Raya Recently

It just so worked out that Raya's 2yr check up and Kallen's 4month check up could be scheduled together, so Friday was our big 'ol family trip to the Doctor's. Raya's Stats: She's 27.8lbs and 36 inches. Shes in the 90percentile for height and about the 50percentile for weight. She's been in those exact percentiles since birth...so maybe I'll have a tall daughter?! At the playground its clear she's in the 90th percentile because she's an inch or 2 taller than kids her own age and usually as tall or taller than kids a year or 2 older. 

She loves her doctor-Dr. Willis. Their birthdays are a day apart, which he always tells me when we're there :) He has a grandson her age, so he's really great with her. He always takes her with him after the appt and walks around the office with her. Its so cute. This appt was a little dramatic. She SCREAMED when Gentry tried to put her on the scale. And then SCREAMED when we laid her down to measure her length. And SCREAMED when the doctor put the stethoscope on her back. So you can guess what she did when he checked her ears and mouth. Wowzers. That was intense. And that's without having to get any shots! So clearly she doesn't like the doctors office. Well, not so much the Doctor or the office, but she doesn't like what you have to Do there. Lol. She LOVES the toy part. Pretty sure we left with 3 toys and a table decoration off one of the nurse's desks. Haha. The nurses let her take out and examine every toy in the treasure box. She'd come back with one and then take it back and exchange if for another. It kept her busy during the time we were getting Kallen's shots set up and done. At one point I poked my head out to check on her and she wasn't out there and I could tell by the nurse's face that she wasn't quite sure where she was either...Oh she's just in another room with Dr.Willis while he checks out a little girl's sprained ankle. Pretty sure that's not proper Doc Office etiquette Ms. Raya :) 

She's been incredibly sweet the past week. She's always been my sweet girl, but she's been extra loving lately. I don't know if its because she's a little older or she's just teasing me before she fully emerges herself into the Terrible Twos ;) but my days with her have been extra amazing. She kisses my "owies," she holds my hand, she hugs me really tight-like almost clamps onto me like a little koala. When she sits in the big chair with me she hugs my arm and rests her head on my shoulder. She still plays with my hair like its a drug. She hugs my leg and hangs on when I'm standing in the kitchen. She's very helpful-well, when she wants to be. She runs to Gentry when he gets home from work and literally jumps into his arm and gives him the biggest, sweetest hug. Man oh man, its such an amazing age. Knowing she's always growing up is still hard for me, but it really is priceless. Or amazing. Or wonderful. Or PriceAmazful? There's just no words for it. I feel like the luckiest girl to have this little being that is so happy and loving and brings more joy to my life then anything. Ever. And as I write this I have a 4 month bundle of love sleeping so perfectly in my lap. Really, Life? Sometimes I can hardly believe the kids I've been given, but ya betta believe I know I'm beyond lucky and thankful. Luckful? LOL. I crack myself up :) 

Keeping Up With Kallen---4 Months Old!!!

This is my ALL TIME favorite picture of you.

Baby Boy! You are 4 months old-as of 5.3.11 :) And now its gettin goooood! Today I was squeezing your thick thighs and remembering you as a newborn and now you're a for real baby. I can't believe the days of a tiny (well not so tiny in your case) little brand new baby are over. Having a newborn is one of the sweetest things about life. Does this mean I want more???? Who knows. I DO know that I'm so dang in love with you and I can't believe I've been hanging out with you for 4 months now!

You are so interactive now! You ALWAYS smile when you see me- my fav thing about this age :) Every morning you wake up and when you find me you smile so big! You've rolled over from your tummy to your back. The first time you did it I somehow sensed you were about to so I turned the video camera on. After about 5 minutes of you just "trying" I turned it off to run to the kitchen and get Raya juice. AND guess who had flipped onto his back in that minute. Uh! I missed it. But I got the Second Roll :) You also laugh alot. It's the funniest laugh. Like a little machine gun. All we have to do is look at you and you laugh, ahhhh, how sweet and simple life with a 4 month old is! You try sooooo hard to sit up. When I put you in your little rocker I HAVE to buckle you in because you pull yourself up into a sitting position.

