Winter is finally just about over! Yay!! We survived and it's almost a miracle. January was ROUGH. February was much, much better. No one got sick, praise the Lord! It was also pretty uneventful. We made a day trip to the outlets and Iowa City just to get out of town. Kolbie got some new spring/summer dresses and a sweet pair of Nikes (that I am totally jealous of by the way). Kaija got some new books that she really loves. Kolbie also finally got to take advantage of the play area at the Coralville mall! She loved it! She wasn't quite walking yet, especially in her new shoes, but she had a wonderful time crawling around. March is about half over and also is going pretty well! Nothing exciting yet, but that's still to come.
Valentine's Day weekend Kolbie finally started walking! I know, finally seems odd to say about a 10.5 month old walking. That's still fairly early. But compared to Kaija starting to walk at 8.5 months, finally is warranted! She took her first steps just before Christmas and left it at that until Valentine's Day. She now loves chasing her sister all over the house. It's so fun to hear them wandering around giggling at each other!
Kaija has been working on potty training for about forever. We started last summer in fact. By September she was fully in big girl underwear day and night with almost no accidents. She wasn't going #2 in the potty, but it was bearable. Then sometime in November she completely regressed and was back in pull-ups day and night. So with her 3rd birthday in January we started trying to tell her she was too big for pull-ups and she needed to use the potty. It's been drama every since. This week, after changing sheets every single day, we have gone back to Overnights for bed time. She's been getting up at 6 a.m. because she wets the bed and that just leads to a crabby kid for most of the day after that. She's still not going #2 in the potty and only has done so a handful of times, ever. We're at a loss. Rewards aren't working. Consequences don't seem to mean anything to her.
Dean turned 28 on the 7th. He had originally wanted a full turkey dinner but (thankfully) changed his mind and chose Texas Roadhouse for his birthday meal. And man was it good! Way better than any turkey dinner I could have made! Kolbie's favorite was the green beans and baked beans. We've even bought her her own little can of baked beans! Kaija just wanted to eat peanuts and fill the bucket with the shells. Dean and I enjoyed wonderful steaks and sides. Oh so good! This was also the last time we are allowed to go out to eat until Easter. We've given up dining out for Lent along with a group of friends. We need to cut it down/out anyway because it's so expensive and we've got to start saving some money/paying some things off.
As for me, I was finally offered a job. Sadly I had to turn it down. The cost of childcare is so high that there is just no way for me to work right now, unless someone wants to pay me a ridiculous amount of money to do easy work! At first I was pretty upset. But the whole thing, along with other circumstances we found ourselves in, have shown us how we can start to cut and make things work for me to stay home indefinitely. Now I need to learn how to properly be a stay home mom! We've been too lazy for too long and I think my kids and I are suffering for it. Our days revolve around watching Nick Jr. and sitting on the couch. It's time to start making changes there as well.
So, that's where we are right now! Things are pretty good. Stressful, but good. Things are getting worked out! And that's what matters.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
I'm Done With January
I'm over it. I'm done with it. The next 2 days can just not exist to me.
At least one person, if not 2 or 3, has been sick since December. First it was Kaija and a cough. Last summer I let a cough go and she ended up with bronchitis. I didn't want it to get that far so off to the doctor we went and home we came with antibiotics. The next day was Christmas Eve and I noticed Kolbie's nose was now running and she didn't seem well. The following Thursday Kolbie had a hacking cough and Kaija was still miserable. Back to the doctor we go... This time "non-specific virus" is the diagnosis. Super. I was told to just watch them for a week or so and bring them back if there is no change or they get worse. Exactly 2 weeks later is Kaija's 3 year well child check up as well as Kolbie's 9 month. I wanted to save myself a trip and just scheduled them for the same day. Good thing... Kolbie started running a fever in the evenings only 2 days before. On top of that my ears started hurting and it felt like a brick was sitting on my face. Gratefully Kaija was feeling much much better, finally! Sadly, Kolbie and I came home with antibiotics this time. We both had ear infections. I don't know if I've EVER had an ear infection! And prior to that day neither of my kids had! Within a couple of days we were both feeling much much better. And then it hit again. Kaija woke up from her nap on Wednesday with a fever of 102. Guess we're not hosting small group tonight! We cooled her down in the bath and gave her some Tylenol. By morning she was feeling better. However Thursday and Friday nights were the same with her temperature nearly hitting the dreaded 104. Saturday though, she was my wonderful happy girl! Sunday we woke up and went to church, but she wasn't very excited like she usually is. By that night she had another fever and I realized we needed to do something. Especially since she woke up with it still the next morning. Soooo... back we trudge to the doctor. Now Kaija has the double ear infection with one ear drum threatening to rupture. I felt TERRIBLE. What kind of mom lets an ear infection rage on that long? The kind who has a kid with a ridiculous pain tolerance apparently. She never once said her head or ears hurt. If she had we'd have gone much earlier. Once again, within 2 days on antibiotics she was a million times better. Only for me to start running a fever and feeling like death warmed over again.
