Easter festivities.

It has been such a whirlwind of a weekend here! Camden fell into bed tonight, completely and totally exhausted by two days worth of fun and activities.

On Saturday morning, our neighborhood hosted an Easter party that included an Easter egg hunt, a visit from the Easter Bunny, and several other activities like painting and decorating eggs and cookies. They also had a couple of events, like racing while holding an egg on a spoon. Our plan was to attend as a family-- it was a beautiful sunny and warm day-- but it turned out that Macey fell asleep for her morning nap only a couple of minutes before it was time to head out. So, Camden got in some quality Daddy time while I stayed behind with Macey.

When they got home an hour later, Matt filled me in on the morning's events while Camden excitedly sorted through his Easter eggs. Matt was particularly amused by something that happened that morning: when the event organizers were gathering participants for the egg on a spoon race, they appeared a little concerned when they saw Camden intended to race. They asked Matt how old Camden was, as the other participants were a few years older. Matt assured them that he was going to run in an outside lane right next to Camden and it would be fine. Turns out, it was more than fine: while the older kids dropped their eggs left and right, Camden took off running and held his egg steadily until he was almost to the finish line. When he did drop it once, he picked it up, stuck it right back on his spoon, and booked it across the finish line-- to win the entire race. Yep, my 3 year old came in first place and won a prize. I was seriously bummed I missed that moment. Also? He had no idea he won the race and kept running long after he crossed the finish line. Matt said the audience found that very amusing.

My little Speedy Gonzalez with his chocolate Easter bunny prize.

 

Painting his egg at the clubhouse.

 

He was a tad creeped out by the Easter bunny.

 

 

The rest of Saturday was spent outside enjoying the near-70 degree day. Then, my in-laws (who are in town visiting), came over for dinner on Saturday evening. After saying goodbye to everyone and putting the kids to bed, Matt and I got to work on preparing Easter baskets and hiding eggs in the house for Camden to find (the hidden eggs are an Easter morning tradition from Matt's childhood; the hidden Easter baskets are a tradition from my childhood). 

Can you spot the hidden egg? Yes, it does have eyes and hair. We made monster eggs this year.

 

See? Oddly cute, right?

Camden easily found his basket and Macey's basket on Easter morning. He was very excited with his goods-- which consisted mostly of Disney cars, candy, and stickers-- and spent most of the morning playing on the family room floor. Macey's basket was mainly full of practical stuff-- baby food, Puffs, a new sippy cup, new spoons-- but she was thrilled just to sit on the floor and take out (and chew on) everything.

He's spotted his basket under the dining room table!

Look! A bunch of stuff to chew on!

 

Delicious purple egg.

 

His fake 'smile for the camera' smile. I'll take what I can get.

 

Mommy & Macey.

 

Nan & Pop brought over some gifts for the kids. Macey found her new shoes delicious too.

Love.

 

We had my family (my sister, brother-in-law, & their kids; my parents; and my little bro) over for Easter lunch. (I feel the need to offer the disclaimer that my only contribution to this lunch-- besides providing the house-- was that I bought some rolls at the grocery store. I am not a cook, and I don't pretend to be.) The lunch was delicious (thanks to my mom), and then the kids all headed out back for an Easter egg hunt in our backyard. The eggs were filled with candy and there was one golden egg that had candy and a dollar bill. Exciting stuff, right? They all had such a fun time searching for eggs and then binging on their candy once they found the eggs.

Macey's lunch time entertainment: Nan & Pop.

Jacob found the golden egg!

 

The BFFs on the hunt.

Cousins searching for eggs.

And the post-hunt candy binge.

So, yes-- it was a busy and eventful weekend, but a really wonderful one too. I told my brother the other night-- I absolutely love being on the other end of the holidays now. Yes, it's awesome and magical to be a kid on Christmas and Easter morning. But it's equally fun and exciting to make these holidays special for my own kids. And man-- do I ever love these kids.

Happy Easter to all!

Macey's 6 month photo shoot

Have I mentioned before how wonderful it is to have a talented photographer in the family? Yes? I thought so. But truly- it is.

A couple of weeks back, my sister photographed Macey for her 6 month shoot. Her sitting wasn't quite mastered yet (still isn't) and she'd tip over (happily) after a few seconds of smiling. So, it made for a tricky photoshoot, but I'm very happy with the results.

Her gummy grin.

This one makes me laugh. It looks so poised and dainty, but she was actually in the process of tipping over backwards. Like I said, she did it with a smile. She does everything with a smile.

 

I love this one.

 

A little wardrobe change. Note the red toenails. Painting those tiny toes was not an easy task!

