YES! With the first hint of cooler air comes the anticipation of Christmas at the Hunter home :) Lucy and Vada already have lists made and I am sure Jameson has a mental one if not yet written down. And I actually have already purchased two presents for my family. I am so excited this year to have not only two girls to celebrate and start traditions with but to have Lucy actually understand and get excited for everything that Christmas entails. I myself haven't made a list yet because I am having way too much fun getting the girls' lists in order. Honestly, I would gladly skip any presents for me just to get the girls more... because who doesn't like playing with their toys anyway??? Anyway, as I find more and more blogs out there that I really like I am finding more and more amazing little places to find one of a kind gift ideas. Our girls may not have a ton of toys like other kids but I want what they do have to be awesome stuff they actually play with. Although I doubt anyone else has even started thinking about Christmas shopping, I thought I would pass along some of the places I am loving. I would share products but don't want to ruin anyone's suprise on Christmas morning :)
1. My Sweet Muffin I can't even describe this one. Just check it out if you have any kids on your list. I already have ideas for both girls and alllllllll the nephews i have. (sisters, including in-law... if you plan on buying anything for the boys, check with me first.... no stealing ideas!)
2. Uncommon Goods You could easily find something for anyone on your list here. Warning though... they sell out of stuff super fast so if you see something you like, don't wait.
3. Gretel Home Good for kids again, and lots of unique homegoods.
4. Howkapow Homegoods, jewelry, art
5. Little Choux Adorable kids stuff; toys, accessories, decor
Happy shopping! Anywhere else I should start looking????
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Lucille at 18 Months
LUCILLE MEDORA...
- Favorite foods are grapes, cheese, and anything sweet/ icing, or whatever mama is eating
- Insists on having a bow in her hair and shoes every time she gets dressed
- Has a getting ready routine that includes deodorant and make-up
- Currently has 7 toes painted and a scratch on her nose
- Says "cmear" when she wants to be held
- Is an excellent mama to her baby doll
- Takes one nap which she screams about every day and sleeps through the night, which she never screams about
- Favorite things are cow, blanket, the Word Book, bugs, Pop Warhol's Top book
- Dances to any commercial with music or when a song comes on TV
- Knows how to use a certain four letter word when she drops something
- Pretended to be interested in potty training for a week, then had no interest, now is again
- Showers her baby sister with kisses when she is in the mood; and puts a pacifier in her mouth when she is not
- Lays on her belly in the tub so she can blow bubbles
- Is attending dance class
- Says "Daddy" 129843789324 times a day
- Favorite word is probably "EWWWWWWW"
- Likes to ride on Otis, take bike rides, go for walks, and anything outside
Monday, September 17, 2012
25
Yesterday was my birthday, YAY!, and in an effort to be as self absorbed as possible reflect on my life I decided to record 25 true, random, or surpring things about myself at this point...
- I still want at least 3 kids
- Jameson is my best friend
- My style has completely changed since having kids; I used to be very White House Black Market, now its whatever I like and lots of color
- I hate fruit on dessert; not to be confused with fruit dessert like my sisters Apple Cake with Browned Butter Caramel frosting
- Parenthood is my current favorite show, but Nip/Tuck will be my all time favorite
- I have never dyed my hair
- I would rather have a few close friends than a lot of aquaintences
- I always wanted to be a labor/delivery nurse, but now I am thinking midwife might be more my speed
- I like really dark beer
- Fall is my favorite time of year
- I would wear a dress every day if it was at all practical
- One of my most vivid memories is
campingtie-dying at Cherrystone with my family - Pizza is my favorite food
- I loved high school but would never want to go back
- I kiss my kids millions of times a day and still wish I could give them more
- I am glad I found Jameson at 18
- My secret ambition is to be a tattoo artist, named Foxy Roxy
- I would love to live somewhere other than Maryland in my lifetime
- Baking is my therapy
- I can not take a nap, unless I am pregnant
- I may have more fun with my siblings now than when I was a child
- I have never owned an i-anything; i-phone, i-pod, etc
- Having a baby sleep on my chest is my favorite feeling in the world
- Coffee is best black
- I have reached the point where I no longer let what other people think of me or what I do affect me. It feels pretty good
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Today
Lucy went on the potty for the first time today. In the moment, I could not have been more excited or proud of her. For the past six days she has started saying potty A LOT and every time, no matter what we are in the middle of or where we are, we stop and run to the bathroom to give her the chance. Needless to say, its a bit of a chore but totally worth it if she thinks she is ready. I had been thinking she just liked the undivided attention and immediate reaction she could get out of Jameson and I when she said it but this morning she actually meant it. I could not believe that my little 17 month old baby girl actually did it. Then, of course, I get super sentimental about the fact that this is already happening. It happens to me all the time. I push Lucy to learn something new or do something independently then when she does I change my mind. She is so far from "baby" in everything she does and I have a really hard time accepting that.