And that brings us to today. No trips to the doctor - yet - but I found a cough syrup that is my new friend. Kolbie is coughing and has The Green Ooze coming from her nose again but so far no fevers from her. If she has even one, no matter what it is, we're going to the doctor.
Also for the record: Kaija's official 3 year stats are... 38" tall and 34 lb. She'd lost a couple of pounds due to being sick and having no appetite. Kolbie weighed in at 19 lb. 12 oz. and 28" tall.
I need Spring like I've never needed it before.
At least one person, if not 2 or 3, has been sick since December. First it was Kaija and a cough. Last summer I let a cough go and she ended up with bronchitis. I didn't want it to get that far so off to the doctor we went and home we came with antibiotics. The next day was Christmas Eve and I noticed Kolbie's nose was now running and she didn't seem well. The following Thursday Kolbie had a hacking cough and Kaija was still miserable. Back to the doctor we go... This time "non-specific virus" is the diagnosis. Super. I was told to just watch them for a week or so and bring them back if there is no change or they get worse. Exactly 2 weeks later is Kaija's 3 year well child check up as well as Kolbie's 9 month. I wanted to save myself a trip and just scheduled them for the same day. Good thing... Kolbie started running a fever in the evenings only 2 days before. On top of that my ears started hurting and it felt like a brick was sitting on my face. Gratefully Kaija was feeling much much better, finally! Sadly, Kolbie and I came home with antibiotics this time. We both had ear infections. I don't know if I've EVER had an ear infection! And prior to that day neither of my kids had! Within a couple of days we were both feeling much much better. And then it hit again. Kaija woke up from her nap on Wednesday with a fever of 102. Guess we're not hosting small group tonight! We cooled her down in the bath and gave her some Tylenol. By morning she was feeling better. However Thursday and Friday nights were the same with her temperature nearly hitting the dreaded 104. Saturday though, she was my wonderful happy girl! Sunday we woke up and went to church, but she wasn't very excited like she usually is. By that night she had another fever and I realized we needed to do something. Especially since she woke up with it still the next morning. Soooo... back we trudge to the doctor. Now Kaija has the double ear infection with one ear drum threatening to rupture. I felt TERRIBLE. What kind of mom lets an ear infection rage on that long? The kind who has a kid with a ridiculous pain tolerance apparently. She never once said her head or ears hurt. If she had we'd have gone much earlier. Once again, within 2 days on antibiotics she was a million times better. Only for me to start running a fever and feeling like death warmed over again.
And that brings us to today. No trips to the doctor - yet - but I found a cough syrup that is my new friend. Kolbie is coughing and has The Green Ooze coming from her nose again but so far no fevers from her. If she has even one, no matter what it is, we're going to the doctor.
Also for the record: Kaija's official 3 year stats are... 38" tall and 34 lb. She'd lost a couple of pounds due to being sick and having no appetite. Kolbie weighed in at 19 lb. 12 oz. and 28" tall.
I need Spring like I've never needed it before.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
New Year, New Start
I'm sitting her begging Kaija to get her Goldfish crackers out of the entertainment center and to just eat them, for the love of GOD! Why she took them all out of her bowl and put them on the dusty shelves I will never know. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know how the mind of a 3-year-old works. Or maybe I do... hmm...
January always arrives with the promise of something fresh and new and exciting. It might be cold as all get out, but it's a New Year. There's just an air of rebirth every January for me. We get to "erase" the year that is gone and try again. 2010 was an interesting year for us and if I'm honest one of our best. We welcomed Kolbie into our lives and did a lot of things we wanted to do. No, I didn't find a job and we didn't win the lottery. But we still have a roof over our heads, a car with gas in it in the driveway, food in our pantry and refrigerator, and our girls have clothes on their backs. You can't ask for a whole lot more than that I don't think.
