Raya Recently- 22 Months!

Ms. Raya
Today you are 22 months AND the date is 2.22.11. Well didn't that work out nicely ;) Love fun numbers.

All dressed up for 22months! ;)

Well, this was the month you started sleeping in your new bed. You only sleep there about half the night, but that's fine by me! If you come get in bed with us you sleep until at least 8, so I'll take it. The last few weeks you've been sleeping alot. I try and put you to bed by 8. Sometimes you're asleep by then, and sometimes I get caught up watching American Idol (or Jersey Shore-don't judge) and your bedtime gets pushed back a little. Either way, you're asleep by 10 and sleep in until 8:30 or 9. So we're all well rested!
You've been having some Eczema issues this month. Poor baby. It seems to be getting better, but it's been a lot of work! And you've dealt with it so well. I have to lotion you up at least 3 times a day, usually 4, and most of the time you don't fight it. That's been awesome. And as much as it itches, I'd expect you to be a little more feisty, but you really haven't. You've been a champ! Even in the early morning when you wake up because the itching is driving you crazy, you're fine. I know I'd be beyond frustrated and probably cry. You just try and go back to sleep :) You are one tough cookie!

Helping get the mail

This month you've taught yourself how to use my phone. Well not for the reason you'd use a phone, but for the reason most people buy the iPhone-the Apps! Nana got an ipad a few months back and she showed you how to open apps and use your finger to slide through the pages. Well, the other day I watched you grab my phone, unlock it, and then flip through the 4 pages of apps until you found the page of baby game apps. You've never really played with my phone before, other than to watch Wow Wow Wubbzy on Youtube, so it was so funny to watch you flip through the pages and look for specific apps. It really seemed like you knew there was a page with baby game apps and you knew you just had to flip through them until you found them, which you did with ease. It also made you look like such a little kid, and not my little baby :( I hate that part!

You climb this ALL DAY LONG,
so I might as well get a cute picture of you at it

You're still doing great as the Big Sis. You love having Kallen around. You're not obsessed with him like he's your favorite toy, but you like to be sweet with him and get close to his face and nuzzle him or kiss him. Now when I take you up to bed and tell you to give Daddy and the Baby kisses good night you walk right up to him and kiss him on the lips and then kiss Daddy. Its the SWEETEST THING EVER. You like to hold him and sometimes get a little pissed when I take him back. A couple times you've gotten upset when I leave with him and you're not sure where we are going.

You're 26lbs and I'm guessing about 36inches. You are officially out of all your 12month clothes. You fit a lot of your 18month clothes, but the pants are all high waters and your 18month jeans are getting tight on your waist. I buy all 24month pants and 2T or 3T tops for you. You wear a size 7 shoe, you could probably fit a 7.5-yes, that's pretty big for a 22month old. You're still alot taller than most kids your age. You are extremely active and athletic. You've got a really great throw, you easily run and kick a ball, you're FAST and fearless and you can jump with both feet off the ground. (Wow Kelsey, brag a little?)

Animal print on Animal print= Jersey girl in training

You are a cuddle bug. If you are snuggled and playing with my hair you fall asleep so quickly. Oh and I keep forgetting to write about this, but you LOVE skin. I think it started when I was pregnant and you'd always want to lay your head on my belly. Now, when you're sleepy, if I'm wearing capri pants you get on the floor next to me and put your face against the exposed part of my leg. If your Dad or I are wearing a tank top or shorts you rest your face on our arms or legs. When I put you down for a nap you put my forearm over your eyes or against your cheek. There's something about skin against your face that's very soothing to you. It's pretty cute.

You and your bodyguard (aka Dad)

Can you tell Mr. Bubble man was preforming?

Wellll, now begins the countdown to 2!!! I can't believe my baby is so close to 2 years old. Kinda breaks my heart, but its so fun watching you grow and seeing the new things you do and watching your own little personality develop. You are such a fun, sweet girl. You are the best part of my day. Its impossible not to smile when you're around. I'm a ridiculously lucky Mom. Thanks for being the best daughter a girl could ask for!
Love You Raya Bug!
XoXo,
Mom

What Would You Do?

