Solid, Baby!

Yep, Little Kiersten is eating solid foods now. It started on Sunday July, 11th. She had been REALLY cranky all weekend and we just couldn't figure out what to do with her. Finally we decided that she might just be really hungry, so we cracked open the cereal and gave it a shot...and let me tell you, the child ate cereal like she's been doing it her whole life. I don't think she let a drop hit the floor and she was lunging for the spoon. We started with just once a day, but after a few days we bumped it up to twice. For about a week we stuck with straight cereal, but we have slowly been adding in our vegetables. So far the peas and green beans are a big hit, we just started carrots today and so far so good.

I will probably stick with the same regimen that I did with Leah and go through all the vegetables for quite a while before I introduce any fruits. I did strictly veggies with Leah for 6-8 weeks and the girl still loves her vegetables. She actually asks for more broccoli on occassion, so I am hoping we will have the same luck with Kiersten.

The fussiness didn't end when we started the cereal though. We went to the pediatrician twice in a 2 week period. He chalked it up to teething. Her gums are pretty swollen but I don't really see any signs of a budding tooth...guess we'll see. In the meantime I have started giving her gripe water once or twice a day and she seems to be back to her happy little self, Thank Goodness!

Gigi, Papa, Gigi, Papa!!!

My parents came out last week to spend a few days with us and the girls. I made the mistake of telling Leah that they were coming on Friday morning, even though I knew they weren't going to be arriving until Friday afternoon. All moring long I heard "GIGI, PAPA, GIGI, PAPA". I was going crazy! But it's always nice and super fun for Leah to have her grandparents around. We layed low on Friday night. Mitch grilled burgers out on the grill and we watched Leah swim in her pool. After dinner Mitch and Dad went to hit balls while Leah stayed home and enjoyed a great big cupcake, AND got a new princess dress from Gigi that she enjoyed dancing around in.

On Saturday morning we woke up to have our usual pancake breakfast. Then we went for a walk and took Leah to the park. Mitch and Dad played a round of golf in the afternoon while Mom and I stayed home and played with the girls. Leah loves to be outside so we spend the majority of the day playing in the backyard. That night we had dinner reservations at Carlucci's. It's a great Italian restaurant near our house. We went there the night before we had Leah and went there last summer when Mom, Laura and Cece were here for Laura's New York bridal shower. Mom thought Dad would like it so we went, and he did. They had lots of fresh seafood and Leah got to try them out for the first time. It wasn't too suprising but she liked mussels, shrimp and calamari...I swear the girl will eat ANYTHING!

Sunday was a lazy day. We watched the British Open and went and did a little shopping. Gigi got Leah a Vtech learning laptop, Disney Princess Pajama, and Minnie Mouse big girl underpants. No wonder Leah loves it when Gigi come to visit so much!!! Sunday night Mitch and I were able to sneak out for a quick dinner date. SUSHI~Yummy! It had been over a year since I had been able to have sushi. It was great. Monday morning Gigi and Papa took off, Leah cried but I distracted her by letting her watch the Little Mermaid and the tears didn't last too long. Besides, we know it won't be too long before we see them again.

Divalicious

So this is how I found Leah the other day in the pool. It's like she is right out of an old 50's movie set in the south. I can just hear her accent now. "Oh my, is it hot our here...I can hardly take the heat." ha ha! Sunglasses are a new hit with her. She has a Dora pair out in her little play pool and a Barbie pair in the car. She cracks me up. My parents were here last weekend and she played with Papa's glasses a lot. She put them on top of her head just like he does. I'll post more on that later. She is also very into being a princess. I would venture to guess that she is one of very few princess/tom-boys around. I think she would wear a pretty frilly dress outside to dig in the dirt if I would let her. What am I gonna do with this girl??? Keep on loving her to bits and pieces, I guess.

4 months down

Our little squeaker is 4 months old!!! Actually she was 4 months old last Thursday but we just had her 4 month check-up this morning so I am just now writing about it. Dr. Matt was so happy with how our little girls is doing, with a smile on his face he said "Why do you even bother to come see me...she's perfect!" That's just what you want to hear from your pediatrician. This month she weighed 11 lbs 14 oz. That was up one pound exactly from last month and is still in the 10th percentile. She measured 24.75 inches. She grew an inch and a half. Dr. Matt was very happy with her length and also her head circumference. Both are maintaining at the 50th percentile. I think that by looking at the pictures below she is definitely filling out some...I mean look at that cute double chin :) But I guess the scale doesn't lie.

Developmentally she is on track and then some. She is cooing and babbling, she mimicks our facial expressions. She lifts up her head and will bear weight on her legs. She is rolling over good and has started sleeping on her tummy. Dr. Matt says they don't recommend this until 6 months, but he wasn't too worried about it because her neck muscles and head control are so strong. That's a good thing, because I am not going to sit up in her room all night flipping her on to her back.