2011 started the same way most of the past 11 (11?!) have - Dean at work, me home alone. We realized on New Year's Day that we've only spent a few NYE's together at home. 2002 was our first, he was in Scotland busting his ankle and drinking too much vodka. ;)2003 we were both still in school. 2004 I probably went to visit but he probably worked. Hanging out at a college police station on NYE is SO COOL. I promise. 2005 and 2006 were likely spent doing the same. 2007 we were at my parents house, getting ready to move to Illinois. Ready to start our new adventure in the Quad Cities. 2008 we actually spent together at home!! Kaija was due in 20 days and Dean was working afternoon shift. He got home at 11 p.m. and we crawled in bed to watch TV. We were sacked out by 12:05. And then the last 3 he's worked third shift and been at work. Saying Happy New Year via Facebook chat just isn't the same as a sweet kiss, but it will do for now!
That night we talked about all the promise this year holds. Kaija will be 3 in less than a week. Kolbie will be 1 in just a couple of months. And best of all I started a job on Monday. We have been blessed with an amazing group of friends. One of whom is letting me work for him either until I find something else or eternity, which ever comes first. It's an interesting and challenging job, but I'm up for it!
January always arrives with the promise of something fresh and new and exciting. It might be cold as all get out, but it's a New Year. There's just an air of rebirth every January for me. We get to "erase" the year that is gone and try again. 2010 was an interesting year for us and if I'm honest one of our best. We welcomed Kolbie into our lives and did a lot of things we wanted to do. No, I didn't find a job and we didn't win the lottery. But we still have a roof over our heads, a car with gas in it in the driveway, food in our pantry and refrigerator, and our girls have clothes on their backs. You can't ask for a whole lot more than that I don't think.
2011 started the same way most of the past 11 (11?!) have - Dean at work, me home alone. We realized on New Year's Day that we've only spent a few NYE's together at home. 2002 was our first, he was in Scotland busting his ankle and drinking too much vodka. ;)2003 we were both still in school. 2004 I probably went to visit but he probably worked. Hanging out at a college police station on NYE is SO COOL. I promise. 2005 and 2006 were likely spent doing the same. 2007 we were at my parents house, getting ready to move to Illinois. Ready to start our new adventure in the Quad Cities. 2008 we actually spent together at home!! Kaija was due in 20 days and Dean was working afternoon shift. He got home at 11 p.m. and we crawled in bed to watch TV. We were sacked out by 12:05. And then the last 3 he's worked third shift and been at work. Saying Happy New Year via Facebook chat just isn't the same as a sweet kiss, but it will do for now!
That night we talked about all the promise this year holds. Kaija will be 3 in less than a week. Kolbie will be 1 in just a couple of months. And best of all I started a job on Monday. We have been blessed with an amazing group of friends. One of whom is letting me work for him either until I find something else or eternity, which ever comes first. It's an interesting and challenging job, but I'm up for it!
Saturday, December 11, 2010
I'm the worst blogger ever...
No really. It's true. Worst.ever.
Today I'm listening to the rain and hoping it doesn't turn too nasty. We're supposed to be leaving for Michigan in the morning. Dean wants to stay home so he can watch the Packers game... I think not. I actually get to see my family for Christmas and I want to maximize my time! If it's not absolutely foul, we will be leaving! Last year we headed to Michigan for Kaija's birthday in January. This year Dean decided to take his annual vacation time in December so we could be home with them for Christmas. We're really looking forward to spending this time with family. My mom has arranged for the girls to have pictures done. I really appreciate that because it's just not been something we can afford this year. Actually, we haven't done professional pictures since Kaija's first Christmas 2 years ago! I just need to get the girls' Christmas dresses. Hmm... Hopefully it's not too late to find them matching dresses!!
Kolbie has learned quite a bit since I last posted. She is now standing on her own and can get to standing with out pulling up! She's got 4 days to take her first steps to beat her sister. I think she's going to wait though :) And I'm okay with that! The past few days she has mastered the art of the Round of Applause! It's even cute and funny when instead of staying asleep when I lay her down she sits back on her knees and claps for me. I love her so much! She's rough and tumble which is exactly how she needs to be with a big sister like Kaija.