(Not so) Wordless Wednesday

I decided to let Macey have a go at feeding herself some Gerber Puffs. She doesn't quite have her pincer grasp down yet; she basically grabs a fistful and shoves her entire fist into her mouth and hopes for the best. She also enjoys mashing them and throwing them on the floor. I have to laugh every time I get her out of her Bumbo seat after a puffs experience; she literally has puffs stuck everywhere: her shirt, her knees, her feet, her toes. It's quite a sight to behold.

Camden got to have a sleepover at Nan & Pop's "boat house" (their lake house) this week. An added bonus? His cousin and partner-in-crime got to come too. They played with Play-doh and cars; they hung out by the water & on the boat; they binged on pizza; they took a hike in the woods--  neither of them wanted to come home the next morning. That's a sign of a good time.

Something's Gotta Give

That title? Pretty much sums up the way I've felt over the past week. Things have been kind of a disaster over here in the sleep department. I mentioned in Macey's 6 month post that her nights have been a bit of a mess for a while now, but also stated that she was a pretty darn good napper. So, it was bareable. Then, only a couple of days after I published that post, Macey let me in on a little trick she had up her sleeve: she was no longer going to sleep, ever. Not at bed time, not at nap time.

Macey has been sleeping unswaddled for well over a month now, but has still been wearing her Magic Sleep Suit (and sleeping on her back). Well, over the past week, whenever I put her down for  a nap, she would scream bloody murder. First, I tried some troubleshooting: maybe her wake time in between naps needed some adjusting. I tried putting her down a little earlier, and then a little later than usual. Made no difference. Nap time became screamfest time. And if there's one thing I absolutely can't stand when it comes to parenting? It's listening to my kids cry. I'm just not cut out for it-- it makes me such an anxious mess. I'm not talking about fussing or whining before falling asleep. That, I have no problem with. I'm talking tears streaming down a soaking wet red face, complete with gags. There's nothing about letting my child cry that hard that feels right or natural to me as a parent. I can't and won't do it. So, whenever Macey would get to that desperate cry point, I'd quickly head to her room to comfort her-- rub her back, pop her paci back in, whatever. I figured she'd tire herself out eventually. No dice. What always ended up happening was she would tire me out, I'd throw up my white flag of surrender, I'd nurse her to sleep, and she'd collapse into a heap of exhaustion on my bed instead of in her crib. Granted, she'd take a long nap after all of that drama, but this situation still wasn't ideal. Not only was it stressful, it was requiring me to spend long periods of time up in Macey's room, away from my 3-year-old who needs me too.

Then there were the nights over the past week. Macey would do her normal waking up every couple of hours deal (again, not ideal, but I'm used to the fragmented sleep-- as used as one can be to it anyway). But she added in a new twist-- for a couple of nights in a row, she woke at 4am and stayed up for 2 hours. Two hours in the wee hours of the morning? Feels like an eternity. I was borderline delusional for a few days, walking around in a sleep deprived foggy haze. Couple those kinds of nights with the nap battles mentioned above? Well, one afternoon, I just threw up my hands in exhaustion and said to Matt, "Something's gotta give here. And soon."

You know that saying 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'? Well, I'm very much resistant to change when it comes to my kids' sleep. Even when it's crappy sleep, it's usually at least predictable, and the thought of switching things up (weaning from the swaddle, etc.) makes me nervous. But, let's face it-- things couldn't get much worse in the sleep department than they were (knock on wood! knock on wood again!), so with my new 'nothing ventured' mantra running through my head, I put Macey in her crib at night two nights ago with no Sleep Suit. She wasn't sure what to make of it at first-- she must've rolled around and played and talked for close to an hour. And then there was fussing. And then there was maybe 2 minutes of crying. Then: silence. I snuck in to take a peak and sure enough, she was fast asleep. On her belly. I had given her the freedom to choose her sleep position, instead of zipping her up in a heavy astronaut suit that required that she stay on her back at all times. I guess I wouldn't appreciate those kinds of sleep restrictions either. No, she didn't sleep through the night that night, but it was an improvement. And for the next couple of days, I did the same for nap time: straight into the crib, none of the sleep props. Again, she'd roll around and play (and occasionally fuss), but none of the dramatic, make-me-want-to-curl-into-a-ball, hard crying. And then she'd sleep. Sometimes it's just a catnap; sometimes it's longer. Either way, it's a win, comparatively speaking.

So, yes- something had to give. And finally it did. It required me letting go of control & taking a risk, but so far, it has paid off. I'll be working on night sleep next-- not in the form of any formal sleep training, but just trying to keep her in her crib at night instead of sleeping with her. Maybe not all night at first, but at least the majority of the night. Baby steps.

