fall festivities

Yes...fall is officially here! I love this time of year. The month of October is always a busy one for us. It means that Halloween and Olivia's birthday are just around the corner. Let the planning begin. To kick off fall and begin decorating for Halloween we took our annual trip to the pumpkin patch. We have been doing this each year since Olivia was born. Here she is at 11 months with her first little "spooky"!

We love this little pumpkin patch because they have pumpkins of all sizes so she can pick out ones that she can actually carry. This year she wanted to pick out four pumpkins...two bigger ones that represent Todd and I, and two smaller ones for her and Cecilia. She ran all over that patch, looking for the perfect pumpkins to represent our little family.

Once she found her sister's first little pumpkin she rushed over to show it to her. Cecilia was just taking in the sights and fresh air, while watching Olivia have all the fun. I can't wait to take Cecilia back to this pumpkin patch next year. It will be neat watching both girls run around, looking for the perfect pumpkin.

That weekend Olivia spent time putting sticker faces on the pumpkins she picked out. She was pretty proud of her "family of pumpkins".

Another sure sign that summer is over is the zoo closing for the season. With that, we took one last family trip. It was a gorgeous fall day and perfect for walking around. Cecilia enjoyed riding on Daddy's chest, checking out the animals. Olivia took one last ride on the horses. We will go back to the zoo once more for the annual Zoo Halloween. Olivia loves this event each year and it gives her an extra chance to sport her costume.

Now let's talk about Cecilia and her recent developments. She loves playing in her exersaucer now that she is strong enough to support her upper body. It is a great way to keep her occupied while I need to get a few things done. She is also SO close to rolling over. She gets onto her side and gets stuck. That darn arm gets in the way and prevents her from getting all the way over. I have a feeling by the next time I post she will be doing it without a problem.

She is sleeping much better at night and taking better naps. She usually gets up once in the middle of the night to eat and usually goes right back to sleep. It took awhile to get to that point, but I think we finally made it. We still occasionally have a bad night, but I guess that is to be expected. I have a feeling I am still a long way off from being able to have a full, uninterrupted night's sleep. Overall she has become a very happy, good tempered baby in the past month. She spends most of her wakeful time with a huge smile on her face. The giggles are coming more frequently and her chatter is getting much louder. See for yourself...

Each year at this time we have our family photos taken. This year we tried a new photographer...Kathryn Proto Photography. She was amazing! I am waiting to get all of the photos from her, and once I do I will share my favorites. Picking my favorites was near impossible as they are all so great, especially the ones of the girls. The photographer couldn't wait to share this one of Cecilia with me.

She brought along this adorable little pumpkin hat with her to our photo shoot. It barely fit on Cece's fat little head, but we managed to squeeze it on for one picture. The weather was perfect for our shoot which made for a really nice afternoon. We have been very fortunate to find great photographers to take our family pictures over the years. I am always amazed with how great they turn out. I should be able to share them soon. Now it is time to get the final touches on Olivia's Halloween costume and her 5th birthday party! Such a fun time of year!

making strides...and smores!

Let me start by saying...I AM EXHAUSTED! This baby is giving me a run for my money. Love her to pieces but I would give my right arm for a solid night's sleep right now. In many ways Cecilia has been improving. She is now more content during her wakeful periods and does not seem as uncomfortable in general. Now we need to work on sleep! Her sleeping skills still need a ton of work...and I need a nap!

I started back to work full time this past week. I was ready. After almost 12 weeks off it was time to get back into my regular routine and I think a break from Cecilia was going to be a good thing for both of us. I found the most amazing babysitter for Cece so I was not the least bit worried about leaving her. I knew she was in good hands with Holly and I felt very secure knowing that she was going to be very well taken care of. So far she is doing great over there and seems to sleep very well for Holly...go figure! After being away from my baby girl all day it makes seeing her at the end of the day that much more exciting.

As I mentioned we are still experiencing some sleep troubles. She tends to nap pretty well for the baby sitter but I still have trouble getting her to take solid naps at home. Her night time sleep is also very choppy and quite restless. She usually gives me a 4-5 hour stretch at first and in most cases the rest of the night is usually pretty shaky. She wakes up often and can sometimes be hard to get back to sleep. I am hoping that things improve soon. She and I both need to get a more solid night's sleep. Olivia was challenging at first in this area but she quickly improved and started sleeping well at night by 3 months. Olivia has always been a good sleeper and I am keeping my fingers crossed that Cecilia turns into one as well.