Kaija is getting to be quite the big girl as well. We're still battling the Potty Monster. She was nearly potty trained a few months ago and has since regressed. She's also showing some typical jealousy of her sister. We're working on spending more just "Kaija and Mommy" or "Kaija and Daddy" time with her. Kaija is also getting VERY excited about her Dora birthday party. She likes to tell us that she will be 3 in January. Kaija counts to 10 in Spanish and knows a few numbers in German as well. Just for fun. She really enjoys art and painting. I've been taking her to an art class on Fridays all Fall and she really loves to get messy and create. It's a lot of fun! Her favorite thing to draw right now is kitties.
As for me, I completed a 1 credit online class in a mere 5 days last week! I (embarrassingly) needed to do some remediation in Biology after taking the nursing entrance exam in September. It was nice to refresh my memory on all of those things! I'm sitting on the wait list to start school this Winter. We will see in about a month if I'm starting or now. I really should register for some of the co-requisites but I just can't pay for them. I'm not sure how we'll pay for nursing school either but things have a way of working out (at least I hope so!). I'm also still on the job hunt. I hope I have a few promising things out there right now. I guess we'll find out in the New Year!
Today I'm listening to the rain and hoping it doesn't turn too nasty. We're supposed to be leaving for Michigan in the morning. Dean wants to stay home so he can watch the Packers game... I think not. I actually get to see my family for Christmas and I want to maximize my time! If it's not absolutely foul, we will be leaving! Last year we headed to Michigan for Kaija's birthday in January. This year Dean decided to take his annual vacation time in December so we could be home with them for Christmas. We're really looking forward to spending this time with family. My mom has arranged for the girls to have pictures done. I really appreciate that because it's just not been something we can afford this year. Actually, we haven't done professional pictures since Kaija's first Christmas 2 years ago! I just need to get the girls' Christmas dresses. Hmm... Hopefully it's not too late to find them matching dresses!!
Kolbie has learned quite a bit since I last posted. She is now standing on her own and can get to standing with out pulling up! She's got 4 days to take her first steps to beat her sister. I think she's going to wait though :) And I'm okay with that! The past few days she has mastered the art of the Round of Applause! It's even cute and funny when instead of staying asleep when I lay her down she sits back on her knees and claps for me. I love her so much! She's rough and tumble which is exactly how she needs to be with a big sister like Kaija.
Kaija is getting to be quite the big girl as well. We're still battling the Potty Monster. She was nearly potty trained a few months ago and has since regressed. She's also showing some typical jealousy of her sister. We're working on spending more just "Kaija and Mommy" or "Kaija and Daddy" time with her. Kaija is also getting VERY excited about her Dora birthday party. She likes to tell us that she will be 3 in January. Kaija counts to 10 in Spanish and knows a few numbers in German as well. Just for fun. She really enjoys art and painting. I've been taking her to an art class on Fridays all Fall and she really loves to get messy and create. It's a lot of fun! Her favorite thing to draw right now is kitties.
As for me, I completed a 1 credit online class in a mere 5 days last week! I (embarrassingly) needed to do some remediation in Biology after taking the nursing entrance exam in September. It was nice to refresh my memory on all of those things! I'm sitting on the wait list to start school this Winter. We will see in about a month if I'm starting or now. I really should register for some of the co-requisites but I just can't pay for them. I'm not sure how we'll pay for nursing school either but things have a way of working out (at least I hope so!). I'm also still on the job hunt. I hope I have a few promising things out there right now. I guess we'll find out in the New Year!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
What!?
Ummm... so yeah, it's been over a month again... I so am not good at this!
We haven't had a whole lot going on, so it's hard to think of things to write about. You know? The biggest thing we did was go on a real family vacation. We took the girls to Green Bay for a few days and spent a couple of days just relaxing. We left as soon as Dean got home on Thursday and drove to our hotel in Oshkosh and just spent the afternoon swimming and then ventured out to find some local pizza. The girls didn't really care for the pool at first, but Kolbie warmed up to it before Kaija did. Kaija had a good time in the toddler pool they had there. We found the pizza place easy enough after not finding the first choice at all... You would have thought with all the ads they had all over the hotel we could have found it! Our pizza was good, nothing exciting or special, but good. Friday we got up and headed up to Green Bay which was an hour away. We hit the N.E.W. Zoo first. Kaija really loves going to the zoo and this was her 5th trip and 3rd zoo of the summer! It was nice, we hadn't been there in years so it was good to see how it had changed. The highlight of this zoo visit had to have been feeding the giraffes! I think we spent $10 buying leaves and biscuits to feed them. It was worth every penny! We then spent the afternoon at Lambeau Field having lunch at Curley's Pub and spending too much money in the Pro Shop. But that's what you do there!