Interview with Camden

Last time I posted an interview with Camden, he was two-and-a-half years old and my only child. I thought it would be fun to conduct another interview with him to see how his perspective and answers have changed with age and the birth of a sibling. And since Matt and I finally took the plunge and upgraded to iPhones (I know, I know-- welcome to 2004), I decided to document this interview on video. I think I'll make my video interviews with Camden (and eventually Macey) a once-every-few-months deal. It'll be fun to look back on them years down the road and they'll probably eventually enjoy watching them too. My mom interviewed my sister and me when I was three years old and my sister was seven years old (on cassette tape!) and I loved listening to our voices and our answers to questions as an adult.

So, here it is: my (brief) interview with Camden at 3 years and 3 months old:

Disclaimer: Excuse the PJs and messy hair-- this interview took place first thing in the morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VET9grfALrs

Happy 6 months, Macey!

Was it really six months ago that I stayed up all night long, excitedly timing my contractions while Camden and Matt slept peacefully next to me? Has it been an entire half of a year since I held my little girl for the very first time? It doesn't seem possible-- and yet, the calendar tells me otherwise. These six months have flown by in the blink of an eye. Macey is very much a part of our family now, so intertwined with the rest of us that, in a way, it feels like she's always been here.

At 6 months old, Macey:

• Weighs in around 13 lbs, 11 oz (according to my home scale-- we'll get an official weight check at her pediatrician appointment next week). Not sure about her length right now.
• Nurses every 3-4 hours during the day (and a few times at night too-- but we'll get to that later).
• Eats solids 2 times a day-- late morning & dinner time. Breakfast is normally oatmeal mixed with a fruit (usually pears or peaches) and dinner is typically a veggie (usually squash or sweet potatoes). Most days, she'll eat 2.5 oz at each meal. However, we've been having some issues with constipation-- one night, it even got so bad that she was yelling in pain while pooping. It was pretty traumatic for Macey and me. So, I eliminated the solids that are known to constipate or just aren't as easy to digest (bananas, apples, carrots, etc.) and subsituted more digestion-friendly items like pears, prunes, & sweet potatoes. She's still having some constipation issues, though not nearly as bad as that one awful night, so I'll be discussing this with her pediatrician in a few days.
• Naps 2-3 times a day. At least one of those naps is long-- sometimes 2 are long (1-3 hours). Interestingly enough, it's her morning nap that's typically very short. I'm just letting her take the lead, though, and not forcing the issue if she takes a catnap. She can typically stay awake about 2-2.5 hours in between naps now. She always naps in her crib.
• Is swaddle free! Wooohoo! She naps & sleeps at night in her Merlin's Magic Sleep Suit (aka: her giant yellow astronaut suit).
• Nights are...uhh, kind of a mess. I've been putting off sleep training because: a) I hate it & I dread it, b) I wanted to wait until she was 6 months old, c) I wanted to get her next round of vaccinations out of the way first and d)I hate it & I dread it. Did I already say that? I've moved Macey out of her Rock N Play, so she starts each night in her crib. Typically, she'll sleep about 3 hours before waking up and wanting to lay with me. Then, she's up nursing every 2-3 hours after that-- I'm assuming because I'm lying right next to her and she smells me all night, much like her brother did at this age. This time, though, I'm not stressed about it at all. I know it's fixable, I know it won't last forever, I know we'll both sleep again eventually. Ahh, the perspective that comes with second time parenting.
• Can roll both ways with ease now and is getting increasingly mobile. With increased mobility comes an increased interest in her brother's toys-- hence, our decision to move all small toys upstairs yesterday. Macey can easily roll and scoot on her tummy or back to her desired destination now-- which is usually a car or fire engine that Camden has left on the floor.
• Can sit for 5-10 seconds before toppling over-- or throwing herself backwards on purpose. Still not sure what that stunt is about.
• Can easily grasp toys and small objects. She is very good at picking up her paci and replacing it on her own now.
• Is developing some stranger anxiety. It doesn't seem to be as severe as Camden's was (yet--knock on wood), but she will definitely make it known if she's uncomfortable around someone. The bottom lip comes out and she'll let out a whine. This is our warning to rescue her before she starts crying. Camden never gave us the courtesy of a warning; he elected to go straight to full-blown crying when a stranger was near.
• Has been on several outings with me now (nothing exciting & no major road trips yet-- just the grocery store, Target, a couple of restaurants, etc.). She is excellent in the car and in public. She loves to be worn in the Bjorn, facing forward when we're out.
• Was babbling some b's a few weeks ago, but seems to have lost interest in that for now.
• Still laughs a lot (especially at Camden), smiles constantly, and is very pleasant and easygoing. We joke that, even when she fusses, she'll try her best to smile through her fussing.

Without further ado, here's my sweet, six-month-old girl:

Practicing her sitting:

Her wild & crazy face:

Her first time in a highchair: