iPhone Friday 05/25/12

My sweet baby turned 2 months old last week and I went back to work this week. A big boo to the latter.



Emmy picked out this outfit "all by my own".



Why sit down to eat at a restaurant when you can stand up and cheese it up?



You can't see it here, but we have a bobblehead baby. Gotta work on the muscle tone so we can impress the dr at Nora's 2 month appointment next Thursday.



Tonight, my girls, lots of love.


It has been a long day, so this post is coming to an end. Good night!

Two Months {nora}

So as of the last monthly update, I had 20# to lose.  Sad/happy(?) to say that I have 13 more to go.  Sad b/c that 13# seems like such a big number.  Happy because I lost 7# of FAT in one month.

Onto the real point of this post, the monthly update:

Eat: about 7-9 times a day
Sleep: usually up by 6am and down by 9pm.  Nighttime is spent in the rock and play sleeper and naps are spent in the cradle or on the bed. She still likes her arms to be swaddled.
Shoes: she sported her little Puma shoes a few days ago (size 0).  They didn't stay on well, but oh so cute.
Clothes: 0-3 and 3 month clothes. She is wearing the 6-9 month Gerber onesies which brings me to the question of, does anyone's baby really fit into the gerber onesie sizes at the same age?  They seem to be so teeny tiny.
Diapers: We are on the last package of size 1 and will be moving up a size after it's gone.
Trips: to Fayetteville on Mother's Day weekend for Greg's graduation
Likes: being held, eating, baths (most of the time), flashing "I'm a big stinker but I look so sweet" smiles
Dislikes: turning her head to the left for sleep, feet being covered up during naps/night, staying asleep in the carseat once the car stops
Milestones: This month Nora tried out the bumbo (8w), really started making eye contact (6.5w), coos while I sing to her (7.5w)
Other: We think that Nora will be a little less dramatic than big sis...we shall see!  Also, this month Nora went to her first birthday party and first wedding (all in the same day).  She did a great job and got plenty of "oooohs" and "aaaaahs" from everyone.

Some Emmy things that I don't want to forget:

• Apparently Emmy loves to dance at wedding receptions.
• She demands all the time "say it!".  She will tell us this if we ask her a question and she doesn't want to answer it.  Or sometimes it's just to repeat what she has just said.  I am unsure if this is a bossy pants issue, or if it's actually a language development thing...anyone know?
• She LOVES Dora....ugh
• Emmy loves the idea of an ice cone (aka sno cone) but doesn't actually like to eat one.
• She knows NO stranger, she is such a happy social being.  But we really need to start teaching her about stranger danger.

And a picture to end with....my girls each at 2 months.

iPhone Friday returns 05/18/2012

We spent last weekend in Fayetteville for uncle Greggy's graduation. Here are the kids all geared up for the pool.


Riding to Coldstone Creamery.


Showing Nora what to do whilst on tummy time.


Bumbo time!!!!!


Sometimes it is hard to fall asleep. Take Emmys advice and do a few downward dogs.


Mayfest 2012. First dippin dots experience and she loved it (as well as the 1/2 corndog, frozen lemonade and powdered sugar from the funnel cake)


Ah, feels good to bring back iPhone Friday. I feel so disconnected from my own life ;)

Sunday Funnies 05/13/2012

I need to get back into the habit of documenting our life, so I am going to resume iPhone Fridays and now starting a "Sunday Funnies" post. I know it's Saturday night, but both girls are asleep-so I'm writing it now.

Emmy is so frustrating sometimes, but also so funny. I need to change my view on things and start looking more at the humor and stop focusing so much on the challenges.

So for my first installment of "Sunday Funnies", I want to share some funny things that Emmy has said to our wonderful nanny. Her name is Alex.

Story 1, a few weeks ago:
A: Emmy, what do you want for lunch?
E: Aaron! (Alex's husband)
A: silly, we can't eat people.
E: Nora eats mommy!

Story 2, this week. Alex had a 2 question questionnaire for Emmy that she wrote down on a mother's day card for me:
A: Why do you live your mommy?
E: cuz (answer to everything right now)
A: well, what does your mommy do that makes you lover her?
E: pumps Nora's milk!

Do we see a pattern here?

Oh, and happy mother's day to me. I have been blessed beyond measure and completely undeserving of these two beautiful girls. Thank you God for this life!


-jordan

My girl is all grown up

It seems like my little toddler, who spoke in 4-5 word sentences not so log ago has turned into a verbose little creature.

Example: tonight after us helping her blow her nose she says "I want to go throw away my tissue in the piggies can" (a razorbacks trash can)

And then earlier tonight she built a tower and said to us "Look, it's downtown. I want to go to church downtown"



We then asked her to flex her muscle and she destroyed downtown all Godzilla like.

When did she get so big???


-jordan

Heavy Heart

I'm just gonna say it...

I am not happy with God right now.  Without going into too many details, I just want to say that I don't understand why people have to lose their babies.

So I am going to keep my words short and share with you a little something I found.  After going through losses ourselves, I would agree with most all of these tips on things to say and things to avoid saying to someone who has experienced an infant loss. The ones I agree with the most are underlined.  I realize this isn't a fun post, but I have felt the need for awhile now to do a post like this so we can all educate ourselves on how to best help others while they grieve the loss of a baby.

The list was taken from this site.

DO’s

DON’Ts

Do get in touch. Let your genuine concern and caring show. Do be available to listen, to help with the other children, or whatever else seems needed at the time. Offer help with practical matters like house cleaning and meals. Do say you are sorry about what happened to their baby and about their pain. Do allow them to express as much grief as they are feeling at the moment and are willing to share. Accept silence; if the family doesn’t feel like talking, don’t force conversation. Follow their lead. Do encourage them to be patient with themselves, not to expect too much of themselves and not to impose any “shoulds” on themselves. Do allow them to talk about their baby. Do give special attention to the siblings of the baby that died. Do reassure them that they did everything that they could, the medical care their baby received was the best, or whatever else you know to be true and positive about the care given their baby and/or pregnancy. Do encourage them to seek outside help, either from a health professional or another bereaved parent. Do remember the family on the baby’s birthday, anniversary of death, Mothers Day, Fathers Day and other occasions. Permanent memorials, such as the First Candle Tree of Hope, help families know that their baby has not been forgotten. Do be patient with them. Coping with the death of their baby may take a long time. Stay in touch.

Don’t let your own sense of helplessness keep you from reaching out to the bereaved family. Don’t avoid the family because you are uncomfortable. Don’t say you know how they feel (unless you’ve lost a child yourself, you probably don’t know how they feel.) Don’t probe for details about the baby’s death. If the family offers information, listen with understanding. Don’t tell them what they should feel or do. Don’t impose your religious or spiritual views on them. Don’t change the subject when they mention their dead baby. Don’t point out that at least they have another child; or could have more children in the future. Don’t blame anyone for the death. Don’t make comments which suggest that the care in the hospital or emergency room, at home, at the childcare provider’s or wherever was inadequate. Don’t try to find something positive about the baby’s death. Avoid clichés and easy answers. Don’t avoid mentioning the baby’s name out of fear of reminding them of their pain. Don’t say “you ought to be feeling better by now” or anything else which implies a judgment about their feelings, or sets time expectations or limits their healing process Don't just say "let me know how I can help". No one likes to ask for help.  Try to think of specific ways to offer up your help.  i.e.: Please let me know when we can come over and cut the grass.  Please let me know what night I can bring over dinner.  (This is my personal addition to the list, b/c I am guilty of not being able to ask for help)