The End of an Era

It's been almost two weeks now since Lilly's ones have been retired.  Jim and I had nothing against her holding onto her one for as long as she wanted, but unfortunately she was stuffing so much of it in her mouth and keeping it in her mouth while she was asleep, which could lead to developmental problems with her jaw and teeth further down the road.  Her pediatrician suggested that we pack it away with her baby things and explain what we were doing, but we felt that was a bit too harsh since she loves her one so much.  So, we had slowly been phasing it out over the past month, explaining to her that she couldn't put it in her mouth anymore as it was making her cough (after all, it couldn't be helping her get over whatever lingering cold she has had on and off for the past month).  She understood this so well that when we were talking to Mum the other day on Skype, who contracted whatever virus Lilly had while she was here, Lilly said, "Gigi, I think you have to stop putting blankets in your mouth if you want your cough to go away."

We stopped taking it in the car and stroller with us.  It was only for rest time and bedtime.  Car rides and walks in the stroller have become chattier, if that was even possible.  When Mum and Dad were up visiting a few weeks ago, Papa stopped pretending he was going to steal her one and the focus shifted to her stuffed animals.  While Lilly understood that we weren't taking it out with us, her instinct was to keep putting it in her mouth while she was sleeping and so Jim and I found ourselves in her room multiple times a night taking it out of her mouth.  We quickly realized that this wasn't going to work, so about two weeks ago during a rest time, I told her that all her ones were dirty, and she had her nap without it.  We said the same thing that night, and since then, she hasn't really asked for it.  The only time that Lilly asks about her one is when I bring out a clean load of laundry to fold...without fail, this little three year old voice will say, "Mum, is there a clean one in there?"  It makes my stomach drop every time.  The ones are packed away, and we'll give them back to her one day and tell her stories and show her pictures about how much she loved them and how she used to rank them as "one", "two" "cupcake one" and "daisy's one".  We'll show her this blog entry that I wrote before early in 2011 when we couldn't imagine Lilly without her one.

Aug 2010..."one" and "two"

Poor Tessy also got to "enjoy" Lilly's ones.

Watching a movie with Ells...and her one

Lilly's first birthday nap with cupcake one

Why not bring all your ones with you to the bathroom?

Passing time in her tent

Lilly's first night in her bed.  When we went in to check on her, she was asleep on the floor with her pillow and her one.

The drive to Wisconsin.

Asleep with all three ones

Walking into the hospital to meet Jack, with Daisy and one in tow.

A nap with Dad

Sharing her one with Jack

The final days of one...at Jack's baptism on March 11, 2012.

A Gorgeous Weekend

Our weekends are the best.  I used to love having lots of plans and parties and nights out but now, my favorite weekends are the ones where we have nothing to do.  It was the perfect weekend to be at home; the weather was amazing so we spent as much time as we could outside. We met up with some friends at Stepping Stones (the children's museum) on Saturday morning and watched while Lilly, Margot and Claire ran around and splashed in water and played on the playground.  Jim and I put Jack and Lilly in the double stroller on both days and took them running.  We got to see Jim's parents and watched while Lilly played outside with Maggie--Meme and Pop's new dog who visited us on her way back to Villanova. We went for walks and enjoyed beers outside.  It was a wonderful, simple weekend for our family of four.

After our Sunday run

Enjoying dinner out on Sunday evening

 

Six Months Old

Six months old is a great milestone.  All the milestones are fun, but six months has to be one of the best. Jack is learning how to sit by himself.  He recognizes us and smiles or laughs when we walk in the room.  He loves Lilly and his face lights up whenever she is near him.  He blurts and babbles when he's lying in his crib.  He grabs for toys and bats at his mobile.  Just this week, he has learned how to roll over onto his stomach when he's asleep and STAY ASLEEP!  For the past two months, every time he would roll onto his stomach, he'd start playing and eventually get really cross.  He would never just put his head down and sleep!  So we'd roll him back over and he would fall back asleep.  Now, when I go in to pick him up in the morning or after a nap, he's still on his stomach.  Jack is officially a stomach sleeper.