Sooo, on a totally unrelated note. I'm watching the show "What Would You Do?" If you've never seen it, its hidden cameras capturing how people react when they're thrust into real-life ethical scenarios.  It's about seeing if they mind their own business or step in.  For example, tonight's episode is about a guy sitting in a diner and another man overhears him talking about the fact that he has AIDS and then refuses to touch the same menu or even sit by him. Both these guys are the actors. They tape the other customers to see what they'll do and the majority of them help the man with "AIDS" and yell at the other guy. Don't even get me started on the gay family that went out to dinner and the waiter harassed the gay parents (the gay couple, 2 kids and waiter were the actors.) THAT was touching. Ten years ago I find it hard to believe that customers would've stood up for the same kind of family like they did in this episode. I'm so proud to be a part of this generation.
Anyways, the show always makes me cry. Tears of joy for sure ;) It's SO amazing to watch these people do the right thing. Like, there's really ALOT of good people in this world. My Friday nights use to be about dancing till I sweat my makeup off and scoring free drinks. Now its watching "What Would You Do" and crying because I'm so moved by the goodness of strangers. And reminded that there's more good in this world than there is bad. Oh man, does this make me boring?! HAHA. I'm kidding. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Unless its with a stranger offering goodness through a free margarita. And chips and salsa. Oh wait, how about "What Would You Do," margaritas and chips and salsa. Now THAT would make me cry tears of joy ;)
Happy Friday Night!

Raya Recently

Welllll, we rarely wear anything other than pajamas around here :) So when I get Raya dressed you betta believe I put great thought into what she will be putting on AND I specifically plan a 15 minute camera break into our day :) HAHA. Hilarious. But its so true. And boys still aren't as fun to dress. Since I've brought little big man home I've been keeping a very open mind about boys clothes. I've been given some cute stuff so I get him as "cute" as possible, but there's nothing like opening Raya's closet and deciding what to put on her. Yes, its very similar to dressing up my cabbage patch kids or Barbies :) I'm pretty sure the one boy cabbage patch kid I had never changed his clothes, and weren't Ken's clothes painted on him? I don't even remember. See! Its not my fault. Society (and my father) breed me this way.
Ok, back to Raya. We've had a tough few days...about 2 weeks ago she started getting a rash on the top of her foot that she was scratching. After about a week it was getting a little larger and I noticed it on her hand and wrist too. So we went to see her Doc and she told us it was eczema. Poor kid. She's always had sensitive skin and a little tiny bit of eczema on the back of her neck, but it never flared up into a full blown rash. So for the last week I've been putting the ointment the doc prescribe on it and I was instructed to lotion her 3 to 4 times a day. REALLY!?!? Have you tried lotioning an almost 2 year old 3-4 times a day. It's like trying to catch a wet fish with your bear hands 3 to 4 times a day. With a newborn strapped to your chest. Ah, fun times. I've been able to do it 2 times a day, but that's not enough. She woke up this morning with it on the back of her knee and underarm. So 4 times a day it is! Basically she just shines all day because I coat her in vaseline. She's done great though. If I can distract her with cartoons or bribe her with fruit snacks I can get it done. I'm hoping if I keep everything super moist for the next week we'll get through these flare ups. If not, I'll have to go get some steroid creme. On a side note my cuticles and hands are extremely moisturized. Ps- If you've dealt with eczema please pass along any tips you have! Her hands are the hardest to keep moisturized...It's only day 2 of "all day lotion" and then I cover the areas with Aquaphor and so far its looking better.

This was her impromptu Valentine's Day outfit. I had another one with a Fabulous bow,  but this it what she ended up in. i LOVE the jeans. They're "boyfriend" fit and almost too small :( And Gentry HATES that they're called "boyfriend" fit. HAHAHA! Like he really gets mad about it. Anytime someone says "Raya" and "boyfriend" in the same conversation Dad gets mad. 

Wish they made this jacket in my size  

Here's some pictures of her this past week:

This was my favorite!!!
Shirt from our cousin Bella (Baby Gap)
Boyfriend Jeans (Children's Place)
Leopard Shoes!!! (ebay)

I love her hair in this one. Little blonde tips :)

Basketball game attire...I bought this dress for her when she was still in my belly. It's a 2T. I remember thinking, "She's not going to wear this for years!" And now she fits it. 

