One of her famous outfits...she must have exhausted herself trying on all her options :)

Oh how I love this little girl...the things she says keep me laughing each and every day. I simply cannot believe she will soon be three years old. Here are a few recent highlights. I am quoting her word-for-word in these descriptions below (pronunciation and bad grammar included!)...

A few nights ago, I noticed Rosalyn was putting pennies underneath her pillow before bedtime. As a side note, she is obsessed with going to kindergarten and talks about it several times a day. We have tried to no avail to explain to her that she still has a while before she can attend kindergarten. Anyway, this is how the conversation went...

Me: Rosalyn, why are you putting those pennies underneath your pillow?

Ros: Well, Momma, I'm puttin' dis money here so da toof fai-wy will come and take out all my baby teef so I can go to kinda-gawden!

Me: (trying not to laugh at her because she was very serious) Really?

Ros: Yes, Mommy, dat toof fai-wy is comin' tonight and then I weally weally can go to kinda-gawden...I'm am soooo excited!

Saturday afternoon, Rosalyn got it in her head that she needed a haircut (which she refers to as a "shortcut"). She has had her hair trimmed once by Lisa but showing her the pictures of that did not make her happy and she insisted that she needed a "shortcut" that very day! This is what she said...

Ros: Momma, I'm am gettin' a shortcut today.

Me: Rosalyn, today is not a good day, I'll take you soon to see Auntie Lisa and she can trim it.

Ros: No, Momma, I'm am gettin' a shortcut TODAY. Dis hair needs a shortcut.

Needless to say, I ended up letting the Wal-Mart salon trim it (barely) that afternoon before shopping for groceries. I was too afraid that with her determination we may end up with a self cut otherwise. She sat in the chair just as proud as a little peacock getting her "shortcut."

This afternoon, I was holding a fussy Elaina when she came up to me with a distressed look on her face...

Me: What's wrong, Rosalyn?

Ros: Momma, you jus pwease put dat baby Wain-da (how she says Elaina) down in her bed and wet her cwy."

Me: Rosalyn, why do you want me to do that...Elaina has a tummy ache. I can hold you too, come here.

Ros: No, Momma, just put Wain-da down. Don't wuwwy (worry)...you can be her mommy lata. I want you to jus hold me and jus be MY mommy wight now and I'll jus be your big-girl-baby Wos-wyn, ok.

Talk about stabbing me straight through the heart!

Yesterday, Rosalyn told me that she needed a jewelry box...

Me: Why do you need a jewelry box, Rosalyn?

Ros: I need a jewel-wy box so I can put all my accessowies in it.

Me: What kind of accessories are you talking about?

Ros: Momma, you know, my bwacelet and my wings (rings), and scawfs (scarfs), and make-up.

A couple of weeks ago, she fixed herself a little seat using a stool and a laundry basket. I cautioned her that she may fall, but she still insisted to try it out. When she got on her seat she told me "Dat sure was cleva (clever), Momma. I'm am weally cleva! Do you fink (think) I'm am a cleva girl?"

Today, she was carrying around a shiny dime everywhere and would not let it leave her side. When I inquired about it, she told me with a forlorn expression that it was her "wish." I said "What is your wish, baby?" and she said "I jus wish my Nana would come to dis house and pick me up to go to her house and I can spend da night wif her." That just about broke my heart! My mom has been out of town for nearly two weeks and Rosalyn misses her terribly. :(

Three months old...

Elaina in the bumbo seat

Curious Caroline

This picture is a priceless example of their current personalities! Caroline is just chilling out and looking around while Elaina wails because she is scared of the wind, the grass, her own voice, etc and just wants to be snuggled!

It's always better when we're together...

I can't believe that my babies will be three months old tomorrow (the 20th)...it seems like they were just yesterday squirming around inside of my huge, miserable body! They are beyond precious and have truly completed our hearts :) Here is a little update on them (although I am sure you mostly just want pictures)...


They both weigh a little over 12 lb now (according to our scales). I am not sure of the length because they will not cooperate for that! They are wearing size 2 diapers and their 0-3 month clothes are getting snug.


They are eating 2-3 oz every 2.5-3 hours during the day. Their "bedtime bottle" is usually 5-6 oz. They eat on average 16-20 oz/day. They can both be very fussy eaters, but I am hoping this improves with time. As of this week, they are getting 100% formula (Similac Sensitive RS...liquid kind only, no powder). I am grateful to have been able to pump breastmilk for them for the first three months, but the time commitment was just too great to continue pumping with three little children needing my constant care. Now we move from time commitment to financial commitment, haha! Formula right now is about $9/day...$270/month! As they start eating more, that number will easily rise to about $360/month...yikes!