Saturday we woke up BRIGHT and EARLY as is what happens when 4 people sleep in 1 room. After getting ready for the day we headed off to Appleton for some shopping. We love going to Scheel's, we love going to Scheel's in Appleton even more! We can get reasonably priced Packers gear there! While there we noticed a tattoo shop and Dean finally got his Packers tribute tat. I should have spent that 2 hours spending money on myself... :) But I spent it hanging out with the girls, having lunch and visiting the animals at the Humane Society shop. Our plan was to shop there in the morning then head back to Oshkosh and shop the outlets there for a bit. But the tattoo took so long we didn't do the outlets. Overall, that's probably a good thing since we came home with more money than we planned. Instead we headed back to the hotel and I got some swimming time with just Kaija. It took some doing but I FINALLY got her to 'swim' with me in the big pool. She had me in a death grip, but hey, she was having fun! Just as we were starting to have fun Dean came down with Kolbie who was hungry, swimming time was over. Kaija decided that that was when she would try the slide into the toddler pool. It went about as well as you can imagine it would. She had no idea what she was in for and FREAKED out when she hit the bottom. She hasn't gone under water more than 5 times in her life. Dean jumped in and snagged her out. She still claims that this was her favorite part. We took short naps and got cleaned up because next on the agenda was Family Night with the Packers!!
We headed out for Lambeau Field fairly early thinking the gates opened at 4:30. On the walk from our parking spot a police officer let us know that backpacks weren't allowed in the stadium. Okay. So where are we supposed to stash diapers for our kids? In daddy's cargo pockets of course. Turns out, they DO allow backpacks, especially if you have kids with you. Oh well! Gates actually didn't open until 5:30 and in the meantime we got rained on briefly. It wasn't a horrible rain and the girls didn't seem to mind at all. Despite a crazy long line we managed to get in fairly quickly and got all the snacks we thought we'd need for the night before finding our seats. We've never had a bad seat for Family Night and this year was no exception. Everyone had a great time and we amused the old folks sitting next to us. They liked the girls so much the asked to take pictures of them. That made me happy! Dean kept asking if we wanted to leave early, I kept insisting we were all fine, which we were. I'm so glad we stayed. Kaija hadn't seen fireworks like that before and was so amazed. That was Dean's favorite part - watching his little girl so amazed by fireworks. NOW he knows why I wanted to go on the 4th so bad! That was a very late night, the girls absolutely crashed out when we got back to our hotel room. Dean went out and got us food and we ate it by the door by the bathroom so we wouldn't bother them. During the afternoon we talked about going home via Milwaukee instead of Madison and checking out the zoo there. We were pretty tired, but we thought we'd see how we felt in the morning. The girls slept in a bit because of going to bed so late and we all felt pretty good, so Milwaukee Zoo here we come! What a great zoo! We had a blast there as well and by the end we were all so tired we just wanted to go home. The drive home wasn't bad until the last hour or so when meltdown city arrived in the back seat. But we survived and had so much fun. When we pulled into the driveway Kaija started crying and kept saying "I just want my baycayshun back!!" And that's exactly what we wanted to hear.
We haven't had a whole lot going on, so it's hard to think of things to write about. You know? The biggest thing we did was go on a real family vacation. We took the girls to Green Bay for a few days and spent a couple of days just relaxing. We left as soon as Dean got home on Thursday and drove to our hotel in Oshkosh and just spent the afternoon swimming and then ventured out to find some local pizza. The girls didn't really care for the pool at first, but Kolbie warmed up to it before Kaija did. Kaija had a good time in the toddler pool they had there. We found the pizza place easy enough after not finding the first choice at all... You would have thought with all the ads they had all over the hotel we could have found it! Our pizza was good, nothing exciting or special, but good. Friday we got up and headed up to Green Bay which was an hour away. We hit the N.E.W. Zoo first. Kaija really loves going to the zoo and this was her 5th trip and 3rd zoo of the summer! It was nice, we hadn't been there in years so it was good to see how it had changed. The highlight of this zoo visit had to have been feeding the giraffes! I think we spent $10 buying leaves and biscuits to feed them. It was worth every penny! We then spent the afternoon at Lambeau Field having lunch at Curley's Pub and spending too much money in the Pro Shop. But that's what you do there!
