Elmo

Kiley is obsessed with the Elmo ABC Ipad app, so when I saw that Elmo was going to be at a local toy store this past Saturday, I thought that she would love it.  Wrong!!!

First of all, as we are driving there it is pouring rain and we had to park on a side street, so we were walking there in the pouring rain.  Then, when we finally get to the store, because it is pouring rain, it is super crowded inside and not much so much the place for a double stroller.  But, of course we are there to see Elmo so we are going to at least see Elmo.  Of course, Elmo is on his break when we get there.  So, we have to wait.  Now, waiting with a toddler in a toy store is just like it seems--she wants everything.  Luckily, it stopped raining out a few minutes after we got there and Elmo soon came out, however, Kiley was not as impressed with Elmo as we thought she might be. 

Now that I look back at the pictures, Elmo does look a little scary.  I guess we will stick to the Ipad app.  I can't wait to see how the Santa Claus pictures come out this year :)

Sleep training

I know some people think that sleep training is somewhat of a controversial topic as they could never imagine letting their baby cry it out, but I think that the reason that my girls are awesome sleepers is because of sleep training.  Now granted we do go to the Weissbluth practice for pediatrics, so sleep is obviously something that they really focus on, but it's amazing how many studies show a correlation between sleep and happy, healthy children.

So, I just thought that I would post a little bit about my advice--and I am by no means an expert on this topic, but as a person who relies on a lot of sleep, I am happy to report that I have two babies that sleep through the night pretty consistently--which means I sleep through the night :)

1.  Be consistent--when I was switching Kiley from two naps to one, I kept trying to alter her schedule so that I could continue to make playgroups, classes, etc. since we were one of the first to switch from two naps to one.  I realized that it was not working for her, or for me because she was just confused as to when she should be sleeping.  I finally had to make the decision that in order to get her on a good schedule, we were going to have to take a break from our playgroups and classes (or try to adjust the times that we took the classes) so that she could be down for her nap around the same time everyday.  Now, with Ella, I am realizing that to get her on a good schedule, I too, must be consistent.  She isn't as portable anymore which is kind of a bummer, but I would rather have a good sleeper than be able to get out of the house whenever I want, so I am starting to realize there is only a short window of time when I can get out to run errands, get to the gym, etc.
2.  Start a nighttime routine early--with both Kiley and Ella I started them on a nighttime routine right around 6-8 weeks.  Our routine consists of bath, dinner/bottle, brushing teeth, stories, and then lights out.  We always do this, well we try to do this (sometimes it is a little different on the weekends), but for the most part this is the schedule.  The schedule has had to be adjusted a little bit with trying to get two girls down, but once I change the routine I really try to stick with it.  The other important thing about sticking with the routine is starting early.  I know it sounds crazy, but we start our bedtime routine at 5.  This gives me enough time to get both girls bathed and fed an in bed by 6 for Ella and 7:15-7:30ish for Kiley. It sounds early, but they both sleep about 11-12 hours at night and I would rather have that time to myself at night since I also go to bed early and have them up early since Kiley has to be at school by 8 two days a week.
3.  They should nap at least 45 minutes-1 hour.  I try to make sure that for their naps they sleep for at least 45 minutes.  Granted, at first, this takes a lot of work with having to go back in restart music, give pacifier, etc, but any less than that is not considered a nap to me and they just wake up crabby so I have implemented a rule that during nap times they have to stay in their cribs for at least 45 minutes.  If after 45 minutes, they haven't slept at all, then I get them up, but after a couple of days of "training" I realize that more often than not, they are down within just a few minutes and will sleep a pretty consistent amount of time each day.
4.  Try not to nap on the go.  I try really hard to make sure that naps occur in their cribs everyday.  I think that this helps them understand that when they are in their cribs, it is time to sleep.  I don't ever put them in their cribs for anything else. I know some people will put their kids in their cribs to play and such, I just never do, but I also think that it helps them to realize that cribs signal sleep. 
5.  If they wake up crying, they probably haven't slept enough.  This is a hard one for me, but usually if they are crying when they wake up from a nap, then they probably haven't slept enough.  I try to give them a few minutes before going to get them because a lot of times they will fall back to sleep if they are crying.

So, with that I have been trying to get Ella on a daytime nap schedule this week, so I haven't made it to the gym or done much else.  Hopefully, we will be in a better routine by next week so that I can start figured out the best times to get out, but with everything else with kids, sleep routines take time. 

