Grace AnneMarie - 19 Weeks

Sleeping –

Hooray for my 12 hour sleeper!  On March 8^th I got her up for the DF and she was fighting me the entire time I was trying to latch her on and I decided she didn’t need this anymore.  The next night she slept 11 ½ hours!  She has been a solid 12 hour sleeper ever since!  She is taking naps 2 and 3 in her carseat right now.  In her bed she is just way too concerned with rolling around to bother with sleeping.  Her first nap goes fine in her bed and in her carseat, the other 2 naps go very well.  I remember being so concerned that Faith slept so well in her carseat for naps, way better than her bed, and it came to nothing.  They both sleep 12 hours in their bed so basically I don’t care if Grace takes every nap in her carseat from now until she can’t fit into it anymore. 

Eating –

Nursing continues to go well.  One other clue I had that the DF was on the wain was Grace’s increase in the amount she took at bedtime.  That has always been Frank’s bottle and I pump for it.  For a long while she would only take 3oz and then about a week before the DF was dropped she was taking 4 with no fight and then 5.  Since dropping the DF, I’ve been giving her whatever I pump at the 7pm and 10pm times combined, usually somewhere between 6-8oz.  She consistently takes at least 6. 

We started cereal at 17 weeks and after about 4 days she actually ingested some.  I started peas this week and by her 3^rd serving she was actually enjoying them.  I love making my own baby food.  Faith and Rebekah helped me make the peas for Grace and I know they are going to enjoy making more for her as time goes on.  They cannot be part of the feeding right now though because Grace is way more interested in them than in eating.  So, she gets her solids after the 7am nursing before the girls are up and then after the 1pm nursing when they are in solo play.

Skills –

Grace rolled from her tummy to her back multiple times about 2 weeks ago but then decided it was more fun to work on back to tummy.  She has it down for the most part and has really become a tummy sleeper because of it although her right arm does tend to get pinned under her but she doesn’t seem to mind, as long as that left thumb is available for soothing.  She has also found her feet and is grabbing them at every opportunity.  She is grasping objects but mostly by accident right now.  In another week it will be more purposeful.    She started laughing out loud too!  She doesn’t laugh that loudly or often but it is certainly a giggle. 

She has the greatest smile, it will light up a room.  She is so happy and content.  She makes me want to have a dozen more just like her!

Rebekah Joy - 29 Months

Sleeping:

Night sleep is still going well.  She and her sister go to bed at 8 but some nights they stay up giggling until 8:30.  Rebekah is usually up with reveille at 7am but is content to stay in bed until I come get them at 8.  Her nap starts at 1:45 and most days she does really well with that. 

Eating:

Although meat is still not her favorite, she is getting a little better with it.  She has been drinking from a big girl cup since she turned 2 and continues to do well with it.  She still wears a bib although that might be going away soon.  She does tend to get silly at meals if I leave the table to go do dishes or something, which happens frequently because she is a rather slow eater.  Silly kids are not hungry and she has learned this on a few occasions.  

Skills:

Rebekah stopped wearing a diaper at naps this month.  We’ve only had one accident!  Her balance bike skills have significantly improved this month.  She really enjoys being on it now and it has made our family walks more fun.  When they are on the downhill I have to run to keep up with them!  She can jump with both feet now, I don’t know if I’ve mentioned that before.  She taught herself how to put her jacket on alone.  She can now consistently get her shoes on by herself.  She is also a self-sufficient pottier.  She will wipe and pour hers into the big potty all without assistance.  “I can do it” is a frequently spoken phrase for her and she really does have a desire to do most things by herself.    She is becoming a book memorizer.  She loves the Duck and Goose series and it is so sweet to hear her “read”.  In addition to calling out numbers she recognizes (which she has been doing for months in the commissary) she is now pointing out letters as well.  She has an incredible memory.  Always the first to remember the names of the people or families we are praying for, she is also a prayer warrior, reminding me to make sure and pray for the country of the week, etc.  She is starting to really love pre-school and LIVES for craft time!  The picture is of the first time she really concentrated on what color she was supposed to color each iguana and she got them all right!  I was so proud of her :)