Saturday we woke up BRIGHT and EARLY as is what happens when 4 people sleep in 1 room. After getting ready for the day we headed off to Appleton for some shopping. We love going to Scheel's, we love going to Scheel's in Appleton even more! We can get reasonably priced Packers gear there! While there we noticed a tattoo shop and Dean finally got his Packers tribute tat. I should have spent that 2 hours spending money on myself... :) But I spent it hanging out with the girls, having lunch and visiting the animals at the Humane Society shop. Our plan was to shop there in the morning then head back to Oshkosh and shop the outlets there for a bit. But the tattoo took so long we didn't do the outlets. Overall, that's probably a good thing since we came home with more money than we planned. Instead we headed back to the hotel and I got some swimming time with just Kaija. It took some doing but I FINALLY got her to 'swim' with me in the big pool. She had me in a death grip, but hey, she was having fun! Just as we were starting to have fun Dean came down with Kolbie who was hungry, swimming time was over. Kaija decided that that was when she would try the slide into the toddler pool. It went about as well as you can imagine it would. She had no idea what she was in for and FREAKED out when she hit the bottom. She hasn't gone under water more than 5 times in her life. Dean jumped in and snagged her out. She still claims that this was her favorite part. We took short naps and got cleaned up because next on the agenda was Family Night with the Packers!!
We headed out for Lambeau Field fairly early thinking the gates opened at 4:30. On the walk from our parking spot a police officer let us know that backpacks weren't allowed in the stadium. Okay. So where are we supposed to stash diapers for our kids? In daddy's cargo pockets of course. Turns out, they DO allow backpacks, especially if you have kids with you. Oh well! Gates actually didn't open until 5:30 and in the meantime we got rained on briefly. It wasn't a horrible rain and the girls didn't seem to mind at all. Despite a crazy long line we managed to get in fairly quickly and got all the snacks we thought we'd need for the night before finding our seats. We've never had a bad seat for Family Night and this year was no exception. Everyone had a great time and we amused the old folks sitting next to us. They liked the girls so much the asked to take pictures of them. That made me happy! Dean kept asking if we wanted to leave early, I kept insisting we were all fine, which we were. I'm so glad we stayed. Kaija hadn't seen fireworks like that before and was so amazed. That was Dean's favorite part - watching his little girl so amazed by fireworks. NOW he knows why I wanted to go on the 4th so bad! That was a very late night, the girls absolutely crashed out when we got back to our hotel room. Dean went out and got us food and we ate it by the door by the bathroom so we wouldn't bother them. During the afternoon we talked about going home via Milwaukee instead of Madison and checking out the zoo there. We were pretty tired, but we thought we'd see how we felt in the morning. The girls slept in a bit because of going to bed so late and we all felt pretty good, so Milwaukee Zoo here we come! What a great zoo! We had a blast there as well and by the end we were all so tired we just wanted to go home. The drive home wasn't bad until the last hour or so when meltdown city arrived in the back seat. But we survived and had so much fun. When we pulled into the driveway Kaija started crying and kept saying "I just want my baycayshun back!!" And that's exactly what we wanted to hear.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Things Kaija Says
I need to start writing these down somewhere... She's too much!
Today she found the plastic strap from a box and decided it was a stethoscope.
K: Hi! I Dr. Kaija! I listen to your beats.
M: Oh great!
K: Ribbit ribbit! Ribbit ribbit! You have frogs!!
M: Oh no!! Am I going to die?
K: Yep. You die in water...
Somewhere that moved from cute to a little freaky... but mostly cute! Her main favorite right now is "I love you SO MUCH!" ♥♥♥ I think I prefer that one.
Today she found the plastic strap from a box and decided it was a stethoscope.
K: Hi! I Dr. Kaija! I listen to your beats.
M: Oh great!
K: Ribbit ribbit! Ribbit ribbit! You have frogs!!
M: Oh no!! Am I going to die?
K: Yep. You die in water...
Somewhere that moved from cute to a little freaky... but mostly cute! Her main favorite right now is "I love you SO MUCH!" ♥♥♥ I think I prefer that one.
I Wear Babies
I do! And I like it! I like it A LOT!