Towards the end of last week we thought Kiersten was getting a little cold. She was really cranky and not eating or sleeping well. She was nursing so frequently, I think because when she was eating she wasn't eating well, but we decided to start some solids. She ate a bowl of oatmeal like a champ...hardly spilled a drop. It was like she has been eating off the spoon since birth. Dr. Matt said to start her vegetables soon...REALLY??? Otherwise, our little pipsqueak is doing just great. She loves to watch her big sister and laughs when we make faces at her. I'm enjoying every minute with her as a baby because I know it won't last long.

Big Grins and Giggles

Baby Mine

Stop! Make it slow down, isn't there a pause button on this thing called life?!? Right before my very eyes my baby girl's are growing up...and too quickly I might add. Yesterday Kiersten was 4 months old. I will post more on that after her doctors appointment, but anyway...it seems like I was just holding this warm little bundle of new baby in my arms and now she is developing a personality, starting to be mobile and so much more. Below are pictures with me and my girls. Both taken when they are around 3 months old. Two beautiful baby girls who are changing too much for my liking.

With Leah I remember being so anxious for all of her "First", but this time it pulls at the heartstrings a little more. I could not wait for Leah to roll over, was ecstatic when she started babbling and giddy with joy when she became mobile. It was all so exciting to see this little daredevil emerge, but with Kiersten I think I realize more so, how quickly it will all go and how soon she will grow up and that makes it a little harder. She REALLY started to roll over on June 22nd. Before that she would only go from her back to her tummy. Now she goes every which way. On June 25th I started putting her in her excersaucer...she isn't quite sure what to do in it, but will sit/stand in it all the same. And lastly on July 4th, she started sleeping on her tummy. You can put her on her back but she won't stay there for long. What's next....calling her friends on the cell phone for playdates, ha!

Anyway, these pictures are how I will always remember my baby girls. I will think about how I used to rock them and sing them to sleep. Baby Mine don't you cry, Baby Mine dry your eyes, Rest your head near to my heart, never apart Baby of Mine.

Kiersten and Mommy, June '10

Mommy and Leah, Sept. '08

Pool Party

I thought I left all the scorching heat behind when I left the desert that is Arizona, but nope! It followed me all the way East to New Jersey of all places. This summer has been a scorcher. I know you are thinking "yeah right" but really it has. My poor hydrangeas are unrecognizeable and our grass resembles hay or straw. It's bad...but that hasn't stopped us from enjoying the summer sun. The last few days have seen 100+ temps and so we are only venturing outside in the evenings. But the girls don't seem to mind. Just look at those smiles. We have known for some time that Leah is a fish, but who would have thought that Kiersten, 4 months old today, would already be following in her big sisters footsteps. She couldn't get enough of the water. I even have a video where Leah splashes her in the face and she just keeps on laughing. What a little ham. I think Daddy is enjoying the pool some on these hot days too, maybe he just enjoys being a dad and spending time with his girls. I think its a little bit of both. Anyway it's been fun to watch the girls splashing around, and in the meantime bring on the heat!

Pool Party-The Movie

4th of July!!!

It wasn't your ideal 4th of July weekend, but we made the best of it. Things were pretty quiet around here. Almost all of our friends went on vacation for the holiday weekend this year. I guess that's what happens when it falls on a Sunday so everyone has Monday off. Anyway, we found ourselves with no plans for the holiday. How Boring, Right??? Mitch was able to find one co-worker that was sticking around. Mike and Melanie came to celebrate Leah's birthday with us back in May. Their daughter Emily is 8 months old AND they are from O'Fallon, Illinois and both went to the University of Illinois so we invited them over for dinner and it was a great chance for us to get to know them better. Although for them, seeing Leah in action was a little bit frightening. They can't believe how energetic and wild she is compared to their little Emily. I think it made them a little nervous for what the future holds :)

On Sunday Mitch got up and took Leah to the park. They came home and played in the backyard for awhile, including her little pool. After her afternoon nap he took her to see Toy Story 3. She LOVES Toy Story 2 and LOVES is probably an understatement. I was so sad that I had to miss out. I would have loved to see her expression in the theatre, but Kiersten was sleeping and a movie theatre might not be the right venue to take a baby. Anyway, Mitch said that Leah was so excited and loved the movie which was apparent when they got home and she was crying "movie, watch Woody, more Woody." That girl loves her cowboys, ha ha!

I guess we should have ventured out to watch the fireworks, but we didn't. I'm just not sure how Leah would react yet. If she was with other kids...like her cousin Macy, who is 5...she would probably love it, but sometimes she can be a little timid. So we passed on the celebration this year...Maybe next year we will give it a try. What's the worst that can happen, she cries and we leave, right? Anyway, here are pictures of the girls on the 4th. Thanks Mitch, for taking the camera to the movie theatre...I know you didn't want to do it, but I love that you can see her popcorn in this shot :)