Saturday, April 19, 2008

• His number one favorite place to hang out (and drool all over) is his exersaucer. He loves to jump in it and sometimes I feel like he might just jump right out of it. A couple of weeks ago I got out our doorway jumper and he has a kick jumping in it. He really likes to push off with his feet and will often be found swinging in it.
• He has now learned to hold his bottle. He definitely knows when that bottle is coming and gets very excited about it. It doesn't take him long to get impatient once he sees it.
• He found his toes and feet and loves to play with them…instant toys! About 4 weeks ago, he really started rolling all over and can now roll back to front to back. He has attempted to get up on his knees a little bit, but still has quite a bit more to learn before he crawls. He's working on sitting, but is not very good at balance. Each day he gets better and better. He seems to be just a little guy who wobbles back and forth. Mikayla was sitting by this time, and I remember how much more content she was, so I'm looking forward to that coming soon.
• With all the drool we finally got two teeth on the bottom. One came in at 25 weeks and the other quickly followed a week later, right at 6 months. It seems he may be working on more because he really likes to chew on his fingers and whatever else he can find to stuff in his mouth.
• Austin loves having his head rubbed to fall asleep. Unfortunately, he isn't sleeping through the night yet, but in just the last few days he has slept through until 5:30 or 6:00. Usually, we only have to get up once to feed him and it seems like it's always at the exact same time in the night. We are looking forward to the days of not getting up in the middle of the night, but for now we're getting through it.
• Austin had his 6 month checkup on Monday, April 7th. He weighed in at 17 pounds (50th percentile) & 27 3/4 inches long (90th). He's a healthy little boy and doing great!

Monday, January 28, 2008

• At 1 week old, Austin had his first big outing to his Big Sister's swim lessons. In Austin fashion, he slept the whole time.
• At his 2 week checkup he weighed in at 7 pounds, 11 ounces (almost back up to his birth weight) and was 22 inches long (which was the 90th percentile!).
• During his first month, he HATED baths (screamed every time), changing clothes, and being in the car seat, but he LOVED sleeping (good for us, but much of the time he wanted us to hold him to do it)!
• By the end of his first month he was starting to lift his head up for longer periods of time and having a little more awake time.
• At 6 weeks old, Austin smiled for the first time. It melted my heart!
• Finally, around 6 weeks old, he started wearing 0-3 month clothes (Yeah! Something different than the newborn sleepers)
• Around 8 weeks, Austin found his hands and started putting them in his mouth (forget the pacifier!)
• By 2 months, Austin was sleeping through the night and has been since (how lucky are we!)
• At his 2 months checkup he weighed in at 11 pounds and was 24 inches long.
• By Week 11, Austin was beginning to "play" a little during the day on his play mat by kicking and making some noises. He also began to interact and look around much more.
• By the end of 3 months, Austin was starting a little bit of a routine with his naps and awake time, and getting better at falling asleep on his own. He still hated baths and the car seat, but loved to smile and started to be a little more content when left alone.
• At 14 weeks old, Austin laughed for the first time.
• He spent his first night in his own room at 14 weeks old and has been there ever since.
• When he was 16 weeks old, he started to "bat" at things within his reach, rub his eyes, make "grandpa grins" (getting teeth?), really started cooing and discovering his voice, and finally began enjoying a bath or two.
• At 17 weeks old, Austin rolled from tummy to back two times in one day.
• And here we are at 4 months old…