Have a great weekend!!! 

Pretty Little Liar

So I'm pretty sure that Kiley lied to me yesterday.  Yes, she is an 18-month old liar!!!!  So, we were having dinner and I put her chicken and veggies on a nice divided plate.  She had eaten quite a bit, but I was trying to get her to eat a little bit more so the bad parent I am told her that she could have a cookie for dessert if she ate three more pieces of chicken.  I put the pieces in one of the divided sections so she could see what she had to eat.  I should have sat there and watched her eat it, but I decided to just do the dishes really quick while she was finishing up.  I came back a few seconds later and the 3 pieces were gone, but I'm pretty sure she didn't eat them.  Now, I would normally have thought she just fed them to the dogs, but the dogs were in the kitchen with me.  I think that she moved the pieces back with all the other pieces of chicken to make it look like she ate them.  When I asked her if she ate the chicken, she responded with a smile, "Yes, cookie please." I couldn't really be sure if she did or did not eat the chicken, so I gave her the cookie, but deep down I think that she lied.  How does that start this early?

Now I'm having visions of her as a teenager and it's not pretty. 

Do not trust this innocent looking face--she's Trouble!!!!

I'm Back!!!!

It feels like forever since I have blogged, but I am back from my blogging break.  Last week was busy--I was busy getting ready for our weekend trip to Florida and while we left Kiley and Ella home with my sister, I was busy getting stuff ready/notes written for them.  Plus, of course, no trip ever goes smoothly and Kiley was still sick all last week. We almost canceled our trip because the night before we were going to leave, she was up pretty much every hour on the hour.  My sister ended up taking her to the doctor because of what looked like a scratched eye, it turns out she had an ear infection.  So, after the croup, she got the ear infection, and now it looks like she has hand-foot-mouth disease again. Ugh!!!!  I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come this winter, but I think that she is feeling a lot better today so hopefully we are on the mend.  Of course, now I am not feeling great, but I would much rather feel sick than have her feeling sick, so I will take the illness off of her hands.

So, obviously we still decided to go on our trip knowing that even if Kiley wasn't feeling great, she was in good hands with my sister, so we made the best of it.  We went to Palm Beach for a long weekend.  It was interesting.  Kevin and I had a great time together and we definitely caught up on relaxing and sleep, but Palm Beach was definitely not really our scene.  I say that because Kevin and I are the same age and I am pretty sure that to live in Palm Beach it seemed like there must be at least a 15-20 year age gap between you and your spouse.  No joke--we saw a couple at dinner on Friday night in which the girl was maybe 25 and the man grandpa was probably in his late 60's, early 70's.  It was so awkward, but that was the norm down there so I guess they are used to it.  I guess my little midwestern self is not used to that kind of lifestyle, but it must work for some people. On Saturday night, we also had an interesting dinner experience.  The second we sat down at our table the people next to us told us to request to be moved.  We didn't really know why, but soon found out they were referring to the extremely loud lady at a table of 10 people.  Now, one would think that with 10 people at the table, I would have been able to hear other people at the table conversing with her, but nope, just her voice.  Kevin thinks that the table may have been part of the mob, and she was one of the mob bosses daughters, I don't know, but it was a little odd that no one at the table told her to be a little quietter (or that maybe telling your child birth story in graphic detail at a nice restaurant is to put it nicely, inappropriate.)  So, after that, we decided to move--along with everyone else that was seated around this particular table. 

Overall, the trip was fun, but I don't think that we will get back there anytime soon.  Thanks again to Abby and Kerry for taking so good care of the girls/dogs.  We can't thank you enough!!!!

So today, we are just relaxing and getting back into our routine.  It definitely felt weird to not be taking care of kids for 3 straight days and not being on a schedule (which we all know that I thrive on) so I am ready to get back to it.  I took about two weeks off from the diet and now I am ready to get back on it full force.  I also haven't worked out in over a week now, so that is on the agenda for tomorrow.  Hopefully, we will all be feeling better by then and we can get back on track.  So needless to say, the scale and I aren't on the best of terms right now. 

While, I have been writing this, this is what Kiley is currently doing.  Of course, the baby doll stroller belongs in the bathroom--and yes, you should sit in it even though the thing looks like it is about to break.  And where is the toliet paper you ask, oh she took that and tore it into little pieces to feed to dog. 