We took you to your 4month check up on Friday and you are good and healthy. My guess for your weight was 16.8lbs, your Dad's was 17.8 and you weighed in at a whooping 17lbs 11oz! So that puts you in the 90percentile for weight. And you are 25.5in long, which is about the 60ish percentile. You're wearing some 3-6month clothes if they run big, but most of the stuff you're wearing is 6-9months. I bumped you up to size 3 diapers because you are so thick. Lol. And it was a good decision. I remember when Raya was about 10months old I carried her through Kohls in the front pouch and by the time I got back to the car I decided that was the last time I could carry her in it because she was just too heavy...well, you're at that weight, actually over the weight she was then. I love the age when you're small enough to carry in a front pouch. I can't believe that you're only 4 months old and at the weight I ended it with Raya. I'm gonna need to start working out just to carry you when I'm shopping! So right now you're at the same weight Raya was when she was 11months old. You guys are 20months apart and only 10lb difference.

Because of your thrush, nursing has been a bit of an issue. It's been pretty painful so I've had to supplement with formula. Man and I feel so guilty for it! At this point you probably get about 60% formula and 40% breastmilk. The last 24 hours have been a little better so I'm hoping I can to a 50/50 split or even better than that. I'm really afraid of what the supplementing did to my supply, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. My goal is to nurse you until 7 months. Anything after that is GREAT! So the plan is to keep it going as long as I can.

You sleep great. I feel like you still sleep more than you're awake, but clearly you're a growing boy so that makes sense. I think you nurse once, sometimes twice, at night, so you're not technically sleeping through the night, but you get a good 5 hour stretch so it works for me! I feel like you'd sleep until 8:30 or 9 every morning, but Raya wakes up at 7 and isn't the quietest :) so you wake up then too. I know I've said it a bunch all ready, but one of my all time favorite things is when you wake up. You are so sweet and smile so big the first time you see me. Best way to start the day!
I'd describe you as an easy kid. You are pretty mellow and relaxed. You have very different cries, so its easy to tell what you want when you're fussing.
And the things we joke up (that later in life you'll want to kill me for talking about):
1.You fart like a grown man. Like loud, stinky farts. Its ridiculous
2. You can be such a stinky baby! Who has a stinky baby?!?! I do. You are very warm blooded and get hot very easily, so you sweat often and then just stink. It really cracks us up, because you don't have that baby smell. You're such a boy!

You have this very cute bashful/flirty smile. You're going to be a heartbreaker. Duh ;) You are such a sweet, sweet little boy. The second I snuggle you up and put your head on my chest you fall asleep. I forget how easy infants fall asleep. And how perfect life is when they're sleeping on you.

I put you in your bouncer about a week in a half ago. You seem to like it for about 10 minutes at a time. I put Raya in it when she was the same age, but the whole time she was in it I had to put a folded up comforter underneath her so her feet could touch because she wasn't long enough-or so I thought. Come to find out it was because she wasn't heavy enough. The first night I put you in it you could touch the group, no problem :) No comforter for you my boy!

Your hair is slightly lighter than when we you were born. Its definitely not as thick. I didn't really notice it getting thinner until I was looking at some of your pictures from month 1. I think I thought your head was just getting bigger-which could be a contributing factor :) But its also falling out some. I didn't know baby's hair falls out later on?! Hmmm. You can see in the picture in your bouncer that you're getting a little bit of a wave. Who knows what it will be like a year from now!

I love love love you! I look forward to watching you grow, obviously, but I'm totally fine with you staying my little cuddle bug for as long as you want. You are the sweetest little boy and I absolutely cherish this time with you!
Xoxo,
Mom

Raya Recently- 2 YEARS OLD!