• Her newest thing is talking some major jibberish. She actually sounds like she's trying to tell you a story, but most of the time nothing is making sense. Sometimes I'll catch what she's talking about, but most of the time she leaves me perplexed, but with a smile on my face because it's just so cute! Mikayla is really trying out new words by repeating what she hears. I've already starting spelling things out when talking to other grown ups when she's around, like nap, snack, cracker, raisins (this is a big one!), and paci (short for her pacifier, which she calls "poppy" and only gets at nap time and bedtime). I am amazed at how many words she knows and only wish I could write them all down. I love looking at books with her because she seems so smart when she can tell me what things are. How did that happen all of the sudden??
• She rules the house on most days, destroying any sort of tidiness I try to create. Usually, I just leave the toys "as is" until she heads to bed. No use in putting things in a basket when she'll just tip it over right after I do it. She loves mischief as any true toddler does. One of her favorite places right now is the top drawer in my bathroom. I have caught her way too many times brushing her teeth with MY toothbrush or attempting to put on lip gloss (which she hasn't quite mastered taking the lid off, thank goodness!) She can now open the refrigerator. Yikes! She continues to help me with laundry and has just recently discovered that she can move the stool to where the light switches are to turn them off and on. I'm telling you, every day there is something new she is getting into. I'm trying to avoid toddler-proofing everything! As I write, there are clothes from her dresser strewn all over the house (I think she has literally tried to put each article of clothing on)
• Her cousins, Noah & Jacob, who live in Japan came to visit for a few weeks around Christmastime. What fun she had with them! She learned the art of wrestling. I never knew she had it in her! Many of the times, she was reigning champ on top. She is really interacting with other kids and especially likes those who are older than her. She can name most of her friends and loves to look through photo albums and point them out. We try to have many play dates to keep us busy and entertained on these long winter days.

Monday, September 24, 2007

Monday, August 27, 2007

• When you ask Mikayla where something or someone is, she holds her hands up in an "I don't know" position (recently, she does it when someone or something leaves and now she is beginning to shrug her shoulders to go along with her hand movements)
• Mikayla says "hello" (her own version is "hiya") as she holds the phone up to her ear. She has even begun to walk around with the phone and pretend to have a conversation. The other day, I saw her doing this same thing with the TV remote.
• Mikayla officially started saying "ma ma". The first time I distinctly heard it was when she had woken up from a nap and was calling out my name.
• Mikayla is beginning to really throw some tantrums (arching back, rolling around on floor, and occasionally purposefully bonking her head on the wall or ground) We have a very dramatic little girl, but we think we already knew that.
• Midway through Mikayla's 14 month, we offered her a spoon and fork at meals and she is beginning to get really good at it. She is especially good at using her spoon and even finished a bowl of applesauce the other day all on her own!
• Mikayla has started mimicking things we do and can now "blow on her food" when it's hot and "blow her nose" when she finds the Kleenex box.
• Mikayla may be picking up on some bad habits. When she toots, she starts to wave her hand in front of her face. She will also do this when she has a stinky diaper. I guess I was a little too dramatic when changing her diaper at the changing table and she caught on!
• Mikayla can recognize "hot" things and will usually say hot. However, she tends to draw out the first part of the word and it sounds like… "hhhhaw". For some reason, she says that cars are hot and she has mistakenly said her hat is "hot".
• Mikayla has gotten really good at following commands. We can say to go get something and she usually does just that. Today, I was kind of joking around and being "lazy" and said, "Mikayla, go get the phone, please." She turned around, went into the other room and did just that…she brought me back the phone!
• One of Mikayla's biggest accomplishments, like I had mentioned before, is her budding vocabulary. I am amazed at how many words she can now say. Many of them, she will simply repeat after us and may not recognize quite yet, but she can recognize many things in pictures, books, on videos, etc. and say them on her own. Some words, to name a few, she's beginning to pick up (although she doesn't say them clearly for just anyone to understand), are:
  • ball, bye-bye, baby, shoe, book, dog, doll, hot, potty, PJ (pajamas), banana, tree, "Mammy" (Grammy), bird, bubbles

Saturday, July 21, 2007

• At 14 months, we accomplished saying bye-bye to bottles. It was so much easier than we thought it would be. We're so thankful she never became attached and didn't mind moving to sippy cups for all of her drinks. We wanted to try and "call it quits" early, so she wouldn't be confused when the baby came and he was getting bottles, too. Now, she loves drinking "big girl" style from Mommy and Daddy's cups and anything out of a straw.
• Mikayla absolutely loves her doll and babies! The way she hugs and kisses (and even "feeds" the baby a bottle) is just priceless. I love watching her push her little babies around in her stroller. What a girly girl! Her "goodnight doll" has become a very important necessity for naps and bedtime, along with occasional car trips.
• We have a little explorer on our hands! She loves getting into mischief (or I guess you can say she is very inquisitive). I consider it a good sense of investigation. We love how curious she is and although she makes many messes, we know she's just learning about her surroundings, even if she does empty the "to be shredded" basket on a regular basis.
  Some examples of this inquisitiveness are:
  
