 7:30. You still sleep next to Mommy. You like sleeping close to someone. You will throw your head over until it is close to me. You are also a big time roller over baby, and it actually looks like you are working hard to try to creep. 

You rolled over and your foot got stuck in the crib. You were NOT happy.

We love you so much, Boo!
Happy 4 months!

Sassy's First Day

 My baby girlie started school last week. I was lucky enough to not have to work on her first day, so we could have a leisurely drop off and an early pick up. Leah woke up and we talked up school. Got her dressed in her new "Leah" shirt (so the teachers would know her name) and fed her breakfast. Sassy was too excited to eat. She happily got in the car for school. 

 We got to school and put away all of her things, and gave her teachers the supplies. Mommy and Daddy were feeling a little nervous, but Sassy walked in like a champ and began coloring. We had talked about school for a long time, and Sassy would tell us, "I go to school, and stay by myself, and Mommy picks me up at lunch!"

 After leaving Sassy in her class, we left. I got as far as the parking lot before I started crying. Where have the last 3 years gone? How is my baby old enough for school? We got home and I logged onto her classroom. We are lucky enough to have a "live feed" of her room. It's not the best, but it's better than nothing. Chris and I saw her dancing in her class. It made us feel better. When I picked her up she told me, "I just felt a little nervous at school". 

 Leah has gone for 3 days now (twice a week) and gets glowing reports everyday. Her teachers seem to really adore Leah. Every time I get her, they say, "She is just so cute!" Apparently before coming to the group area for carpet time she'll always announce, "Ready or not, here comes Leah!" Her teachers have also told us that it Leah is really smart. Leah has fun playing on the playground, visiting the farm, and playing with her new friends, who are all named "kid".  

 On the second day of school, we walked into Leah's classroom and discovered that the class was in another room, when we got to the other room, they were getting ready to go back to her classroom. We gave Leah her kisses and hugs in the hallway and sent her to join her class. Leah covered her eyes before entering the classroom. It seemed to be a combination of "I'm a little nervous, but I may be able to play it off as a game". It was really cute. Today was the third day of school, and the first time that just Mommy dropped her off. She walked right in and joined in the fun. 

Leah was both developmentally and emotionally more than ready for school, and I am glad we made the decision to send her this year. We are fortunate enough to send her to a great school, with wonderful reviews that is less than a mile from our home. I am excited to see what the next 2 years bring!

Preschool is COOL!

 More Sister Shots. Love.  Love. Love these girls! 

Both sisters got a little tired of getting their pictures taken. Leah got a sucker, Juliet got her hands. Two happy girls. 

Leah is getting really into "calling Daddy". On this day, in particular, she really wanted to talk to Daddy. Daddy was busy, and kept trying to hang up, so Leah decided to stall Daddy by telling him that Juliet needed to talk to him. Clearly she did. 

A "Real Baby"

 Juliet is turning into a real baby! She is learning how to sit, perfecting rolling over, and even trying to creep. In fact, we had to take down the swing because I watched Juliet come within a few inches of flipping out of the thing. It was sad to see the swing go. Leah Loo loved that swing, she would sleep in it for hours. I remember when my mom was helping with the crib transition at naps. For those first few weeks she would log 15 minutes (crib), 10 minutes (crib), 21 minutes (crib), 3 hours (swing). Leah loved napping in there. Juliet never liked it. At all. Oh well. 

 Leah thought that Juliet trying to creep was hilarious, she kept asking if she could pick up her feet and help her wheelbarrow herself across the living room.