Baking Cookies

Trying to keep Brooke busy so doesnt re-bust her chin open with her usual shenanigans. After an art project we decided to make cookies!

Sunday She Said

While driving under a bridge ...
Brooke: It's dark! I need a flashlight!

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While setting up a board game ...
Brooke: No cheating Mommy!
Mom: Am I a cheater?
Brooke (as she throws both arms up in the air): I cheater!

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Brooke (to Ryan): I'm your big sister. I make you happy!

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Mommy: Please don't touch that Brooke. It's for doctors only!
Brooke: I doctor.

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Mommy: Ready Freddy?
Brooke: Im not Freddy! I'm Brooke!

First Stitches

After an accident in the bathroom, Brooke (again) found herself at the Childrens hospital. It was a late night visit - we didn't arrive until about 7:30 pm - and it was PACKED. This was our third time on as many months, but the first time I've seen it so crowded. Turns out, we had a late flu season ... And we were there during the peak of it :(

Checking in I was told out wait would be about an hour, but it was after 9 before our name was called. They set us up on a gurney in the hallway because the rooms were a full, and it still took about 45 minutes until we were seen by a resident.

Brooke had a blast chatting with people, looking at fish in the fishtank, and terrorizing the hospital equipment. She was perfect until we got back in the room where they had to clean and fix her wound. Mommy was supposed to be her support but almost passed out during wound cleaning, so they had to swaddle her up and bring in extra staff to help. She was awesome, but worried they were gonna make her stay and kept saying she wanted to get up and go home. 4 quick stitches later we were ready to go home - it was 11PM.

Brooke cried once during the whole ordeal. When the popsicle they gave her fell off the stick and onto her lap ;)

The 45 (or 38) Minute Intruder

We have an unwelcome guest: the "45 Minute Intruder". Its basically an issue pretty common around Ryan's age, in which a baby constantly wakes about 45 minutes into sleep. It appears that the real reason (or solution, at least) is unknown, but that this waking occurs in between sleep cycles / sleep stages. There is a light sleep period followed by a deeper sleep period, and babies often have a hard time transitioning between the two. There are tons of possible reasons: the inability to self-soothe, a growth spurt, hunger, a developmental milestone, etc. There are also a ton of possible solutions, but it appears that nobody knows the real answer.

I remember this phase with Brooke and yet dont really remember (or see in this blog) what I did about it. I do remember that this phase just passed after a few weeks. She started sleeping longer all on her own. I am confused if I should just try to wait it out with Ryan, or if I need to try and intervene. Scheduling is a lot harder with two, and having unreliable naps makes it near impossible.

I read somewhere that you can try to beat out the intruder. Essentially, you enter the baby's room and wait for them to stir and try to soothe them back down before they are totally awake. This morning I ran up and down two flights of stairs three times, hoping to do this. Finally I was there when it happened. 38 minutes into his nap Ryan jumped. I tried to shush and soothe, but it was useless. A 38 nap is all he was getting. Brooke tried to be understanding each time her Mommy ran away from her at top speed but after the third departure she got tired of being left to color alone. She sat and screamed "Mommy!" until I returned (with Ryan in tow) and she could show me her newest work of art.

I'll give it a weak attempt and try to get this intruder out of Ryan's crib, but I just cant sit there and watch him during all of his naps. Hopefully it will pass soon and we can go about our merry & restful lives once again.

First Happy Meal

(It's ok ... It was a bribe)

Double Trouble

Sunday She Said

"I'm not a good girl. I'm really bad"

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Mom: I can't carry all that stuff. I dont have that many hands!
Brooke: I have two hands.

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After spending an hour of naptime in her bed singing and counting (at the top of her lungs) she calls:
Mommy! Mommy!
I go up to her room and to find out what she wants, and she tells me "I took a really long nap!" and tries to convince me she should come downstairs ;)

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Learning About Photovoltaic Energy

At the Childrens Museum!

It's Soccer Thursday

I told her to give me a "soccer face" and this is what I got ;)

Sunny & 50!

