More conversations with Rachel

This week we've been really working on potty training with Rachel, so we haven't really gone anywhere this week (except one trip to the pool). She's been doing really well with the potty training for which I'm really proud of her. But I think she's starting to get a little stir crazy, each morning and sometimes throughout the day she'll ask me "Mama, where we go today?" :) Maybe next week I'll start to feel more comfortable taking her out in public in the midst of potty training.

Yesterday at lunch Rachel and I were talking about how after her nap we could play outside. She was talking about the things she could do while she was outside and she asked me if I would watch her on the slide. Then she told me "Mimi doesn't go on the slide...Mimi's old"!!! I nearly choked on my food! I couldn't believe she said that! Then I asked her if Mimi told her that and she said "yes", so that made me feel a bit better, at least she was just repeating something that she heard and not coming out with an insult on her own! Later on that day I talked to my mom (Mimi) and told her what Rachel had said (which made my mom crack up laughing) and my mom said that she did tell Rachel that the last time they were out here.

You have to watch what you say around that little girl b/c it may get repeated someday!!! :)

Logic of a 2 year old

Since Katie has been born I've told Rachel things like "Katie doesn't have words yet, but she will one day", or "Katie doesn't have that much hair yet, but she will one day". So, one day while Rachel was eating breakfast and I was putting her hair in pig tails she told me "PopPop no have hair yet" and I explained to her that PopPop used to have hair and he shaves what is left, we discussed this a little bit further and she decided that she wanted to help PopPop shave his head, so that weekend when my parents were here for Katie's baptism, she helped PopPop shave his head by putting the shaving cream on his head. Also, later on in the conversation she said "Mimi has hair"

The next morning at breakfast out of nowhere Rachel told me that puppies don't go on the potty, they go outside.

Speaking of potty, we've been starting to TRY to potty train Rachel. We have a seat that goes on the potty, the cushie tushie. She's been using that the past few weeks when she uses the potty. The other day she decided that she wanted to go on the potty without the cushie tushie, she stood on her stepstool and she looked at me and said, "I go like people". The she started to lift the toliet seat and said "when I'm a boy I go like this" I then had to explain to her that she will never be a boy, that God made her a girl. Thankfully she was content w/ that explaination!

The other day I was nursing Katie and Rachel was playing with her tea set. She was pretending to drink tea right form the teapot and then gave me some. She was trying to give Katie some and I told her that Katie just drinks milk from mama. Rachel said "I no have milk...I have milk when I'm older" and I explained that when she gets older and has a baby then she'll have milk, so she says "then I feed Katie" :)

Lately one thing that Rachel likes to do is look out her window from her bed. The bottom foot of her bed overlaps a window to our front yard, when she wakes up from her nap she stays in her bed, but lifts the shade and looks out the window and watches the world go by. The last time my parents were here and it was time for them to go home, they said goodbye to her before her nap and told her that they were going to be going home then. But when Rachel woke up from her nap she looked out the window and realized that their car wasn't here and cried for them...I didn't hear her at first and when I went upstairs I realized that she was crying for Mimi and PopPop, it broke my heart. Then a few weeks after that one morning I heard Rachel crying in her room again, I went into her room and she was crying for Daddy. Apparently, she was looking out her window when Tim pulled out of the driveway for work, Tim didn't see her looking out the window so he didn't wave to her. So, now it's starting to become a habit that when Rachel hears Tim close the front door (you kinda have to slam it to make sure it closes fully), she pokes her head under the shade and waves to him and they usually make a silly face for each other. So, what started out as an upsetting thing for her has turned into a fun tradition with her daddy. :)

3 months old

Tuesday was Katie's 3 month birthday. As one of my friends said to me today, I'm "out of the pit". Or, I've also heard it (the first three months) referred to as the 4th trimester. Thankfully, the first three months of Katie's life weren't as difficult as the first three months of Rachel's life. Overall she's been a great baby. Right from the beginning she did fairly well sleeping at night, I was never up for hours with her crying. We had to see the lactation consultant to get some things squared away with nursing, but since then she's been doing well with nursing and is getting a lot faster at eating. Lately at night I feed her around 9 or 9:30pm and then she doesn't get up to eat until 4 or 5am, then again at 7 or 8am, so that's been wonderful! I keep feeling like I shouldn't be quite so tired since Katie has been letting me get so much sleep, but I also have to remind myself that I'm still adjusting to keeping up with TWO little ones. As Tim said, Rachel takes my mental and emotional energy and Katie takes my physical energy. I do feel like I'm starting to get the hang of two kiddos, it's definitely a juggling act sometimes! Some days it just feels like I can't please anyone. Sometimes I feel if I'm giving too much attention to Katie then I'm not giving enough to Rachel and vice versa.
It's been fun to see Katie's little personality emerging the past few weeks. She has been spending more time awake and is smiling a lot more as well as cooing. It just melts my heart when she looks up at me with her wide open blue eyes and gives me a big smile and coos. When she smiles her dimples on both cheeks emerge and she's just so cute! She's been starting to become interested in toys and follows them when I move them back and forth. She enjoys sitting in her bouncy seat that has a bar across it with toys on top and lights, when she kicks her legs music plays and the lights on the bar light up. She is also starting to like laying on her activity mat, although she's not a huge fan of "tummy time". The other day I put her in the Bumbo seat for the first time, she looked like such a big girl!