In other developments she is starting to show interest in her toys. She bats at things in front of her and will occasionally grasp them. I am not sure she grabs onto them intentionally but when she gets one of her rattles in her hands she holds on for dear life! There hasn't been any rolling over yet, but she does enjoy playing on the floor now. A month or so ago she would have cried the second I laid her down flat. She also seems to be doing better in the car. The crying seems to have subsided and at least she is not crying each time we go for a drive. The best thing of all is that she is smiling like crazy and chatting more each day.

Switching gears...Olivia has jumped into the school year head first. She has adjusted to full day school so well and loves it! She has been working on her reading and math skills lately and we have seen some major advancement. She has been making new friends and having a great time. As a treat for all of her hard work lately her Dad promised her they could camp out in the backyard. She has been asking him about camping for quite awhile now and we thought that a trial run in the backyard was a good place to start. First they set up the tent. Well, Todd set up the tent, but Olivia helped a little. All she wanted to do was get inside and roll around.

Once it got dark they headed back outside to make s'mores. It was a chilly night so I put Olivia in her footy jammies and a fleece jacket to stay warm. It really was the perfect night for a camp out. As it got later Olivia was begging to go to sleep. She was so excited to get into her sleeping bag. Now I thought there was no way she would sleep outdoors all night. I figured she would wake up in the middle of the night, not sure of where she was and want to come inside.

The next morning I was up bright and early with Cece and I peeked outside to see that the tent was still closed. She slept out there the entire night! She had the time of her life and she cannot wait to do it again!

The weather is starting to change and fall is officially here. We have a lot going on in the next few months. Halloween is our next big event, soon followed by Olivia's 5th birthday! Yes...she is going to be 5 this year! I can hardly believe it myself. I am sure I will be saying the same thing once Cecilia turns one. I know that time flies and your children grow up in a flash. I can't say that I feel that time is flying right now, but I am sure once Cece starts sleeping better at night I will change my tune!

we love our Sue Sue

Once Cecilia was born my Aunt Sue decided she had to get out to Fort Wayne to meet her ASAP. Well in mid August she flew out to spend the week with us and meet her newest Great Niece. To say that Olivia loves her Aunt Sue Sue is an understatement. She is her BFF and spent the entire week right by her side.

I was going through a very fussy period with Cecilia that week. She was not sleeping very well and she was unhappy most of the time. It made for some stressful days. Having my Aunt Sue around for the week meant there was another extra pair of hands to help with the baby and give me the occasional break. Not only did she relieve me of a crying baby many times that week she also reassured me that this fussy period would pass and things would get better. I do wish that Cecilia was a bit happier during the time Sue was in town, bust fussiness aside she was able to squeeze quite a few smiles out of Cece that week.

Olivia kept her Aunt Sue Sue very busy while she was here. They played at least 100 games of Uno, took a trip to the grocery store to peruse the samples and shop for her school lunches, and had two sleepovers with her. Olivia was sad when her visit was over but happy knowing she would see her again in a few months for Thanksgiving. I am looking forward to Sue being able to come back to a much happier baby next time. Cecilia will be five months old by then and much more active.

My hope is that Cecilia will be as close with Sue as Olivia is. I fear that she will not be taking as many trips to California to visit as Olivia did when she was little. I think Olivia has been five times already. Maybe that means Sue will have to fly out to Fort Wayne a little more often. Either way I do know that I will have two girls that love their Aunt Sue Sue to bits!

The biggest news at our house lately is that Olivia recently started full day school. She is now in her fourth year at Peace Montessori and officially a "full day friend". (That is what they call kids that stay at school the entire day). She was beyond excited to start back again, even though she attended their summer program most of the summer. She went to bed extra early that Sunday night and bounced out of bed on Monday morning, ready to start the new school year. I only hope her love for school sticks with her to the end.

This is her third year with Ms. Laura and she is now one of the "big kids" in the class. I have no doubt she will be a good leader for the younger children in the class, but I also know that Ms. Laura will challenge her in many ways.

I am very excited to see what this year has in store for Olivia. She amazes us each and every day with her intelligence, wit and charm. Just when I think she can't impress us anymore, she does it again! This school has been a perfect fit for Olivia. I only hope that Cecilia can one day thrive there as well.

Now for a brief Cecilia update...she is doing a bit better. A few weeks ago the doctor determined that she had acid reflux, just like Olivia did at this age. We now have her on Zantac. It seems to be working but I still feel she is quite uncomfortable at times. At her two month check up this past week the doctor suggested that I try cutting diary out of my diet. She thinks Cece may have a slight allergy to diary and that could be aggravating her reflux. So I am currently trying to go without dairy to see if that helps her at all. She also seems to be suffering from her second little cold. In her 9 short weeks on earth she has had two little colds. Nothing serious...just runny nose, coughing, etc.