April 11th...waking himself up.

April 12th.  Amazing!!

How quickly these six months have passed. I can't believe we're already feeding Jack solid food.  Just like Lilly, he adores his rice cereal.  He's not quite sure whether it's the cereal that tastes so good or his thumb, so after every bite, he sucks his thumb, which adds a whole new dimension of messiness to feeding time.  We can't get his food into his mouth fast enough.  When he had it for the first time last weekend, while Mum and Dad were here, he started crying in between bites.  Jim had to hold his hands down to keep him from grabbing the spoon, or sticking his hands in his mouth.  As unrelaxing as it was, Jack's first meal was a (messy) success.  So far, he's had rice cereal and sweet potatoes.  Now the real fun begins.

Smiling at Lilly

Jim's finger tastes pretty good too.

We find ourselves looking back at pictures of Lilly at six months old and smiling.  I think we're sitting in exactly the same place on the floor giving Lilly her first rice cereal!  

Just smearing a little rice cereal onto her feet.

Oct 10, 2009  Getting ready to crawl!  

Jack is still toothless.  He puts everything in his mouth and chews away but nothing has popped through yet!  Lilly's first choppers came through at six and a half months so we'll see when Jack's decide to make an appearance. Here's to being toothless, learning to sit up and sleep on his tummy, smiling, laughing and eating solid food.  Happy six month birthday Jack!

"I'm THREE!"

Yesterday, on a day filled with balloons and party hats, friends and frozen yogurt, presents and smiles, and skype conversations with family, Lilly turned three.  When she woke up (extra early) in the morning and Jim went in to her room to tell her it was her birthday, Lilly's response was, "No, not yet Daddy.  It's not my birthday until I'm wearing a party hat."  So, we put on party hats and celebrated the day away.  She chose her birthday breakfast (honey yogurt with granola), opened some presents, and met up with her friends, whose mums happen to be my friends, for frozen yogurt (how very sophisticated of us)! The naps weren't really happening in our house yesterday afternoon so I gave up trying to convince two stubborn children to sleep and put them in the stroller where we went for a "birthday walk."  It's amazing how you can turn anything into a birthday celebration for a three year old just by making it sound exciting!  We came home and had birthday baths, and then, per Lilly's request, had "noodles from the man, not from Mum" for dinner.  Translation: chinese noodles delivered by the delivery man.  Everything about yesterday was fun, and I didn't find myself being too nostalgic until the very end of the day.  Lilly was brushing her teeth before bed and we were practicing not swallowing her toothpaste (it's amazing all the things little ones have to learn).  After Lilly put her toothbrush away, she said, "Mum, next time when I'm two, I'm going to swallow my toothpaste again."  I smiled at Lilly, gave her a hug and handed her off to Jim's lap for stories before bed.  I took myself off to bed too. That statement, the silliest, simplest line had me in tears. Every day, I stop at least once and appreciate what I have, but last night I was extra appreciative.  There's no turning back time.  I know that Lilly and Jack are going to keep growing.  As I sit here writing, there's a picture of Lilly and Jim curled up asleep on the couch in the hospital room when Lilly was one day old, and it feels like that happened yesterday.  So, today, I'm soaking up the extra "huggies".  I'm reading an extra story or two to Lilly before bed.  I'm cuddling Jack a little bit longer.  As busy as I am now, I know that the days of having little ones around are going to pass by way too quickly.    

Ready to start the celebrations at 6:45am!

Coming out through the birthday balloons!

Party hats all around...even the Australian animals were celebrating.

So was Dora.

And Lilly Lamb.

Lilly was most excited about the birthday cards.  "Look, I have an invitation!"

Lilly didn't want us to read her the cards.  Apparently, Gigi and Papa's card said, "Please come to Lilly's birthday party. I'm three."

A birthday "nap"

The cheeky smile of a three year old.