Thankfully, they are good sleepers and put themselves to sleep fairly easily. At night, they have been (keeping my fingers crossed here) sleeping for one 8.5 hour stretch followed by one 3-4 hour stretch. They take 3-4 naps a day ranging from 45 min to 2.5 hours. I usually wake them up at the 2.5 hour mark if they are still asleep. Elaina will only sleep on her stomach, so we ordered the Angel Care breathing monitor to help put my mind at ease since stomach sleeping is associated with SIDS...it works great! Caroline will only sleep swaddled and on her side supported with sleeping wedges. They both need their pacis to sleep and their heartbeat bear/fan on for background noise. They will also nap occasionally in the swings. They HATE their carseats and for that reason we are basically on shut-in status :)


They both smile all the time and have laughed out loud several times...it is adorable! They can lift their heads very well and raise their chests off the ground during tummy time. They have both accidentally rolled over once. If they are anything like Rosalyn, they may be on the late end of normal with motor skills like rolling over, crawling, etc (which is just fine with me...less kids to chase!).


We do not have a real "schedule" yet for daytime...I just follow their cues and it seems to work so far (but I do keep them on the same schedule if that makes sense...always feed them at the same time, try to nap at the same time, etc). The only time of the day I am super strict with is bedtime and wake up time. Our normal bedtime routine is:


5:30 pm--quiet play
6 pm--Rosalyn snack/Babies bottle
6:20 pm--Rosalyn bath/Babies bath
6:45 pm--everyone dressed/in bed--read to Rosalyn, shush/give pacis to babies
7 pm--everyone asleep! I love having them all in bed by 7 pm...Jason and I get to eat dinner together and I have time to read, blog, play on internet, shower, etc before going to bed around 10 pm. I try my best not to do any chores after the kids are in bed.


We usually always get up at 7 am to start the day! So, I guess between 7 am-7 pm kind of varies each day (but it is still the same basic routine).


Things they both love: bathtime, being cuddled/talked to, watching big sister Rosalyn, trying to watch tv when I am not looking :)


Things they both hate: carseats, having fingernails clipped, cold baby wipes, tummy time


Caroline is a mellow little baby and reminds me so much of Rosalyn as a baby. She is calm, collected, and willing to just "hang out." She will happily lay on her playmat and watch Rosalyn or look at toys for 30 minutes without a peep. She has a slow easy smile and is just the sweetest little baby ever. She often has the cutest little curious expression on her face as she looks around at her surroundings. She is not very picky and likes to be held and talked to, but also likes to be alone at times. Caroline prefers to fall asleep on her own in her bed and will greatly protest being rocked to sleep (again, a lot like Rosalyn). She can get pretty loud and upset without warning if you let her get overly hungry or tired, but usually she is a very happy baby.


Elaina has turned out to be the little firecracker (despite my earlier predictions). She is my most "high maintanance" baby and can be extremely fussy sometimes, but is also very quick to give the biggest toothless grin ever! She definitely wears her heart on her sleeve...smiles and cries very easily. I joke that Elaina thinks she is an only child or a princess...she would prefer to be held 24 hours of the day and at times will wail indignantly before her body even touches the bed when you begin to lay her down. However, when you pick her back up she is all smiles and snuggles! She is also very easily frightened...loud noises, sudden movements, etc really startle her. A few days ago she passed gas loudly and startled herself so much that she began crying! We also are amused by how finicky she can be...even at just 3 months I have to arrange her covers a certain way (so that she can hold on to the edge of the blanket) or she will refuse to fall asleep. She is a funny, precious baby--fussiness, finickiness, and all :)


So, that is our little update! Also, in case you ever wonder, these blog updates are so lengthy and detailed because I save them as a journal for Rosalyn and the babies (I know that most of you readers don't really care about all those little things!)

There's going to be a new baby in the family!!! :)

and NO--it will definitely not be a Kelly baby. I am beyond thrilled that my wonderful brother and sister-in-law will be adding a little one to their family in December! I will be an aunt! It is going to be so much fun and I am excited that they will get to experience all the joys of being a parent. Congratulations, Alan and Kelsey! We know you are going to be great parents and we can't wait to meet our sweet "baby cousin" (that is what Rosalyn refers to the baby as). They should find out in a few weeks if "baby cousin" is a he or a she :)

Alan and Kelsey at my house last weekend...she is 14 weeks and you can't

even tell...she looks beautiful!

July 6, 2010

Here are a few recent pictures of the girls...

Caroline

Elaina

Rosalyn

Things have been busy around here, but a little quiet...not too much news lately (except for one bit of news that I will share in a separate post!). The babies are growing and changing every day. Today at the doctor Caroline weighed 11lb4oz and Elaina has passed up her "older" sister at 11lb8oz! Rosalyn is as funny and sassy as ever, keeping us constantly on our toes. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

New pictures...

Rosalyn was SO delighted that I let her play in the rain last week...