She always wants to hold both of our hands so we can swing her.

She LOVES popcorn

Valentines Day

So I've sat down to blog pretty much everyday and then something happens...or someone wakes up :) Raya's upstairs taking a nap and Kallen's on my lap sleeping, so we'll see how long I get!
Valentine's Day was sweet. Full of love for sure! It's quite a different holiday with a 1year old and 6 week old. I had the cutest outfit for Raya, fabulous bow included, but she didn't end up wearing it. We met my Mom and Mary for breakfast. It was sunny and beautiful! A perfect Valentine's Day brunch with the girls and Kallen. I did Raya's hair, but getting her into the outfit and bow was more work than I cared to put in. AND the kiddos had very important shirts to wear to breakfast for Grandma, so they still looked cute. And Raya WILL wear her outfit and I'll take pictures. Lets be honest, I'll probably put her in the outfit just for pictures :) It's suppose to rain the next 3 days, so really that's my only option.
When Gentry got home from work we had dinner and watched TV. Honestly, it was perfect :) Our Valentine's night looked like this: Raya was jumping on her trampoline and watching Wow Wow Wubbzy on the computer that we set up on the floor so that we can actually watch our tv. Gentry was watching some show on the NAtional Geographic Channel about the circle of life. FYI, I hate the circle of life. Poor little calf was left all alone because the mother couldn't stay or she'd get lost from the rest of the pack. Yep, the circle of life sucks. K, back to our night: I was on the computer organizing pictures so I could make a photobook on Shutterfly and Kallen was asleep on Gentry. So yah, quite a different Valentine's Day, but I'm not complaining. I like that its different. I do miss going out to dinner BUT I know this is temporary and its literally a few years of this phase and I know with my whole heart when this "phase" is over I'm going to miss it terribly, so I'll take it!

Ill use any and every excuse/holiday to get cute little themed gifts. My parents always got us fun little presents and this is definitely one of my favorite things about having kids!
Ps- the $1 section at the front of Target =HEAVEN

She LOVES stickers. Last night she loved them so much that she chewed AND swallowed about 7. What the...

He doesn't quite smile on que, but every once in awhile I get one!

I gave them each a little bear and when one bear "kisses" the other bear it makes a kiss sound

When you have an older and wiser sister, she will test out all your toys for you :) Just to make sure they're not too dangerous

He likes to "stand" and stretch his legs out, although he looks a little alarmed here. No babies were harmed while taking this picture 

Well one post done and everyone's still asleep! I have a bunch more pictures to post. Maybe I'll get a chance to blog again tonight. Wish me luck Raya will fall asleep much faster than she did last night. Yep, she stayed up till midnight last night!!! What the heck. But then she slept in until 9, so it all worked out. Haha. Here's to her going to bed at 8 tonight!

Raya's Room

I've been meaning to take pictures of Raya's new room, so I finally got around to it today! My Dad and Alan came the 1st week after Kallen was born to meet the baby, but more importantly, put Raya's room together!!! We went to Ikea and got the goods, then my Dad spent the the week setting it all up and decorating. Thank GOD for Gay Grandpas! Her room is adorable :) And Raya loves being in it. If you've followed some of my other pictures you've seen that she climbs EVERYTHING, so thats the only issue that I'm trying to work out. To be honest, I don't even care anymore that she climbs. If I did, I'd have to spend every 30 seconds walking into her room and getting her down, so this week I decided: It's carpet and its not that high of a fall. Yep, I let her climb. Of course when I go in and see her I tell her no, but when I see her on the video camera from my room I don't even care. She's a good climber. She knows how to get down and she has pretty good balance, so I'll let her figure it out. I did hear a pretty loud crash the other day. When I went it all the furniture was upright and she was playing, so I'm assuming the loud thud was her body, but clearly she wasn't hurt. I got stitches when I was 18months old after I climbed up onto the kitchen counter and fell off, so since she's 21 months and has yet to hurt herself seriously I consider my parenting style successful ;) LOL.

Flower Lights. She loves turning these on and off

Bed with Canopy. I ALWAYS wanted one of those, so ya betta believe she got one :)

The bookcase/stairs. Its really just a bookcase, but Raya uses it to get the objects off those selves.