  • On more than one occasion she has proceeded to empty the wipes container, even attempting to eat them. After three times of pulling out the wipes and dragging them around behind her, I finally decided to put them out of reach and now I have a "wad of wipes" instead of nicely laid, easy to grab wipes.
  • One of Mikayla's favorite "spots" to investigate is her daddy's nightstand drawer. One time she took her daddy's chap stick and mints and we ended up finding them in her toy box a few days later. She also loves her daddy's cell phone and wallet and carries those around with her throughout the house.
  • Mommy needs to learn to keep the closet doors closed in the office. That's major "mischief" territory. I found her rifling through three or four month's worth of credit card receipts that I monthly organize. I guess she was trying to get me to not be so uptight about the need to organize.
  • The other day, much to my horror, I caught her "munching" on a USED q-tip she had found in the bathroom trash. How disgusting!
• Walking is "old news" for Mikayla. She is now into running, whether it is away from Daddy chasing her or running to Mommy's safety. She has narrowly missed walls and has occasionally done a few "home plate" slides. She's usually pretty good about shaking it off if Mommy doesn't show too much panic.
• Mikayla's budding vocabulary is more and more these days. Even though Mikayla doesn't have a huge list of words, she still loves to pretend to have conversations with me. It honestly seems like she's asking me questions or making statements, but it's all done in her own little language. However, words we do know that are "real" are: "bye-bye", "baby", "dah" (dog/doll), "boo" (book), "sh" (shoes), "ba" (ball-she even recognizes balls in books). She is understanding more and more about language and responds to commands and questions, such as where her socks and shoes go, where her nose, eyes, and ears are, and brings things that we ask for. She's also caught onto when I say something about a smelly or yucky diaper and I make a funny face or "pew wee" sound, she waves her hand in front of her face like I do. What an exciting time of development!
• Of course, last, but not least, Mikayla is Mommy's little helper these days. She loves to help put the laundry in the washing machine, close the door, and push on the button. We always clap when she accomplishes this and now she claps whenever she closes anything. She also helps take out the laundry from the washing machine and transfers it to the dryer with me. And, of course, she loves to help Mommy fold clothes! Usually, they are scattered throughout the living room and I have to pick up after her, but she makes the effort.

Monday, June 11, 2007

• …give "loves" (hugs), not only to her mommy and daddy, but to her dolly, too
• …respond to commands, such as: "Come here", "Go get your book, doll, shoes, etc.", "Drink your milk/water"
• …show us where her nose and belly are (when asked where her belly is she usually lifts her shirt and pats her belly)
• …make sound with her mouth to tell us she's hungry
• …recognize food and food containers
• …start waving "bye bye" when she sees or hears things that indicate we're going somewhere (putting on shoes, coats, etc., when we say "let's go bye bye", or "see you later")
• …clap when other people are clapping without telling her to
• …shake her head when we tell her she's funny
• …sign "more" and "all done" (probably since she was 11 months old)
• …make the sound "du" when we show her her stuffed animal duck
• …say "da da" when we ask her to say "ma ma"

• …shake her head "no" (even when she's in the process of doing something she's not supposed to)
• …wave bye when she wants to go outside, she usually stands by the door
• …throw little temper tantrums (usually laying on the floor face down)-luckily they don't last long
• …hold the phone to her ear pretending to listen
• …blow bubbles in the water
• …sign "please" (which has now replaced the sign for "more" and she signs "please" when she wants something)
• …says "uh oh" when something drops
• …get really excited when she knows she's going outside or when we stop the car to get out (she makes noises and sometimes shakes because she's so excited)
• …say "no no no" (especially if you are saying it, she usually repeats you)
• …say "oo" when you ask her what the cow says
• …usually say "du" for her dolly and dogs (she loves dogs!)
• …WALK!!! Mikayla started walking after 2 ½ months of holding onto one of our fingers and walking with us. She finally chose to let go and accomplished it all on her own in one weekend and now she thinks she's a pro. She walks everywhere in the house and can get up on her own without holding onto anything.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