When I was pregnant with Kaija I was doing some research and was a member of a parenting community on-line and kept coming across moms who used slings or other carriers to "wear" their babies. This was totally foreign to me but made so much sense! You mean I can have 2 free hands to do things AND carry my baby? Sign me up! So I set out to find a sling to carry Kaija in. Then I discovered that they are expensive. Crazy expensive for the amount of fabric you get in some cases. I just couldn't justify it. One day we were in TJ Maxx for reasons I don't remember, but I came across the Parents of Invention Ultimate Baby Wrap for $20. I figured that was a price I could handle and it looked interesting. I'd heard a little about wraps, they seemed pretty complicated, but I decided to go for it. I watched the DVD that came with it and looked up more videos on Youtube. And as tricky as it was I practiced putting it on while pregnant. I had it down! I was so excited for Kaija to be born so I could cuddle her in it! Then she was born and HATED it... So I packed it away for about a month. When she was a bit bigger I got it back out and lo and behold she LOVED IT! She sacked right out and slept for hours snuggled into my chest. I typed an email with 2 hands. I loaded the dishwasher. I even made dinner (Note: this isn't really recommended!)! Yee haw!! I could tuck her into my coat and go for long walks. It suddenly became the best $20 I ever spent. The main downfall I found to it is how looooong it is and it is a bit complicated to put on. I've got it mastered now, but for me it's not really something I can easily put on in a parking lot while shopping. And she pretty much topped out of being carried in it comfortably at around 7 months.
Fast forward to being pregnant again. I got my wrap out and washed it and got it all ready to use for Kolbie. This time I was not disappointed at all the first few weeks! See, Kolbie is a snuggle baby. She WANTS to be held. She WANTS to cuddle with you. I've called her my baby Spider Monkey more than once! When she was 2 weeks old I strapped her on, threw a jacket on, and walked across the street to sit around a bonfire for 4 hours. She slept the entire time. ENTIRE TIME. Someone who arrived after it got dark didn't even realize I had a tiny baby in my coat until she squeaked to tell me she was hungry and wanted to be in bed. I think I wore her for a part of everyday for weeks on end.
A few weeks ago Dean asked how much longer I thought Kolbie would be in the wrap. He thought she was looking a bit big for it and I didn't disagree. How I managed to carry Kaija in it as long as I did I'm not sure. So we started talking about maybe finding something else. I started looking at making my own Mei Tei. I started researching other carriers so I could gently approach him with how much they are. Three days later had Ergo Baby Carriers available for too good a price to pass up. I ran up the stairs to check on the budget with Dean and found out that it was something I could get. I ran back down the stairs, wallet in hand, only to find that Google check-out was down at that moment! No!! Fortunately it was back up only minutes later and I made, hands down, the best $70 purchase EV.ER. I expected it to take 2 weeks to arrive. I ordered it Wednesday and had it the following Monday. I've used it every day since. We can grocery shop with one cart now. It's so easy! I'm so in love with it.
With both carriers I've gotten lots of compliments and strange looks, but mostly encouragement. One day while wearing Kaija in the wrap a man yelled from the other side of the street and asked if I had cotton candy in my coat! Nope, just a baby wearing a bright pink hat! Wearing Kolbie in the wrap led to an awesome discussion on baby wearing at the Farmer's Market over Memorial Day weekend. I passed on info to make your own and websites to go to to learn how to put it on. At first I thought that woman and her mom thought I was weird! Nope, they wanted to be like me! And that was 20 minutes after my mom questioned if it was all worth it to put it on. Yup! You bet it is! Now with the Ergo I've had a number of positive interactions. A few women at church have told me that they have them as well. A nice woman at the grocery store seemed pretty excited at the idea of getting one for her daughter and her first grandbaby. Mysteriously, the odd looks I've gotten from people have been from other mom's wearing their babies in Bjorns or other style carriers... weird. We're all in this together! :)
Mostly, I am proud to spread the message of baby wearing. It's healthy for your baby AND you. Um, hello squats with a 15 lb. weight strapped to your chest?! My abs hurt this weekend and I couldn't figure out why, until I took Kolbie off of me and relaxed a bit. You can not slouch while baby wearing! I wore Kolbie while handing out lunch at church last weekend and the older man that was cooking the hot dogs made a great observation. He said, "You know, those are so great! I mean Native Americans wore their babies on their backs! Now your baby just curls right up and falls asleep listening to your heartbeat." How can that be wrong?
