Lucille at 19 months

• No longer wants to be rocked to sleep but insists on cow, blankets, and two babies getting kisses when she lays down
• Loves to watch the "quirrels" outside
• Has started wearing her hair in a ponytail or pigtails

• Tells us when she needs a new diaper; or asks to go potty but never if we suggest it
• Favorite foods are grapes, raisins, olives, and cheese
• Now picks out her own outfits; typically including a tutu and hat

• Likes to swim in the bathtub
• Reads to herself on occasion; when she isn't in ornery mood as seen below

 
• Asks to hold her baby sister every morning after breakfast 

• Is a total daddy's girl
• Loves to help mama stir things in the kitchen and goes crazy when she sees cookies in the oven
• Brings more joy, laughter, frustration, mess, and love into our family than we ever knew possible
   

Vada's 2nd Month

 

  Our beautiful baby girl is now 2 months old! She is weighing in at 13lbs 13ounces and is 23.5 inches long... yes, she is chunky. Everyone seems to think she looks like me and has my darker skin tone but we have yet to see what color her hair will turn out. Her eyes have stayed the same blue/grey since birth which Jameson pointed out are the same color as his dad's. She still sleeps the majority of the day and gets up at least twice at night to eat. She is nursing every 2-3 hours during the day except for one long nap stretch where she will go 4 hours.
  Vada is definitely a mama's girl at this age and most times is not happy unless I am holding her. She is fine to nap on her own in her swing but anytime she is awake and all night she wants me. She loves taking a bath and being naked :) She has started smiling when people talk to her and in the past couple of weeks has started "talking" back to us with soft coos. She is a pro at holding her head up and even rolled over from belly to back on the table today at the doctor's.

cooing at her mama

 

  Very soon after she turned one month old, we began giving her medicine for reflux. We could tell that she just did not feel well and was not happy when she was awake unless she was eating. She also throws up a LOT, even hours after a feeding. I started nursing her smaller meals, more frequently to ensure she was not overfull since I was dealing with milk overproduction and forceful letdown. I also cut out dairy and caffeine but neither seemed to help at all. She now takes medication 3 times a day which has been increased as she gains weight. I do my best to burp her for a few minutes after each feeding and keep her upright at all times. It is so difficult as a mother to see her in pain and know there is nothing I can do about it.  We are scheduled for an upper GI x-ray and an abdominal ultrasound tomorrow morning so I am hoping that everything comes back normal.

   Learning to mother a baby who is uncomfortable the majority of the time has certainly taken a toll on me, physically and mentally, but most difficult is emotionally. I know that in no time this whole stage will be behind us but living in the day to day is a struggle. I am sure it is frustrating to other people to not be able to hold her or to have to listen to her cry, but as her mother it is only heartbreaking. I am brought to tears most days but never want either of my children to think it is their fault. I would do anything possible to take that pain away from her so she can just enjoy being a baby and getting to know her family.
  Hopefully things will start looking up as we figure out how much of which medicine is best for baby girl. For now, it makes every smile and coo that much more special. We love you Vada Belle.

 

silly faces... so beautiful

Christmas in September?

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????

Sunday

 

The weather was beautiful, daddy was home, and Lucy was happy.

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

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...

1. I still want at least 3 kids
2. Jameson is my best friend
3. 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
4. I hate fruit on dessert; not to be confused with fruit dessert like my sisters Apple Cake with Browned Butter Caramel frosting
5. Parenthood is my current favorite show, but Nip/Tuck will be my all time favorite
6. I have never dyed my hair
7. I would rather have a few close friends than a lot of aquaintences
8. I always wanted to be a labor/delivery nurse, but now I am thinking midwife might be more my speed
9. I like really dark beer
10. Fall is my favorite time of year
11. I would wear a dress every day if it was at all practical
12. One of my most vivid memories is camping tie-dying at Cherrystone with my family
13. Pizza is my favorite food
14. I loved high school but would never want to go back
15. I kiss my kids millions of times a day and still wish I could give them more
16. I am glad I found Jameson at 18
17. My secret ambition is to be a tattoo artist, named Foxy Roxy
18. I would love to live somewhere other than Maryland in my lifetime
19. Baking is my therapy
20. I can not take a nap, unless I am pregnant
21. I may have more fun with my siblings now than when I was a child
22. I have never owned an i-anything; i-phone, i-pod, etc
23. Having a baby sleep on my chest is my favorite feeling in the world
24. Coffee is best black
25. 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

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.