• Crawling has become Mikayla's favorite mode of transportation. She can pretty much get anywhere and everywhere on her hands and knees. Some of the places she enjoys investigating the most are found in her bedroom. She manages to take off every book on her bookshelf, along with emptying out her box of hats. She even manages to empty the baskets of all her blankets. I hate to see what will happen when she discovers her container of diapers. I've already caught her once pulling out tissues from the Kleenex box. What a busy girl! She's only 11 months old and already her bedroom looks like a teenager's room. Not only does she enjoy destroying her bedroom on a daily basis, but anything that is considered a container, will be empty in a matter of seconds if Mikayla finds it. Baskets of toys, drawers of Tupperware, even the DVDs and videos get emptied out of its cupboard. We have yet to see her put things "back" and leaving them in their appropriate places, but she has discovered how to put things back and then quickly take them out again. Oh what a funny girl!
• Even though crawling is her main mode of transportation, she has managed to take those first few steps. We think she is going to go straight to running! She has so much momentum. She's not quite balanced yet, but is working on it day to day and we have fun watching her take some wobbly steps as she reaches out her hands for us to catch her. Even though we're not pushing the walking thing because who knows what other things she will get herself into after she learns this new trick, we still are very excited!
• Mikayla is getting smarter and smarter and it catches us by surprise a lot. She has learned to do things by us just saying them instead of us actually showing her how to do them. For example, she has been clapping her hands for quite some time now, but she has just learned to clap her hands with us just saying "clap your hands". Just recently she has learned how to blow kisses and can also do this with us only having to ask her. Of course, she'll do these things when SHE wants to, not always on command. She loves blowing kisses to herself in the mirror. This last month she has learned that "da da" means Daddy. She's finally found the "mmm" sounds again, but has yet to say "ma ma" for Mommy. I can be patient…

Friday, February 23, 2007

Tuesday, February 6, 2007

• Standing is her number one favorite thing to do! If she could walk around holding onto Mommy or Daddy's fingers all day long, she would. She loves to take walks and one of these days she's going to just take off. She hasn't quite discovered how to maneuver along couches and such, but it's coming soon. If there are empty hands around to hold onto, she'll find them. She has almost mastered pulling herself up. She needs very little help to do it, but a little motivation to get her started. We have realized that Mikayla may be a little cautious in her new discoveries. She may not be the "risk taker" of the family…just like Mommy!
• Mikayla now has 7 teeth. It seems so strange to see her grin with a mouthful of teeth when we were so used to seeing her toothless smile for so many months. She is into scrunching her nose when she smiles, which makes her smile even cuter! Having more teeth also allows her to munch on more "people food". Mommy is somewhat cautious about the finger food thing, but Mikayla sure would love to dive in. She does a great job at picking up little pieces of food and putting them in her mouth. Nowadays we have to keep the floors much cleaner because of her wandering fingers finding something "interesting" to taste…usually fuzz.
• Mikayla has gotten more vocal over this last month. She has learned how to scream, not only in excitement, but frustration, too. Sometimes it's just a short, shrill scream that really rings your ears. She also discovered how to say "ba ba ba ba". There's no "ma ma" or "da da" yet, but we're sure it's on its way.
• One of Mikayla's biggest accomplishments this last month is that she can wave "bye bye" and "hi". She officially mastered this new technique right at 9 months. She is constantly practicing this new trick. Sometimes it takes her a little while to get her fingers moving when it's time to wave "bye bye", but she eventually does it (sometimes even after the person is gone). She'll even wake up waving her little hand at me when I get her from her crib.