Caroline and Elaina are 10 weeks old! Where does the time go? Here are few pictures from this week and today...

Having a "conversation"

Caroline

Studying her toy

Smiley Elaina

Sweet girl

Beautiful (Serious looking!) Caroline

Elaina (she was not very happy about these pictures!)

See how big we are!

Paci Babies :)
Not sure why this picture is sideways, but this is a favorite group activity at our house...sometimes (especially when Rosalyn is crying too) I feel like joining right in!

Wednesday 6/23

Here is my "little shopper" :) Rosalyn loves to get dressed up, put her baby in the cart, and go shopping around the house for items! The bag in the back of the cart is the diaper bag she packed for her baby. She is such a good little mommy...the bag had a blanket, diaper, bottle, toy, and a banana! She is so imaginative and loves to play pretend games. It is really fun to see her changing from a baby/toddler into a little girl!

Caroline and Elaina had their 2 month appointment on Monday. They have grown!! Here are their "stats"...

Caroline:
2 months...weight 10lb12oz--30%, length 21.25 in--4%

birth...weight 7lb1oz--32%, length 18 in--5%

Elaina:
2 months...weight 10lb10oz--26%, length 21 in--less than 3%

birth ...weight 6lb2oz--10%, length 18 in--5%

Rosalyn (just for comparison):
2 months...weight 11lb8oz--49%, length 22.25 in--25%

birth...weight 7lb11oz--58%, length 19 in--33%

They are short, chunky babies like Rosalyn was :) The pediatrician was impressed with their growth and said they were both perfectly beautiful and healthy. Here's what they are doing now: smiling, making eye contact, starting to gurgle/coo, holding heads up well, pushing up with arms, batting at objects, starting to really develop personalities and can be quite opinionated (especially Elaina!), sleeping at least one 6-7 hour stretch at night, eating 6-7x/day, capturing our hearts more and more each day!

They each got two shots at the appointment and they were definitely NOT happy about it! They cried so hard...much harder than I remember with Rosalyn! Caroline even held her breath until her little eyes bulged and her lips were turning purple...it was kind of scary, but I knew she was just upset and would be fine. Once I got them home and the Tylenol kicked in, they just slept the rest of the afternoon on the couch.

Elaina

Caroline

Sweet Baby Girls...

Caroline and Elaina will be 8 weeks old tomorrow! They are both smiling all the time and beginning to coo and make sweet little baby gurgle noises...it is precious :) Here are a few pictures from this evening...

I think Caroline (in stripes) was about to sneeze...apparently Elaina thought it was funny!

Smiley Face Caroline

Because every one loves to play the look-alike game...

Here is a picture of the babies asleep. Caroline (right) is not really that much bigger than Elaina, it just appears so in this picture because of their positioning and the fact that their heads are such different shapes (Elaina's head shaped like mine and Rosalyn's, Caroline's head shaped like Jason's). When I weighed them today Caroline was 10lb10oz and Elaina was 10lb3oz.



Now, because one of our favorite current games is trying to decide who looks like who, I decided to post a couple pics of each baby + a few of Rosalyn at about the same age!

Caroline:

Elaina:

(Both babies are smiling all the time and starting to coo...just haven't been quick enough to get Caroline on camera)

Baby Rosalyn:

I personally think they all look different and very much like theirselves, but there are definitely features in both C and E that remind me tremendously of their big sister Rosalyn!

Splish-Splash....

Rosalyn insisted on taking a bath in the sink like her baby sisters. She was definitely a sink full, but thought it was great fun to sit in the sink and get washed with baby soap!


A couple of funny things Rosalyn has said/done this week--

She told me yesterday (as the babies were both crying) "Momma, these babies are acting so crazy...they have lost our minds." I just smiled and told her that I agreed with her and felt like my mind was certainly lost sometimes!

She "accidentally" locked herself into the dark bathroom this week. Despite my best efforts, I could not get the door unlocked so Jason had to come home from work to get her out. She was hysterically screaming and crying...even a plate of M&Ms passed under the door could not console her! She kept saying (she was in full drama mode, if you can imagine): "Mommy, did you know that your little girl is trapped in a dark bathroom? I need my daddy to come rescue me!" Those exact words in the most pitiful voice ever! The ordeal lasted about 30 minutes and she told the whole story to anyone who would listen!

My Sweet Caroline...

Princess Elaina...

The babies are 7 weeks old now and weigh about 10 lb each! Their sleep continues to improve, thankfully. They are as sweet and smiley as can be!

"I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep..."

I love this poem...I am planning to post it on my fridge for a visual reminder when I begin feeling overwhelmed! The housework and cooking and chores will always be around...my three babies will only be little once.


Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, Lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek-peek-a-boo).
The shopping is not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there is a hullabaloo.
But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo."
Look! Aren't her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(lullaby, rock-a-bye, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, 1958