Play:

Rebekah loves “mama time” which is usually about 15 minutes a day when she and I play together, just the 2 of us.  Her enjoyment of solo play has also increased.  Although we do not go to a formal gymnastics class anymore, I have set up a gymnastics round in our house and she has fun with that as well.  We usually do gymnastics about once a week and it is well received.  Reading is still her first love, although we do sing and dance some in addition to occasionally playing with toys during our mama time.  She also really loves playing hide and seek with Faith.  They always know where they are hiding and will sometimes play with stationary objects like their dolls but it is adorable to watch! 

Training:

I want to add this category but ensure that it is a 2 part entry, one for the training that is normally referred to as discipline and one for training like the teaching of a skill.  So, for discipline training Rebekah is doing really well.  There are occasional fits when I help her do something that she “can do” by herself.  These usually occur when we are in a hurry and I want to do something for her but she doesn’t want the help.  I am trying to be better about setting clear expectation for what she is to do when we get ready to leave the house, get in the car, clean up her toys.  We go over the expectations before she starts the activity and that helps her stay on task.  Rebekah is sensitive to censure and being left out of the group so her disobedience sometimes lands her in the laundry room without any other correction and that is the end of it but sometimes she needs more persuasion. 

As far as life training she has been joining me in washing the dishes during our mama time.  I have revamped our chores and she is excelling there as well.  The chores is a separate post because I want to track my progress and changes as time goes on!  For cooking, I have started separating bowls and really trying to give each girl their own amount to do which really multiplies the dishes for me but they have a better time and ultimately, what is a few more dishes when they learn to love cooking!

Schedule:

0800 – Wake, breakfast

0900 – School, reading

1030 – Outside

1200 – Lunch, mama time, solo play

1345 – Nap

1600 – Snack, Chore, Family time

1800 – Dinner, help w/ Grace’s bath, Bath, Reading, Bible Reading, Prayers, bedtime!

Grace AnneMarie - 17 Weeks

My first real cold since Grace was born has hit me this week so rather than sewing during naps I am trying to keep my feet up which means my updates will actually happen!  At her appointment on Monday she was 14lbs 2oz, 24.1 inches, and her head is 41.7cm around.
Grace loves to smile :)  It is so sweet and I just love it.

Eating:
Nursing is still going fine; sessions last about 15 minutes except for the 7am feed which takes about 30 minutes.  I gave her some cereal on Friday; by Monday she started ingesting some, but not much.  I love making baby food and I know Grace's sisters are going to enjoy it too so I am excited to get her there.  She is not upset about the spoon or anything but just learning how to take it.  I've been giving her cereal at her 7am and 1pm feedings.

Sleeping:
I still can't believe that Grace is such a great napper!  Of course her greatness is taking a little backseat this week to her skill development.  She is working on rolling over from her back to her tummy and she is working on it rather than napping.  So, after about 30 minutes of rolling over practice, she goes either in her car seat or the swing to get that nap in.  I am certain once she gets this skill down, her naps will go back to being good.  Until then, her naps in her carseat are great :)
Dropping the DF didn't float the night I tried it two weeks ago.  So, I am back to rolling back the DF and will try dropping it again in a few weeks.  Right now we are at 10pm and I would like to get it to 9:30 next week. Grace has been waking up happy in the mornings which is pretty nice!
Last night she woke up at 0130 and had a little conversation with herself for about 15 minutes and then went back to sleep.  Who knows.

Skills:
Last week she rolled from her tummy to her back several times.  She has started grabbing the caterpillar in her play gym but I think it is more accidental than purposeful.  Again, she is working on rolling from back to tummy as well; hopefully she figures that out soon :)

10 Commandments

We made a few 10 Commandment crafts with our hands and feet.  I used this 10 Commandments song and some printouts that I shrunk down for the crafts and made bigger for some props around the school room.

We spent 2 weeks on this story and also watched portions of the movie The Ten Commandments and did this parchment craft but I used paperbags and the same small print outs from above.