Monday, January 1, 2007

• Mikayla is a smiler! She loves looking in the mirror. It seems like we barely pass a mirror and she catches a glimpse of herself and she can't help but smile and get excited. She now has five teeth and one more on the way, which means no more toothless grin! She also loves looking at faces or watching other kids play. I have a feeling she'll be a sociable girl. Recently she has started "babbling" to other babies in passing. It is very endearing to watch how excited she gets as she tries to communicate with other little ones.
• Clapping her hands has become a newly learned accomplishment. She loves to clap her hands, especially when others are doing it, too. She has also begun to lift her hands in the air. We're still waiting on that little "bye-bye" movement of her hands, but it's not too far off. Her tiny little hands have also learned to master holding her sippy cup. Not only has she accomplished more movements with her hands, but she has also started to make more sounds. Her new favorite is to "puff". It's hard to explain, but she does it all the time now! We're waiting for a word to come out at any second.
• Food is still a favorite for Mikayla. She loves mealtimes! We're still introducing new foods and she eats just about anything…well, maybe not. Avocadoes and kiwi were a "no go", and even mangoes weren't on her list of favorites. She's also learning how to feed herself finger food. Every day her aim gets even better and she is actually getting more in her mouth than everywhere else. What a time of discovery for her! Now that she has more teeth, she is able to munch away.
• One of Mikayla's biggest accomplishments over the last month has been her need to stand. She has found that her little legs are quite strong and that means she would like to stand everywhere and as much as possible. She is way too wobbly to do it on her own, but loves to stand with support and play. For Christmas she got a little playing table and that has become one of her favorite toys because she gets to stand. She has also shown interest in walking while holding on to someone's hands. Her little feet can't help but start moving. We think that Mikayla may go straight to cruising along couches and such before she learns to crawl. There is still no interest on her part to get anywhere on the ground. However, she did pick up rolling over again after "taking a break" for awhile. Now we can't get her to stay on her tummy to practice crawling and sometimes in the morning we'll find her on her tummy or side when she wakes up. It's all in Mikayla's own timing!

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

• Mikayla started solids this month! What a time of discovery! Her first meal was rice cereal and most of it ended up on her face rather than in her tummy. She didn't quite have the idea of swallowing it versus pushing it back out with her tongue. However, it didn't take long for her to get the "art of eating" down to a science. Now, after a month, she eagerly heads for the spoon instead of waiting patiently for it to come to her. Of course, many pictures have been taken to document the different tastes…some she loves, some she could do without! Surprisingly she has not refused any food yet, but we'll wait and see…
• Ever since she discovered how to blow "raspberries" at 6 months, it has become her new past time. She chooses just the right time to do this amazing trick. Her favorite time is while eating. She also continues to talk with much excitement.
• Mikayla has graduated to being able to sit in the shopping cart at the grocery store! She is officially an accomplished sitter. She would much rather sit and view the world from her seat, then lay down on the floor to play. However, we still "force" tummy time, so she can work on building muscles that way, but that's definitely not her favorite past time. I think she will be one of those creative kids who will try to find out how to get what she wants to her instead of her going to the thing she wants. She's definitely not much of a mover in the sense of crawling/creeping, but she does like to kick her feet and arms in excitement.
• Mikayla's favorite game now is peek-a-boo. She actually plays peek-a-boo by lifting something over her face and then pulling it down. We discovered that she loves to play this game over and over and over… It makes me laugh and I look forward to all of the other games we can soon play together. She is a giggler and when tickled lets out a precious laugh. Playing games with Mikayla is now my favorite thing!
• Just a couple of days ago, Mikayla's top two teeth came in. This round of teething was much different; it seemed, than when the bottom two teeth came through (those were "out of the blue"). There was more fussiness and drooling, but still nothing that was over the top or impossible to manage. For a day or two her gums were so swollen, but then just like that, two teeth appeared. I almost got a little teary eyed when it was happening because it was just another indicator that she is growing up.

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

• As I said last month, Mikayla started sitting up unsupported. This month she has really learned the art of balancing and is pretty much an accomplished sitter. Every now and then she'll have a tumble when reaching for her toys (of course she always wants the one that's furthest away), but she has really enjoyed having a new perspective on things.
• Mikayla might be going through a little bit of separation anxiety or something to that degree, where her "drama queen" mood comes out. Oftentimes this happens when she gets overly tired or unsure with who is holding her. We're learning more and more that it's not the end of the world when she breaks out into this cry that she is becoming famous for. I'm sure she gets a lot of her "drama queen" tendencies from her mommy!
• We discovered that Mikayla has an adorable laugh. She has laughed on occasion since she was 4 months old, but we discovered her true belly laugh this month. It cracks us up every time she does it. It's so special for us to share the laughing moments with her.
• " Her newest accomplishment is blowing "raspberries" with her mouth. It's such a small little act, but so cute at the same time. Along with the sound comes a whole lot of drool! She is getting more and more excited about things and the sounds that come out of her mouth oftentimes reflect that.
• Mikayla has almost mastered holding her own bottle. There are many feedings where she does it all on her own. In fact some feedings she wants to do it all on her own. It's so cute to watch her do this, but it also makes me realize how much she is growing up. Along with holding her own bottle, we introduced Mikayla to the sippy cup. She had so much fun figuring out how it worked. At first she just was content chewing on the spout, but then soon realized that something came out of it when she sucked. She's definitely not a pro, but she's getting the hang of it. Once we introduce solids this next week, she'll probably begin to use it more often.