50 may not seem all that great, but around here it feels like Spring. Brooke and I drove home from school with the windows down (well, cracked) and our shades on ;)

Sunday She Said

Mom (to Dad): Do you want mayo on your sandwich?
Brooke: I want makeup on my sandwich!

Minutes later, while eating & looking at sandwich...
Brooke: Brooke no see makeup on sandwich

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"I'm really tall. I'm a grown-up"

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Brooke: Ug (some sort of complaining sound)
Mom: What's wrong?
Brooke: I'm just a little hungry

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"Not sing Mama. The people sing it."

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Mom: Look at all this snow!
Brooke: It's crazy!

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First Lollipop

Brooke received some Valentines at school on Friday ... and one of them had a sucker in it. Some of the kids were eating theirs on the way out of class, and I knew I couldn't hide this one from her. Brooke has had a very limited amount of candy in her life, maybe 5 pieces in total. It's not that we dont allow her treats, because the kid almost lives off of Goldfish and fruit snacks. We just dont give her the pure junk - the stuff without any sort of value.

She was so interested in this lollipop. She kept talking about it and asking for it! So, I told her we could have it when she got home from school. I kind of thought she would eat a bit of it and get bored, but nope! She sat there and licked the thing until it was gone :) Here she is with her first (and last, at least until I get stuck in another situation like that again) lollipop!

11 Hours Of Sleep!

Ryan has been sleeping through the night for a while now - he goes from 7pm until about 3:30, and then back down until 6:30. Occasionally he wakes to eat before 3:30, and it messes up the rest of the evening. He then wakes three hours later (so if he get up at 1:30, he gets up again at 3:30, and then 6:30) making it two feeding/wakings in the evening. Honestly, I dont mind it a whole lot ... he goes right back down. But, its not a good habit for him to continue.

Last night he woke up about 2:30. Instead of feeding him I went in and put a paci in his mouth, hoping he'd snooze for a while and wake up at his normal time (3:30-4). The next time he got up? 6AM! He went the entire night without eating, at just a bit over three months ;) What a rock star.

Sharing Is Caring

In this house, there is a whole lot of sharing going on. Ryan does most of the sharing. He shares his stuffed animals with his sister (who has taken them all and put them in her bed) and also his books (which are all in her bookcase). He shares his playmat with his sister ... And also the dog.

What does Brooke share with Ryan? Actually, she is very good to him and always sharing toys and blankets ... But mostly she shares the cooties she picks up from school :)

Sleep Training Is Awesome

I started working on "sleep training" Brooke at 3 months. I decided to try with Ryan as well, but without the same level of dedication I had with Brooke. As a mother of two, everything with him seems to be a bit more on-the-fly.

I followed her general pattern at this age - in which she needed to sleep about 1.5 hours after waking. He wakes at 6:30, so his first nap is at 8AM. I started last week and over the weekend just trying to get him to sleep at regular times (1.5 hours after waking). Then I started trying to put him into his crib for at least one nap a day ... and it was horrible. He was crying and screaming. He couldnt calm down. It would take 45 minutes to get him to sleep and he would wake up 30 minutes later. It was so frustrating, but (luckily) I blogged about this exact situation with Brooke.

I started being more regular: instead of one nap a day, he goes for all naps; instead of just putting him down, I now follow a routine, etc. He is a good sleeper, so I know the issue is his ability to settle down. I also know he can soothe himself, because he puts himself back to sleep at night when he wakes/stirs.

Yesterday was rough. He screamed and cried before every nap, falling asleep for only 30 minutes. He was so exhausted by his third nap that he slept for 30 minutes, woke, and then slept for 15 minutes more (yay!). I brought him downstairs and he passed out again, sleeping in his swing for another 1.5 hours. Poor little guy.