Isn't it SO CUTE?!?! This is the view walking in her door.

My Dad MADE the curtains. He bought 2 comforters and used 1 to make the curtains. Amazing. And my cousin, Makenna, made the Raya name plate in wood shop class. She's in 8th grade :)

Another view of the bookcase minus Raya climbing it.

Her very own bed!!! That she sleeps in half of the night :)

I couldn't figure out what to do with her shoes, so I use that pink thing to store them. It actually works great. I can see all the shoes and they all fit. Only problem is when Raya tries to climb it....but that's only been once or twice. 

Look as these curtain rods! Yes, that's a pink disco ball. 

Amazing :)

It's soooooo nice to finally have a room for her that's all hers and that she can be in with little supervision. I can actually put my clothes away while she's occupied (and by putting clothes away I probably mean watching Real Housewives of Atlanta ;)

Keeping Up With Kallen---1 Month Old!

My baby is 1 month old!  I'm sitting here with him wrapped in my moby wrap against my chest. He's purrring. Yah, that's right, my baby purs! He is a loud kid. He grunts and purs and makes all sorts of sounds that crack me up. Some are cause he's gassy. Poor kid. He's been super gassy and a bit uncomfortable at least part of every day since he's been here. I've tried changing things in my diet but that hasn't seemed to help. Doc says some babies are sensitive to everything. That's about all he could help me with, but that was when he was 2 weeks old, so hopefully he'll outgrow his super sensitivity soon. He's nursing like a pro. Pretty sure he nursed ALL day yesterday. I'm guessing that was part of a growth spurt. I'm sure he's 10lbs at least. I hold him and he just seems so solid. I remember Raya felt so delicate and like such a peanut. When I pick him up or hold him I have to remind myself that he's only a few weeks old, and not a few months.

He's definitely been studying my face. When he's content he'll sit in my arms and just stare at me. I love it :)

When he's full, has a clean diaper and is well rested he's ready to "play." And by play I mean look around and listen. If one of those 3 things is outta whack he's not having any of it. He definitely has more of a temperament than Raya did. Raya was pretty easy going and rarely fussed even if she needed something. Kallen, on the other hand, will let you know he needs something and he needs that something now! He's started "yelling" at me. Haha. It's not a cry at all. It's like he's saying "Hey! Fix this. Now." It's a quick little yell and he has me well trained. He yells and I jump on it.
He's sleeping very well. At night he only wakes up to eat. Since I'm nursing and he's sleeping with me neither one of us really wakes up, so, knock on wood, we're all well rested. He still sleeps more than he's awake. He'll spend the first half of the day eating and taking cat naps and then towards the later afternoon he'll start taking longer naps for the rest of the day.

SOOOO Cute

He makes a ton of faces when he's grunting. 

 He loves being in the Moby Wrap. As soon as I put him in there he's asleep. I heard babies that are fussy or gassy like to be carried in the moby because they're in an upright position and against your body. If you're having a baby get the moby wrap. I LOVE it. I wish I had it with Raya. Its like a little kangaroo pouch for them :) Except their head is up at your chest. It definitely helps with 2 kids cause I can have my hands free to catch Raya and he's happy. AND, when necessary, I can run. You can guess why I may need to do that. (ie Raya)

In the Moby Wrap

He's a sweet little smell good bundle of joy. When they're like this its easy to want more! But then Raya and her dabbing in the Terrible 2s reminds me that I have one of each (boy and girl) and I'm good to go. No mas para mi.

Getting Strong!!! 

He gets cuter and cuter everyday. Right now I think he looks SO much like Gentry. I don't think he looks like me at all. He still has a full head of hair and his little "stork bites" are starting to fade. He's wearing 0-3 month clothing. I have no idea his measurements but he's at least 22 inches and 10lbs or so. Not sure what color eyes he has, they're still that slate grey. He's given me about 2 smiles, that weren't cause he was farting ;) They were for real smiles. And they were the sweetest! He likes when I sing to him and he's a cuddle bug! Couldn't ask for a better little boy.
I love you Kallen! So excited to watch you grow :)
xoxo, Mom