Our big talker

Noelle is growing like a weed and is quickly becoming quite the personality! She is also finding her vocal chords. She loves to squeal and screech, and often does so for quite a while (which can be a drain on one’s ears at times). But she is such a big personality, we can’t help but laugh! She’s now rolling over both ways and is close to trying to sit up on her own. I can’t believe the leaps and bounds she’s made over the last few weeks. I remember Bailey at this age but with Noelle, time seems to be flying much faster.

Bailey is still enjoying preschool and adores her teachers. She is quite the “mama bear” and her teachers tell me she is a sweet child and very bright (no surprise to this mommy). Bailey and Noelle are starting to engage each other more and Bailey is enthralled watching Noelle grow and learn new skills. We still have some jealousy present but it’s much better than it was in the beginning. Both girls have accepted the fact that they have to live together (for now, ha ha).

We’re still not getting a whole lot of sleep but it is getting better now that our little hoover baby is over 15 lbs. She loves to nurse and is now eating solid foods. She likes sweet potatoes, apples and pears the most. She’s still unsure about squash, peas and carrots, but she is trying them. We enjoy both girls so much and we are so thankful for them. They are true blessings!

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4 months and growing

It’s been a crazy few weeks since Christmas and it’s been so frenetic that I’ve barely had time to sleep, much less keep up with this blog. The girls are both doing well, despite some winter runny noses and here and there, and Noelle and Bailey are both growing like weeds.

Bailey loves preschool and although a challenge at times for her teachers, she is a smart, sweet girl who shows empathy for others and continues to bring joy to those around her. She is very imaginative and loves playing make believe with her Disney princesses as well as her purple butterfly pillow pet, which Santa brought her for Christmas. She is obsessed with purple butterflies, and everything revolves around them. It’s cute but sometimes her obsession borders on overboard, since nighttime can be a challenge if certain things are missing from her bed.

Noelle is a spunky little girl and she loves to smile. She has started laughing, albeit one syllable retorts. She is also rolling over and (gasp!) loves sleeping on her belly. Her sister was the same way. She’s still up a few times a night to nurse – more to comfort herself than anything, and she loves being held. Matt calls her “the hitchhiker.” We’ve probably spoiled her, but we just love her so much and she is so stinkin’ cute.

Things are going pretty well, even though I wish I was getting more sleep at night. I can’t complain, though. We have 2 healthy beautiful children and they are the joy of our lives. We thank God for them everyday!

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Great Christmas!

It was a great Christmas this year for our family. After celebrating with Uncle Shawn on the 11th, Bailey was even more excited to open presents and I often had to chide her for playing with the wrapping paper on all the presents under the tree. She would ask every evening if Santa was coming.

This year marked our first year as a family taking a pre-Christmas vacation, since Matt is often engulfed in fruit orders and fruit dilemmas. But this year he left the reigns to his capable fleet of employees, and we took off for Waynesville, NC to visit with some friends at their mountain house. It was a fun experience, and everyone did great on the plane rides… even Noelle! Bailey had some funny moments pre-boarding. As we were on our way to the airport, she saw all the planes out on the tarmac and started singing, “We’re going on an airplane, we’re going on an airplane… we’re going on a purr-purr…”

I have no idea what a “purr purr’ is but we were laughing hysterically. Then, upon takeoff, Bailey exclaimed out of the blue, “Hold on, Mr. Monkey!” Again, we were laughing, as were our neighbors. She was quite the ham!

Bailey had fun with Kristina’s kids at the mountain house, and overall, did great. She faceplanted every night since she didn’t take a nap, but hey, that’s what vacations are for. We went on the Polar Express in Bryson City, which she loved. She gobbled up the cookies and hot cocoa, but balked when Santa came to our train car to give her the jingle bell from his sleigh. She’s still afraid of ole St. Nic. She’ll get there. Noelle also was a pretty good traveler. She fell asleep in car seats and did pretty well sleeping at night despite the ruckus from all the kids running around. Waynesville is beautiful and quaint; a small town I could definitely visit again. We were able to get into town for one day and we went to the Mast General Store, some neat North Carolina furniture stores, and no visit would be complete without some yummy gourmet chocolate around the holidays. I sampled an amaretto chocolate truffle that was to *die* for. My mouth waters just thinking about it!