Mother's Day

My mom sent me this poem, and I thought it was sweet -

Before I was a Mom,

I never tripped over toys

or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not

my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.



Before I was a Mom,

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind

and my thoughts.

I slept all night.



Before I was a Mom,

I never held down a screaming child

so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night

watching a baby sleep.



Before I was a Mom,

I never held a sleeping baby just because

I didn't want to put her down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces

when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small

could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.



Before I was a Mom,

I didn't know the feeling of

having my heart outside my body..

I didn't know how special it could feel

to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond

between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small

could make me feel so important and happy.



Before I was a Mom,

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night

every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth,

the joy,

the love,

the heartache,

the wonderment

or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,

before I was a Mom .


I know I'm a day late, but I wanted to wish my mom a Happy Mother's Day! I also wanted to say Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are mothers. You all have been great example to me as well as a great encouragement. Sometimes it's just nice to know that others have "been there, done that" and have lived through it :)
I got a nice Mother's Day gift from Katie because I put her down to sleep at 9pm on Saturday night and she didn't wake up to eat until 4:30am! Then she went back down around 5:15am and slept until 7:30am.
Tim got me a very thoughtful gift from the girls. He framed and matted two pictures of the girls when they were both just days old. In the two pictures it's hard to tell which girl is which! Then he got white decorative letters that say "Our girls". I can't wait to find a place to hang all of that on a wall.
Tim also endured 40 minutes of Katie crying so I could take a longer nap yesterday...what a guy!
Over the past 2 1/2 years that I've been a mother I have learned that motherhood is definitely one of the hardest jobs in the world, but yet one of the most rewarding, as well as one of the most sanctifying! I love being a mother and am so thankful to the Lord for the two girls that He has blessed me with.

She's "toot"

This morning at MOPS we had a "thank you" brunch for all the volunteers. While we were sitting there waiting for things to start, one of the mom's told me that her 4 year old son (who was sitting across from Rachel) said, "mom...look at that girl....she's 'toot'" The mom interpreted and told me that "toot" means "cute" Uh-oh, the boys chasing her is starting already! :)

2 month and 2 1/2 year check up

Last Friday the girls had check ups with the new pediatrician that we switched to. Our appointment was at 8:30am, so I was a little nervous that we would be able to make it there on time! Especially since I needed to get there 10-15 minutes early to fill out new patient paperwork. Thankfully I made it there on time, Rachel and I both ate breakfast in the car so that helped.
Katie had her 2 month check up. She weighs 10 lbs. 11oz. and is 22 inches long. She got her first round of shots and did fairly well with that.
Rachel had her 2 1/2 year check up. She weighs 32 1/2 lbs. and is 36 inches tall. She had to have one shot and did really well with that. Before she got her shot I was explaining to her that it was going to be like mommy's shots that she got every week and I reminded her how brave mommy was when she got her shot and how I didn't cry. When the nurse gave Rach her shot all she did was say "ouch!" She didn't cry at all, I was so proud of her :)
So, overall both girls are healthy and I'm really happy with our new pediatrician.

Pinocchio was a sinner

Lately Rachel has been watching a lot more TV than pre-Katie days, mainly to keep her occupied while I nurse Katie. I usually end up feeding around 10am and that works out well so Rachel can watch Seasame Street. This morning I was feeding Katie at 9am and Rachel was getting antsy, so I turned on PBS and Super Why was on, we had never seen that show before, it's all about reading. Today's show they were talking about telling the truth so they were reading Pinocchio. While they were reading the story I was explaining to Rachel that Pinocchio's nose was growing because he was lying, so Rachel turns to me and says "he sins", then "he need to pray". I was totally surprised by the connection that she made...she's acually listening to us!!! :) Then when Pinocchio finally told Geppetto the truth Rachel said "he need hug". I was wondering how I would explain to her why Pinocchio and Geppetto didn't pray and ask God for forgiveness at the end....I guess Pinocchio isn't a Christian.