The good news is that she is continuing to pack on the pounds. She currently weighs 12 lbs. 12 oz and is 24 inches long. I think as soon as we can get this reflux under control will be out of the woods and onto happy baby land. I cannot get enough of the sweet little baby smiles and coos. Now I am just waiting for the first belly laugh.

Oh and did I mention...Olivia still loves her sister to bits!

smiles, soccer and struggles

What a whirlwind this first six weeks has been. We have had our ups and downs and many challenges, but overall both girls are doing well and that is all that matters. Cecilia will be 8 weeks old this week and she is growing like crazy! A few weeks ago she weighed in at a healthy 11 lbs. 4 oz. She is packing it on like a champ, just like her sister did during the first few months! I just love chubby cheeks and thighs and boy, she's got 'em!

Let's start with Cecilia's newest accomplishment...smiles! She has been showing off her latest trick daily for a few weeks now. Olivia tends to be able to get the best smiles out of her. More frequently now the smiles are accompanied by sweet little coos and I just love it! I am treasuring these moments since she has been a somewhat fussy baby the past few weeks (more on that in a bit). So when I see her little face light up my heart does as well. I am sure as the weeks pass her smiles and coos will turn into chatter, but there is nothing like seeing them for the first time.

Olivia is still very much in love with her sister. She has been very attentive and patient with Cece, which has been wonderful considering we have had some difficult days. Not once has Olivia complained about the crying or noise around the house. She has been very patient with her sister and I am grateful for that.

We are wrapping up our summer activities and getting back into the school routine once again. Olivia played soccer again this year through the parks department. She showed off her skills at the end of the season Soccer Showcase. She moved into a higher level soccer class this summer and started learning the skills needed to play an actual game. The soccer showcase gave her class the opportunity to play against another team and show off everything they learned.

She is still working to grasp all of the rules of the game and she needs to work on not being afraid to get in the middle of the all the action, but overall she did a great job. She played goalie for a short time during the game and successfully blocked a goal! She was very proud of herself and so were we. She learned a lot about being a team player this season and had a great time in the process.

So with all of the smiles and soccer going on lately we have definitely been experiencing some struggles as well. Cecilia's first three weeks were a dream. Eating and sleeping just as a newborn baby should...and then she woke up! She started becoming more alert during the day and with that the fussiness began. She continued to eat and sleep well both during the day and night, but would be quite fussy during the short time she was awake. Not hard core crying, just fussy. This continued and got progressively worse as the weeks passed. Finally I decided to take her to the doctor as a precautionary measure.

She is now being treated for acid reflux...the same condition her sister had at this age. Since starting the medicine she seems to be doing better. We have had a few rough days, but overall she seems to be improving a bit. The biggest struggle I am still dealing with is keeping Cecilia happy while she is awake. She does not care to lie on the floor or on her play mat. I put her in her swing but that only works for a brief period of time. Unfortunately I cannot sit on the couch and hold her all day long, as much as I would love to. What I am realizing is just how difficult the first few months can be with an infant. I absolutely love Cecilia to pieces but I at times I wish I could fast forward to the six month stage. Is that horrible to say?

Through all of the struggles I often stop to remind myself just how lucky I am to have two very healthy little girls. Olivia is the most caring, understanding and amazing little girl. I watch the way she talks to Cecilia and I see how much love she has for her sister. Cecilia, aside from dealing with some mild discomfort is thriving and that gives me peace. I realize that adjusting to life with two kids is going to raise many challenges. All I can say is that I am doing my best to adjust to being a Mom of two. I am by no means perfect, but I am doing the absolute best job I can. I have realized that it is a learning process all over again. What worked with Olivia does not necessarily always work for Cecilia. I guess for now I just take things day by day.

A few weeks ago Olivia, Todd and many of my family members met in Florida to attend my cousin's wedding. I chose not to attend the wedding as traveling to Florida in August with a newborn did not appeal to me. I was sad to miss the festivities but I knew I made the right decision. I am glad that Todd and Olivia were able to go because they had a wonderful time. Olivia had a blast at the wedding and spent the rest of her time at the beach. It was the perfect little end of the summer getaway for them.

I have much more to share but it will have to wait. My Aunt Sue just came for a visit so she could meet Cecilia and Olivia just started her fourth year of school. Many great pictures to come. Now I must rest!