Christmas Eve was fun for Bailey. We went to church and then had dinner with some friends at our local sushi restaurant. Bailey gobbled down seaweed salad for the first time (and loved it!) and did beautifully. She loved playing with our friends’ boys. She was such a little princess in her black and white velvet dress.

We put out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, and Bailey was kind of bothered by the fact that she wasn’t going to eat the cookies as they were reserved for Santa. But she trotted off to bed without much of a fuss and we actually had to wake her up the next morning she was so tired. We told her, “Santa’s been here, Bailey!” She came running out of her room and when she first saw her new plasma car she questioned, “But that’s not a purple butterfly!” Hilarious.

In any case, Christmas Day brought a plethora of gifts! Bailey did get a plasma car, but lots of butterfly things (since that’s her current obsession) as well as some shoes, stickers and a fairy couch from Nana which pulls out into a sleeping bag. She loves it and wants to nap/sleep/watch tv in it. So cute.

Noelle was as cute as ever in her Christmas outfit and melting all the grandparents’ hearts. She’s such a blessing and we’re so glad she’s finally here. It was a great day and a great couple weeks. Looking forward to 2012!

 

Christmas celebration

Noelle is now 3 months old and Bailey had her Christmas production/celebration at her preschool church tonight. It was adorable! All the kids got up and had a song to sing, and it was fun watching the two, three and four year olds’ personalities come out. Some little ones were overachievers, reciting every word and signing perfectly. Others were bashful. Still others found their parents and became excited. It was a fun evening, and a proud night for Matt and I.

Bailey sang her song to the tune of “Jingle Bells” and did great! She smiled and wasn’t shy this time at all. We were so proud of her. She did very well, and was attentive afterwards when all the other classes did their songs. She really enjoyed herself.

Noelle is now 3 months and is truly growing like a weed. She’s a little “chunky monkey” now, and is filling out and looking cuter than ever. She loves to smile, and she’s finding her legs and loves for you to pull her up to a standing position. She can’t get enough of that trick! She’s also talking more and is curious about what her big sister is up to.

We leave next week for North Carolina and can’t wait for both of our girls to see some festive Christmas time snow… it will be a first for both!

Here is Bailey singing and a few pics of Noelle.

Thanksgiving feast

Bailey’s Thanksgiving feast was today at preschool. Her Dad and I (and Noelle), all met at preschool and her class and the class song was adorable. They sang “Mr. Turkey” and wore special Thanksgiving outfits, which they had decorated. It was too cute!

Here’s a video of Bailey’s song!

2 months old

Today is Noelle’s 2 month mark. Time is flying in so many ways, and every day she changes. It’s so exciting to watch her grow and change, and take in the world around her. She’s all smiles now (when she’s fed), and loves to stare at your face and interact with you. She’s truly engaged, and can hold her attention on you for quite a long time! 

We’ve discovered she loves her little Einstein’s gym, and she’s enamored with all the music, colors and shapes she can see above her. She loves to kick her legs and move her arms, and she smiles when you talk to her while she’s having some tummy time.

Unfortunately, Noelle caught Bailey’s cold, so she had her first “sick” visit to the pediatrician yesterday. Fortunately it seems to be just a cold, so we’re hoping she bounces back quickly. She’s not been the happiest camper the last couple of days because of all the coughing and congestion, so we’re giving her some extra love and trying to get her to rest so she recovers quickly.

Here are some recent pics!

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8 weeks old!

Noelle is 8 weeks old this week. In some ways, time has absolutely flown, and in other ways (like in the dead of night when you’re awakened for the 4th time to nurse), it seems to drag on and on. You swear you’ll never sleep again, and then you have a good night and get a taste of that untouchable sleep that had previously alluded you the previous weeks. 