So I did something I refused to do with Brooke ... I ordered a sleep aid. The (very popular) Sleep Sheep. Sleep aids can be a very bad thing, you teach your child to sleep using a crutch ... and it can make for a toddler with sleep issues. I had more time to focus on teaching Brooke "healthy" sleep habits, but now I just need to hurry this process up ;)

Today he took about 15 minutes to go down for his first nap. He slept 30 minutes, woke up, and went back to sleep for another 15. For his second nap he was out in about 2 minutes. He went to sleep at 11 and is still sleeping now (at 1:20). Did I just sleep train this little guy in a day?

In addition to the sleep sheep, I'm also using a routine (which includes putting on a sleep sack, reading a book, and using a paci), and a modified version of the Ferber method (which involves letting him cry it out, in some aspect).

Santa Is Coming?

We have had so much snow. Today, when Brooke woke from nap, it was snowing yet again. She must have assed all this snow could not be without reason and thus declared "Santa coming!". I explained that this was not the case, so she said "Rudolph coming!".

I agree. There must be some explanation for this snow madness ... Unfortunately, a bearded man wearing a red suit and carrying lots of presents just isn't it :(

Sunday She Said

When I put Brooke to bed she gets a kiss on each cheek and a kiss on the nose. As I was kissing her nose ...
Mom: And a kiss for your little nose
Brooke: Mommy has a big nose

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We had some friends over who speak Spanish. They asked how old Ryan was and I explained he was almost three months. Then I said he was "grande"
Mom: Right Brooke? Ryan is grande?
Brooke: No. Pequeño.
(Pequeño means small, in case you aren't smarter than a 2-year-old)

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"I'm not tired, just happy"

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We are in the car and there is a 12 pack of beer in the trunk. As I drive the bottles clink together and make a rattling sound. Brooke: Whats that?
I explain there are bottles in the trunk.
Brooke: Bells?
Mom: No, its just some food ...
Brooke (singing): Jingle bells, jingle bells. Jingle in the car.

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"No singing Mommy. Just dance."

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Brooke: Mommy go with Daddy.
Mom: If I go with Daddy, who will stay here with you?
Brooke: Wrigley.
Mom: Do you think Wrigley would take good care of you?
Brooke: Yeah.

(Wrigley, in case you dont know, is the dog)

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Happy 3 Months Ryan

The little guy is three months old today!

Time sure does fly ;)

To celebrate the big occasion, we got his 3 month pictures taken and went out to lunch. Well, Brooke, Mommy & Daddy had lunch ... Ryan had a nap. Just like with Brooke, Ryan moves out of our room today. Tonight, Ryan will sleep in his own room!

Snow Day

Now known as the "blizzard of 2011" we were dumped on by the third biggest snowstorm on record in Chicago. Not only was school canceled, but the streets were undriveable and sidewalks unwalkable. This forced us in the house for the day.

Everyone did their own thing to keep busy, and it turned out to be a pretty good day!




Ryan followed his usual routine...
A little time bouncing

A lot of time napping


Some time on the playmat


And a little dance party



Brooke, on the other hand, had a bit of a unique day. She got a new puzzle which she assembled 3-4 times, once with the help of Aunt Jean (who came to help bail Mommy out of snow-driven-insanity).


She pulled one of her usual tricks and joined Ryan on the playmat











Helped Big Bird keep hydrated...









And most important of all ... she got to play in the snow with Daddy!

Passive Aggressive 2 Year Old?

Brooke loves to sing. She sings all day, and all night. She sings songs from school, old nursery rhymes, and a lot songs she makes up herself. She sings herself to sleep at night, and sings when she wakes up. She also loves to sing to her brother. When he is crying in the back of the car, we always suggest she sing to him as a way to get her involved. (It actually DOES work sometimes).

When he is sleeping, or falling asleep, she loves to sing to him. Her pick to put him to sleep is always "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". I asked her to sing it for me, and here she is ... all nice and sweet and gentle.



This is where I think she might be displaying a bit of passive-aggressive activity. When Ryan is sleeping, or falling asleep, she sings this song. BUT, she sings it at the top of her lungs. I'd say she actually screams it. She loves her brother, I have no doubt. But I do think her screaming might be a tiny little way she gets back at him for stealing a bit of her thunder ;)