I think having Vada so closely behind having Lucy made Lucy grow up faster. Maybe it is just the way things happen with the first baby. You get so excited for them to do the next thing because it is the first time you are experiencing it with your child. I am sure in some ways it's good but I don't want to push her to grow up at all. I want her to still want us to rock her to sleep for every nap and bedtime. I will always want her to reach for my hand every time we walk around in public. Last night was the first night in two weeks that I haven't been up for a couple of hours with Vada. Is she already past that? Yes, I look forward to her sleeping through the night someday and most days I am exhausted from being up with her. But that's what tiny babies do. On the nights when she was up, I would remind myself that I was doing exactly what I had hoped to be doing. I remember saying I couldn't wait to lay her on my chest and rock her. So what if it is 3:45am.
So when I saw the following picture, today of all days, it made me want to stop time. I recently read in another blog something that made total sense to me, "In a way it helps me "be okay" as the kids grow, as we change, as we move forward....it's been captured in a photograph....and with this blog, feelings were captured as well." I know there are people who think I share too much on this blog. I am sure people disagree with how we are raising our babies. But this is for us. I love the comments, I really do. But even if no one else ever read this, I do. I have already gone back to older posts and forgotten the things I wrote about at that time. My point in starting this was to remember all the little things. I haven't been so great at that but it is my goal to start.
So today... Lucy went on the potty for the first time. Vada is much more content after starting medicine for reflux yesterday and has been super smiley, despite having a cold. Jameson got up at 5:50am with Lucy to let me sleep with Vada. We get to go out to dinner tonight as a family with Jameson's parents. And then I will rock my babies to sleep, just like every night for as long as they let me.
I think having Vada so closely behind having Lucy made Lucy grow up faster. Maybe it is just the way things happen with the first baby. You get so excited for them to do the next thing because it is the first time you are experiencing it with your child. I am sure in some ways it's good but I don't want to push her to grow up at all. I want her to still want us to rock her to sleep for every nap and bedtime. I will always want her to reach for my hand every time we walk around in public. Last night was the first night in two weeks that I haven't been up for a couple of hours with Vada. Is she already past that? Yes, I look forward to her sleeping through the night someday and most days I am exhausted from being up with her. But that's what tiny babies do. On the nights when she was up, I would remind myself that I was doing exactly what I had hoped to be doing. I remember saying I couldn't wait to lay her on my chest and rock her. So what if it is 3:45am.
So when I saw the following picture, today of all days, it made me want to stop time. I recently read in another blog something that made total sense to me, "In a way it helps me "be okay" as the kids grow, as we change, as we move forward....it's been captured in a photograph....and with this blog, feelings were captured as well." I know there are people who think I share too much on this blog. I am sure people disagree with how we are raising our babies. But this is for us. I love the comments, I really do. But even if no one else ever read this, I do. I have already gone back to older posts and forgotten the things I wrote about at that time. My point in starting this was to remember all the little things. I haven't been so great at that but it is my goal to start.
So today... Lucy went on the potty for the first time. Vada is much more content after starting medicine for reflux yesterday and has been super smiley, despite having a cold. Jameson got up at 5:50am with Lucy to let me sleep with Vada. We get to go out to dinner tonight as a family with Jameson's parents. And then I will rock my babies to sleep, just like every night for as long as they let me.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Sisters
"A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost."