Noelle is now starting to get on a schedule, and while we still have our ups and downs, she’s giving us clearer sleep cues and hunger cues. She’s learning about how the world operates, and we’re learning about her. She LOVES the sound of running water, and also seems to like a straight “humming” sound. She likes being swung… but ironically, only on her stomach. She seems soothed when Daddy does squats while holding her or (gasp!) even bicep curls. Matt’s workout regime has been reduced to using children as weights, but hey, whatever works!

Bailey is doing well, even though she’s been a bit under the weather recently. She’s caught a couple of bugs at preschool which have landed her in the doctor’s office. But she’s bouncing back and has said a few things recently to us which have made us cry with laughter. She’s quite the ham! Her teachers say she’s very smart and curious, though she has an iron-clad will and absolutely won’t do something when she’s resolved to it in her mind. There’s no changing it. 

She’s been very festive lately now that the holidays are upon us. She loved trick or treating with her cousins, and has fallen in love with Snickers candy. Once Halloween was over, she said to me, “Mommy, the pumpkins have to go. We have to get the Christmas tree up, and we need reindeer this year. Please get this done before Daddy gets home.” Hysterical… but she’s all business! Bailey is also into make-believe, and enjoys playing with her new Disney princess figurines she got for her birthday. She’s now given them the name of her classmates, which includes the boys. So the boys are wearing dresses and doing what she wants them to do. We get a good laugh out of it — the innocence of 3 is precious.

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Bailey turns 3!

Our sweet Bailey turns 3 today! We love her so much and she is a blessing to our family. Today she gets to go to preschool dressed in her Halloween costume. We ended up getting 2 costumes this year as a reward for learning to start using the potty, and she chose her princess costume to wear to school with her little friends. She’s holding her new spotted owl we got her for her birthday as well (she is obsessed with stuffed owls for some reason).
Bailey is growing up so fast, and is very loving and she is so caring towards her sister. We thank God for this little miracle, and look forward to seeing how she grows up into the beautiful young lady we know she’ll be!

I also posted some recent pictures of our chunky monkey, Noelle, below.

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1 month old!

Time is flying by with two kids! I can’t believe I’ve been such a slacker on the updates, but between nursing, taking care of a 2 year old and trying to sleep, life’s been pretty crazy lately. Both girls are doing great and growing. Bailey had a bit of a time at first adjusting to her new baby sister (and all the attention she was getting), but seems to be getting into a routine now, and she is realizing she’s still loved, so it’s all going to be okay.

Noelle has been growing like a weed. She’s gaining weight rapidly and is already starting to fill out and lose her ‘newborn’ appearance. She’s such a sweet girl and has a good disposition. They’re are definitely differences between my 2 girls. Noelle is a little more laid-back. She cries, but seems less fussy overall than Bailey. However, she’s not sleeping too much and seems to be wide awake and bushy tailed all the time! That makes it tough for me to nap, but we’re getting through it. Noelle is very curious and already has great control over her head and neck for such a young baby. She loves looking around at things and taking it all in!

Bailey has been a ham, as usual. She’s enjoying preschool and is starting to get the hang of potty training. She’s been given rewards for doing such an excellent job learning. She likes all her school friends, and loves telling stories about them. Her teachers tell us she is a “Mama Bear,” meaning that she takes care of everyone else in the class… and of course corrects them when they’re doing wrong, too. She’s really into dressing up now, and loves wearing costumes around the house. 

We also recently got her a haircut (Yea! You can now see her pretty face!) because she refused to wear anything in her hair and it was always falling in her place. The stylists at the salon fawned all over her and made her feel like a princess. And of course, she looks like one in our eyes.

So all is going well so far. I hope to get on top of more updates and post more often now that things are settling into a routine.

Here are some recent pics!

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Photos from our newborn photo shoot

We had a great time at our newborn photo shoot last week, and the photos are (so far) amazing! I’ve not seen all of them yet, but our photographer, Amy, captured our precious Noelle so perfectly. I’m so glad to have these memories, and Bailey was a great big sister who loved being the “star” of the show!

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