Friday, September 22, 2006

• We started parent/infant swim lessons at the beginning of the month. Her first time in the water she was a little apprehensive, but since then she has come to love the water and has successfully been underwater many times. Now bath time is like swim time for Mikayla. She loves to splash her mommy and daddy!
• Mikayla has also begun to recognize her bottle and she can even grasp it and put it into her mouth all on her own. She can hold it for a little while, but it starts to get a little heavy for her, so it's back to mom or dad.
• Mikayla's biggest discovery this month was her feet. It seemed like one day she found them and they became her instant toys. She loves sticking her feet into her mouth and sucking on her toes.
• Mikayla has also begun to sit unsupported. She hasn't mastered it quite yet and she still wobbles a bit, but she's getting better. It's fun to watch her play and interact with her toys. I have to be on my toes a little more now as she starts to get more mobile. Luckily, crawling is still a couple months away.

Saturday, September 2, 2006

Tuesday, August 8, 2006

Looking back…April 17th

The First Month

• It took Mikayla about a week to realize that it was OK to sleep on her back in her bassinet. Many nights were spent letting her lie on our chests while we were in and out of consciousness. She survived and so did we!
• By the time she was 2 weeks old, she was sleeping for 5 hours at a time during the night. Of course, being the paranoid mother that I am, I didn't sleep for those 5 hours straight. I probably got up every hour just to check to see if she was still breathing. (I hear that's common and I'm not alone…or at least humor me and say I'm not.)
• At 3 weeks old, we took our first overnight trip and drove up to Seattle, Washington. She slept the whole way there and I was amazed. Of course, I wanted to wake her to feed her, but you know what they say, "never wake a sleeping baby".
• Overall, the first month was both challenging and rewarding. We realized during this month that spit up is just part of the package, explosive diapers can be dangerous if not taken care of quickly, sleep is a number one priority for a baby…even in the middle of a feeding, and basically Mikayla is the boss!

The Second Month

• Mikayla smiled (for real…not just those sleep grins) at 5 ½ weeks. We thought this was the coolest thing and couldn't wait for her to do it again. She also began cooing around the same time, but you had to catch it quickly or it was gone.
• Mikayla began sleeping through the night during the second month. She would be in bed by 10:00 and wake up around 5:00. What a gift she gave us!!
• By the end of the second month she was in her crib in her own room. It was more of a traumatic thing for me than her. She didn't even miss a beat!
• At her 2 month well baby checkup, she weighed in at 11 pounds, 15 ounces and was 23 ½ inches long.

The Third Month

• I felt like things were starting to get into some sort of a routine and Mikayla was on some sort of a schedule. I could take a shower in the morning while she snoozed in the swing and sometimes she would be even sit in her bouncer seat and let me get ready for the day. This was a big change from the previous months.
• It was also during this month where she started cooing a little more and by the end of this month she began grabbing for hanging toys (well, more batting at them, but I count it as a milestone!)

And here we are again…back to Tuesday, August 8, 2006

• She laughed for the first time at 14 weeks old. It wasn't a full belly laugh, but it was definitely a laugh.
• She also began having conversations with us. It literally brings tears to my eyes when I hear her "talking" to me. It's the sweetest sound in the world. She wakes up in the morning just chatting away. I guess that's a sign of a full night's rest.
• She is now going to bed between 8:00 and 8:30, which gives us free time in the evening to get things done. It's great!! She even sleeps a full night and usually gets up between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning and then goes back to bed for another 1 ½ to 2 hours. Every now and then she might wake up in the middle of the night, but I usually soothe her back to sleep and she's good to go until morning.
• At 15 weeks, just 3 days ago, she rolled over from her tummy to her back for the first time. She did it twice in one day, but of course we can't get her to do it again. We'll give her time!
• She's so much more content just laying on the floor and playing. She loves her play mat and is now seriously grabbing things. Mikayla loves to look in the mirror and talk to herself. When she gets excited she squeals and kicks her feet. It is so much fun watching her grow up and have a personality.