The thing this girl does to amuse herself.  Now, I say that she mimics everything that we do, however, no need to call the animal authorities, I do not feed the dog little pieces of toliet paper.  I don't know where she got that from, but Morgan is still too tired from running with her dog cousins all weekend to even care.

I also took this picture of Ella this morning.  I got out the exersaucer last week.  It totally reminds me of the picture I took of Kiley in at last summer. I think that they are almost the same age in these pictures and they are starting to look a lot alike to me.  Granted, Kiley was about 3 pounds heavier at this age, but their faces are starting to look a lot more similar to me than I thought they did before.  What do you think? maybe it's just the cheeks.

The other things the girls are up to these days. . .

Ella is getting really close to rolling over.  She can though turn all the way around when she is laying on her playmat.  It was a little weird the other day when I went to get her up and she was facing the opposite direction than how she normally is facing.  I'm not sure I am ready to have a mobile baby yet, but I guess I don't have a choice.  Maybe chasing two mobile kids will help with the weightloss?

Kiley's newest thing is going up and down the stairs and opening and closing doors.  She has gone up stairs forever now, but just recently she has decided to start going down them by herself.  She was playing quietly one day and then I turned around and couldn't find her--oh she was downstairs.  It about gave me a heart attack, so now I know that the gates must be used again.  And, she also loves to open and close (and sometimes lock) doors.  We had to move her crib away from the door handle because she was opening her door at nap time by sticking her arm through the crib.  Then, the other day, I was feeding Ella in Kiley's room.  I heard our bedroom door shut, which normally isn't a big deal, however, then I heard the lock of the door.  So, I had to pick open the lock with both girls screaming on either side of the door.  Oh the joys of toddlerhood!!!

So, that's what's been going on in our world for the past week or so.  I promise to be a better blogger this week. 

Appetizers, Random Pics, and Camera Question

Kevin and I had a SUPER healthy day of eating on Sunday.  To Kevin, the start of football season is one of the best days of the year.  If I can remember how he put it, it was something like "aside from my family and friends, football may be one of the things that I love the most."  However, after the weekend I was having, I was actually excited for football Sunday to have an excuse to eat like crap.  Hey--if I was going to make the appetizers for him, I was going to partake of course.  So, here are two of our staple appetizer receipes. 

Mexican Dip

1 8 oz. cream cheese
1 can chili with beans
3 or 4 green onions
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 small pkg of shredded cheddar cheese

Soften cream cheese in a 9" shallow baking dish in microwave approx. 30 sec, spread to cover the bottom of the dish.  Chop green onions.  Then layer the rest of the ingredients (except cheese) in order.  Heat in microwave approx. 1 min 50 sec.  Add cheese after heated.  Serve with tostito rounds--Kevin must have the rounds for some reason to eat the dip. 

Cucumber Appetizers

1 loaf fresh white bread
8 oz. cream cheese
1 pkg good seasons dry Italian salad dressing mix
2 skinny cucumbers
2 spoonfuls of mayo

Use a small bowl, soften cream cheese in microwave approx. 30 sec.  Mix in entire package of Dry Italian Dressing Mix, add mayo.  Cut crust off of bread, cut into squares--I use the top rim of a larger shot glass and press it into the bread to make circles.  You could can really use cookies cutters or anything to make whatever shape you would like.  Peel cucumbers, slice.  Spread bread with cream cheese mixture.  Place a cucumber slice on each piece of bread.  Place on large platter.  When platter is filled, sprinkle with pepper.

Definitely not the healthiest day of eating, but I'm taking a little vacay from dieting this week.  Next Monday it is back on, but I am going to enjoy my vacation to the fullest and yes that will include eating whatever and having cocktails by the pool in a few days.  I can't wait! (but I have a ton to do before then, so I must be going as the pile of laundry sitting on my bed is not folding itself)

I haven't posted any pics in a while though, so here are a couple of recent ones.  I have realized that I need a new camera and I think that a dslr in on my birthday/X-mas list.  Any recs for good ones?