Yah kiddo, you're TWO! What?! I'm just as amazed :) I know I say it all the time, but you are so much fun. You are like a walking ball of entertainment. Sometimes I'm not always amused...like when you repeatedly climb on top of your dresser then YELL until I get you down and then I tell you "NO Raya, don't climb your dresser," and you do it 37 more times. Thankfully your room is carpeted, so as long as you stay away from the edges of your bedroom furniture we should be lucky enough to stay outta the emergency room.

Whats new with you??
Well, you've started saying "Mine." Alot. I'm not positive where you learned that word. I promise I don't take things away from you and yell "Mine!" lol. And you don't really hang out with other kids...and when you do you all get along great so "Mine"  isn't really used. Your Dad thinks you got it from the Ni Hao, Kia Lan cartoon. He clearly knows each character's personality and apparently one has sharing issues. We are working through this. One of my all time favorite things you do right now: You say "Sorry" when someone is suppose to say it to You. For example, if I bump into you while we're walking and its totally my fault you say, "Sorry!" Or if I drop something when I'm handing it to you you say "Sorry" It's so cute and so sweet. It also makes me feel like I'm in trouble. Lol. So I'm apologizing to you alot. Haha. You're also gone from "Thanks" to the full "Thank You." You talk alot. Say phrases. Can communicate pretty well. Now you'll say some words very clearly and I can really hear your little voice. Ahhhh. So sweet.

We see your Dr for your 2 year check up, so I'll get your Stats then. I'm guessing you're about 28 lbs and 35 inches. I feel like I'm stretching it for your height. I really have no idea. I can tell that you're long though. In the past month you've had a growth spurt. You were sleeping and eating a lot and now a bunch of clothes don't fit you. They were all 18months, but you fit them really well for the longest and now you're pretty much out of them.

I've tried potty training once or twice with you. Right now it seems like so much work to me. For example this is how today went: Woke up, took your diaper off you. You had it off for a good 3 hours. Didn't need to go at all. Took you in and outta the bathroom a couple times just to check. Promised you chocolate if you went in your potty. Sit down to nurse Kallen after one more run to the bathroom. As soon as he starts eating you pee on the carpet. Annnnnddd Day 1 of potty training is annoying. Haha. I've given up for another few more days :)

When you want me to do something you come grab my hand and "pull" me to what you want. You got a new playhouse (from your grandpas) for your bday, so you come get my finger and pull me to the house and tell me to get in with you. Haha. Thankfully I'm about the same height as an older child so I fit just fine.

You are so good to your brother. You do get a little rough with him, or try jumping over him when he's laying on the floor. Oh and you know how Ellen strattles and dances over her table at the end of dancing through her audience? Yah that's what you do to Kallen. It's soooo funny. I try to stop you, but sometimes its just too good to miss. And honestly, you shuffle your feet so you won't really step on him. Its much better than trying to jump over him!

You can't wait for your Daddy to get home from work. When we come downstairs in the morning you say, "Daddy? Daddy?" And for the rest of the day every car that has a loud music playing or you hear something that sounds like the garage door opening you say "Daddy!! Daddy?"

You love being outside. You spend a lot of time on the back patio playing in your playhouse or shooting baskets or talking on your phone. You also enjoy some downtime which is usally always me in the rocking chair, Kallen on my lap and you sitting on the arm of the chair playing with my hair and watching your shows on your iPad (birthday present from nana :)

You LOVE bubbles!!!
 You could have me blow them and run after and pop them all day long.

You're still very much my little side kick. I miss you if I'm away from you too long. Often I can't wait for Gentry to get home so I can get a break, but literally after an hour I'm ready to hang out again.
Thanks for the funnest, fastest, on-my-toes, and proudest 2 years of my life. Just when I think life with you couldn't be better, you do something that melts my heart and I know that this is the best time of my life.