Marion C. Garretty
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Vada's First Month
When Lucy was a newborn, I kept every milestone in my mind with a countdown; in three days she will be one month old, etc. Last Monday, I had a minor meltdown after realizing that the date was the 27th and Vada was already one month old. I am amazed at how quickly her first month passed by and have major mom guilt for feeling like I am not as on top of things now that I have two babies. As soon as I got the chance on that day, I snapped about 200 pictures of my beautiful Belle to make sure that I would not forget every little thing about her one month self.
We had Vada's check up on Friday and it was no surprise that she is having no trouble gaining weight. At 2 weeks, she was 8 pounds 11 ounces and 20.5 inches tall. She is now 11 pounds 4 ounces and 22 inches tall. Needless to say she is a nursing champ. She is developing right on track and even amazed Dr. Freddy by following his blood pressure pump as he moved it across her vision back and forth. Evidently babies at this age are still considered legally blind so I am hoping this means she has her Daddy's vision and not mine. Or that she is a genius :) The doctor also made a comment about her having blond hair just like her sister. I had the chance to talk to the doctor about her nighttime squeaking noises and how often she spits up, sometimes hours after she ate. The problem seems to be my overabundance of milk so we were told to try cutting our nursing sessions back by one minute on each side so that she is not overfull and uncomfortable. She has completely outgrown the 0-3 month outfits and is now filling out her 3 month onesies too.
Vada is generally a content baby but in the last week has really started to assert herself and let us know when she needs something, mainly to be held. She definitely recognizes me as her momma and follows me when I hand her off to someone else. Not to say that she doesn't need her daddy sometimes who is able to calm her down by swaddling when nothing else seems to work. She loves her pacifier and doesn't mind the bouncy chair as long as the vibration is on. She is content to sit in her swing while I am getting things done and will drift off to sleep on her own when she gets sleepy. She is sleeping in bed with Jameson and I and has a great 9 or 10pm to 3 am stretch of sleep. The 3am to 5am stretch we won't mention.
We had Vada's check up on Friday and it was no surprise that she is having no trouble gaining weight. At 2 weeks, she was 8 pounds 11 ounces and 20.5 inches tall. She is now 11 pounds 4 ounces and 22 inches tall. Needless to say she is a nursing champ. She is developing right on track and even amazed Dr. Freddy by following his blood pressure pump as he moved it across her vision back and forth. Evidently babies at this age are still considered legally blind so I am hoping this means she has her Daddy's vision and not mine. Or that she is a genius :) The doctor also made a comment about her having blond hair just like her sister. I had the chance to talk to the doctor about her nighttime squeaking noises and how often she spits up, sometimes hours after she ate. The problem seems to be my overabundance of milk so we were told to try cutting our nursing sessions back by one minute on each side so that she is not overfull and uncomfortable. She has completely outgrown the 0-3 month outfits and is now filling out her 3 month onesies too.
Vada is generally a content baby but in the last week has really started to assert herself and let us know when she needs something, mainly to be held. She definitely recognizes me as her momma and follows me when I hand her off to someone else. Not to say that she doesn't need her daddy sometimes who is able to calm her down by swaddling when nothing else seems to work. She loves her pacifier and doesn't mind the bouncy chair as long as the vibration is on. She is content to sit in her swing while I am getting things done and will drift off to sleep on her own when she gets sleepy. She is sleeping in bed with Jameson and I and has a great 9 or 10pm to 3 am stretch of sleep. The 3am to 5am stretch we won't mention.
She still sleeps most of the day but I am loving seeing her start to smile some times and am looking forward to seeing more of who this little lady is as she gets older. Her hair is definitely light and her eyes are blue right now but they are much darker blue than Lucy's were so I guess we have to wait a little longer to see what she will look like. Her skin tone seems to be more like mine than Jameson and Lucy's and she is not the spitting image of her Daddy like Lucy is. Maybe at least one of my girls will have some resemblance to me... I did put a lot of work into them being here after all.
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