When I was pregnant with Kaija I was doing some research and was a member of a parenting community on-line and kept coming across moms who used slings or other carriers to "wear" their babies. This was totally foreign to me but made so much sense! You mean I can have 2 free hands to do things AND carry my baby? Sign me up! So I set out to find a sling to carry Kaija in. Then I discovered that they are expensive. Crazy expensive for the amount of fabric you get in some cases. I just couldn't justify it. One day we were in TJ Maxx for reasons I don't remember, but I came across the Parents of Invention Ultimate Baby Wrap for $20. I figured that was a price I could handle and it looked interesting. I'd heard a little about wraps, they seemed pretty complicated, but I decided to go for it. I watched the DVD that came with it and looked up more videos on Youtube. And as tricky as it was I practiced putting it on while pregnant. I had it down! I was so excited for Kaija to be born so I could cuddle her in it! Then she was born and HATED it... So I packed it away for about a month. When she was a bit bigger I got it back out and lo and behold she LOVED IT! She sacked right out and slept for hours snuggled into my chest. I typed an email with 2 hands. I loaded the dishwasher. I even made dinner (Note: this isn't really recommended!)! Yee haw!! I could tuck her into my coat and go for long walks. It suddenly became the best $20 I ever spent. The main downfall I found to it is how looooong it is and it is a bit complicated to put on. I've got it mastered now, but for me it's not really something I can easily put on in a parking lot while shopping. And she pretty much topped out of being carried in it comfortably at around 7 months.
Fast forward to being pregnant again. I got my wrap out and washed it and got it all ready to use for Kolbie. This time I was not disappointed at all the first few weeks! See, Kolbie is a snuggle baby. She WANTS to be held. She WANTS to cuddle with you. I've called her my baby Spider Monkey more than once! When she was 2 weeks old I strapped her on, threw a jacket on, and walked across the street to sit around a bonfire for 4 hours. She slept the entire time. ENTIRE TIME. Someone who arrived after it got dark didn't even realize I had a tiny baby in my coat until she squeaked to tell me she was hungry and wanted to be in bed. I think I wore her for a part of everyday for weeks on end.
A few weeks ago Dean asked how much longer I thought Kolbie would be in the wrap. He thought she was looking a bit big for it and I didn't disagree. How I managed to carry Kaija in it as long as I did I'm not sure. So we started talking about maybe finding something else. I started looking at making my own Mei Tei. I started researching other carriers so I could gently approach him with how much they are. Three days later had Ergo Baby Carriers available for too good a price to pass up. I ran up the stairs to check on the budget with Dean and found out that it was something I could get. I ran back down the stairs, wallet in hand, only to find that Google check-out was down at that moment! No!! Fortunately it was back up only minutes later and I made, hands down, the best $70 purchase EV.ER. I expected it to take 2 weeks to arrive. I ordered it Wednesday and had it the following Monday. I've used it every day since. We can grocery shop with one cart now. It's so easy! I'm so in love with it.
With both carriers I've gotten lots of compliments and strange looks, but mostly encouragement. One day while wearing Kaija in the wrap a man yelled from the other side of the street and asked if I had cotton candy in my coat! Nope, just a baby wearing a bright pink hat! Wearing Kolbie in the wrap led to an awesome discussion on baby wearing at the Farmer's Market over Memorial Day weekend. I passed on info to make your own and websites to go to to learn how to put it on. At first I thought that woman and her mom thought I was weird! Nope, they wanted to be like me! And that was 20 minutes after my mom questioned if it was all worth it to put it on. Yup! You bet it is! Now with the Ergo I've had a number of positive interactions. A few women at church have told me that they have them as well. A nice woman at the grocery store seemed pretty excited at the idea of getting one for her daughter and her first grandbaby. Mysteriously, the odd looks I've gotten from people have been from other mom's wearing their babies in Bjorns or other style carriers... weird. We're all in this together! :)
Mostly, I am proud to spread the message of baby wearing. It's healthy for your baby AND you. Um, hello squats with a 15 lb. weight strapped to your chest?! My abs hurt this weekend and I couldn't figure out why, until I took Kolbie off of me and relaxed a bit. You can not slouch while baby wearing! I wore Kolbie while handing out lunch at church last weekend and the older man that was cooking the hot dogs made a great observation. He said, "You know, those are so great! I mean Native Americans wore their babies on their backs! Now your baby just curls right up and falls asleep listening to your heartbeat." How can that be wrong?
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