Weekend Update

I am TIRED today. The weekend was not great.  I got sucked into watching every single 9/11 memorial show/broadcast that was on tv, so it already seemed like a somber weekend.  Then, Saturday morning Kiley woke up sounding more hoarse than normal.  She was crabby at her first soccer class, but I figured she was just tired from already being at the gym daycare that morning.  I got her McDonald's for lunch to help make her feel better-ha (or maybe I just wanted McDonald's).  When we got home, I gave her some ibprofen (unbeknownst to me at the time that the medicine dropper that I was using actually gave her a double dose). After her nap, I realized what I had done and got all freaked out.  I made Kevin call the doctor to see what we should do.  Luckily, our doctor said she should be fine and what I had given her wasn't that far off of the dosage for her age and weight, but I felt soooo guilty.  FYI--always check the syringe that you are using and make sure you look up the dosage for concentrated drops vs. the syrup.  So, after that it seemed like Kiley was feeling better.  We went for a walk, had dinner, and got her to bed.  She woke up a little while later burning up and the coughing seemed to be getting worse.  We gave her some more medicine (I made Kevin give it to her this time) and she went back to sleep, but was awake almost every hour.  Kevin actually even slept on the floor next to her crib.

So Sunday morning, I took her to the doctor and low and behold she has croup.  Luckily, she should be fine in no time and there really isn't more to do for it other than wait it out as it is a viral infection and clears up just like a cold would, but she was definitely pretty miserable yesterday and still this morning.  I think that she is finally starting to feel better now as she has been playing all morning and is now down for a nap, but it has been a long couple of days.  We are laying low at home again today and she has been fever free since yesterday morning so hopefully she will be ready to go again tomorrow.  It makes for a LONG day when you are home all day long with a toddler and a baby-especially when the toddler doesn't sit still for a minute, even when she is sick.  On top of that, Ella decided last night, that between 3:30 and 5:30 she didn't need to sleep so I am hoping it was just a one night thing and she goes back to sleeping through the night tonight.  So, needless to say, I am really looking forward to a few days away later this week!!!!! 

So today during nap time, I am sitting and doing nothing.  There are plenty of things that I could be doing, but I think that I deserve this time to surf the internet and watch tv, so that is what I am going to do. 

Hope everyone's weekend was a little better than mine and hopefully my week only goes up from here.

Kiley's first day of school

Kiley had her first day of "school" today.  She is going two mornings a week and I think that she is going to love it.  She was a little unsure of it at first and cried for a few minutes as I was leaving, but she was such a big girl and stopped crying pretty quickly after I left (that is what the director told me, they may just tell all the first day parents that though to ease their minds). 

But, when I got back, she was happily playing and came running up excited to see me and Ella, so I think that it was a success.  She did have a change of clothes on as this classroom is working on drinking only from a cup (no sippy cups), so I was told she had a little trouble with that.  We will keep working on that at home :)  She fell asleep almost the second that she got in the car. 

I think this is going to work out really well for us, which is funny because I really struggled with this decision for awhile.  I'm not going to lie, it is expensive, but I think that she is going to really love it there and learn so much. Plus it gives me some time to get some stuff done around the house and errands run, which is just too hard to do with a baby and a toddler.  I'm glad that I made the decision because I really think that it is going to make me a better mom to have a little time just for me and Ella-and just myself when Ella is taking her morning nap. 

So, overall, I think it was a success.  Now, we will just have to wait and see how she does on Tuesday once she realizes a little more that she is staying there by herself.  I think that she will do great though, her teachers seem awesome and she loves being around other kids, so I am pretty proud of her!

In other news, we went to the doctor yesterday for Ella and Kiley's well visits.

Ella gained two pounds in the past month!  Granted, she is still under 10 pounds, but she is close 9 lbs. 14 oz.  She is also 22 5/8 inches long.  She is actually on the charts for her lenth (5%), but still under for her weight and head circumference, but she is just a peanut all around.  The dr. was happy with her progress and said she looks good!  Funny thing is she is the same length as Kiley was at her 4 month appointment, but Kiley was 3 pounds heavier--so Ella seems a lot longer to us because she is still so skinny.

Kiley weighed in at 23 lbs. 8 oz. and 31 3/4 inches.  She is pretty much average for both height and weight--even a little above average for height which is funny to me because I always think that she is pretty short.  She looked good too.  So all in all it was a good visit. 

We I don't have much planned for the weekend (Kevin has a lot of plans football watching).  Kiley is starting her first day of "soccer" tomorrow. That should be pretty funny.  A bunch of 18 month olds trying to play soccer.  Kevin is going to do it with her, but I'm sure that I will go along for the ride, plus I have to take plenty of pictures.  Wow, now that I write this, it has been a big week for Kiley.  School, soccer, doctors--I think that she will be ready to hang out with dad on the couch on Sunday for some football watching as well.