August 31, 2011

Name: Flora
Date: 8-31-11
Arrived: No Flora today. :(
Breakfast:
Snack 1:
Nap 1:
Lunch:
Nap 2:
Snack 2:
BM:
Special notes:

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-31-11
Arrived: 8am
Breakfast: ----
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: 10:20-1:05!!!!
Lunch: 1:05pm, all of pasta conglomeration, all of melon
Nap 2: ----
Snack 2: ----
BM: none yet
Special notes: Samuel is definitely learning some of the sign language. He was looking at flowers today and scrunching his nose!

A few things we did today: Went hiking (we were caught in the rain!! Oops!), cruised the grocery store, went to the bank, read, played in the Cozy Coup
General notes: Not much to note today! Sammy seemed pretty happy overall.

August 30, 2011

Exploring the tent!!


"Helping" me build the Cozy Coup. :)

Name: Flora
Date: 8-30-11
Arrived: 7:05am
Breakfast: ate very little…just a few bites of oatmeal and a couple bites of watermelon
Snack 1: 10am, cereal
Nap 1: tried 9:25, no go. 10:20am-11:30am? She may have been up earlier and just chilling in the crib.
Lunch: noon, most of tortilla, all green beans, rest of watermelon from breakfast, a few grapes
Nap 2: Flora left with Grandma at 1:15.
Snack 2:
BM: 11:30pm
Special notes: Flora was hilarious this morning! Sammy got up a little late, so she had to wait while he ate breakfast, and she ran all around screaming and making happy noises. It was great. You’d never know she had a rough night. :) She usually does fine here with her bib, so that must be a power struggle with Mom and Dad to push limits I bet. She is beginning to test me out a little bit, though, as she did take her bib off today at lunch, but she was pretty much done eating already, so I just let her take it off and took her tray. Oh, and she was using some kind of signs at lunch to tell me she wanted a drink! She’s getting pretty good at communicating, and so it’s a lot of fun to interact with her. She does this thing where she puts her pointer finger to the side of her face or to the corner of her mouth, and I think that usually means water, though she also used it today for milk (which she inhaled today!). When she did the sign, I would move the water toward her and she would shake her head “no,” then I would move the milk toward her and she would grab it. Cool stuff.

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-30-11
Arrived: 7:45am
Breakfast: all oatmeal with blueberries, didn’t want cantaloupe so he ate a banana
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: 10:20-11:55am
Lunch: noon, ate all of sweet potato, melon from breakfast, but he wouldn’t eat the meatloaf.
Nap 2: tried at 2:40 just to see since he was crabby, but didn’t work. Tried again at 3:25 for 20 minutes, then he finally went down a little after 4pm.
Snack 2: ----
BM: Ha, he had one right after I changed his diaper. :) I think that was about 9:30am or so.
Special notes: Samuel was really excited to climb the stairs this morning…he was fast! I didn’t see him pull on his ear anymore today, so hopefully he will be ok. It is fun to hear Samuel starting to try to say words. I think he is beginning to understand sounds and formation of lips. I do think that maybe he understands “bird.” His simplified version is simply “buh.” He seemed to enjoy the short rides in the Cozy Coup today…he was fascinated with looking down because he could see the ground in the bottom of the car! :) I had to leave him alone for a minute today while he was in the car on the back porch, and when I came back out, he had managed to get stuck under the car by trying to crawl out the bottom. I was in too much of a hurry to help him out, but it sure would have made a funny picture! :)

A few things we did today: Went for a walk around the neighborhood (they really enjoyed the cement truck!), listened to music and played percussion again, read a little (neither seemed too interested today), played in the tent (briefly…lost interest quickly…I think tomorrow I will fill the tent with blankets and fun stuff), played in the water (after being bored with the tent), stood by and played with Cozy Coup parts (Samuel)

General notes: Most of the notes for today are in Samuel and Flora’s “special notes.”

August 29, 2011

Ready for a ride!


Having fun on the slides. Look at Flora's concentration face! :)



Both kids learning to get into mischief! hehe


Sammy with the maraca and both kids playing the drum...with chopsticks! :)


Name: Flora
Date: 8-29-11
Arrived: 7:05am
Breakfast: all of oatmeal and 1/2 of watermelon
Snack 1: cereal and raisins, 10am
Nap 1: 10:05am (went right down!)-11:15am
Lunch: 12, ate grapes, watermelon (the rest from breakfast), tiny bit of pasta (wasn’t interested), milk (drank more milk than usual!), all cheese. She still seemed hungry after lunch, so I gave her the rest of her cereal snack.
Nap 2: tried 2pm, 2:15pm, then a book and 2:30pm. She cried all times and wouldn’t go to sleep.
Snack 2: 1pm, cereal
BM: 8:30am
Special notes: Flora was all over the stairs today at the playground! In fact, I practically had to drag her away from them after a few turns because I was having trouble keeping up with her and watching Sammy at the same time! She loved climbing up to the platform. She also loved staring at another baby at the park and the airplanes that kept flying overhead. She was wonderfully behaved, as always.

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-29-11
Arrived: 7:15am
Breakfast: almost all of eggs and peas, all of PB and bread, 1/2 of banana
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: Put down at 10:05, but stayed in his crib quietly for 30 minutes, then babbled on and off for 30 minutes. Never slept.
Lunch: 12pm, didn’t eat much, didn’t want cucumber sauce, banana, yam, or pear. I gave him some sour dough bread and he ate all the yogurt.
Nap 2: 2pm-3pm
Snack 2: ----
BM: 1pm
Special notes: During lunch, Samuel held his ear almost the entire meal and was a little fussy. I hope he is not getting an ear ache again. You might want to keep an eye on that.

A few things we did today: After breakfast, we went to Oxford Community Park and played on the swing and playground. When we got home, we took a short walk around the neighborhood. Played with percussion toys, listened to music, read, visited the creek (Flora).

General notes: Both kids seemed a little off schedule today, but overall good. They seemed to enjoy getting out to the park, though that particular playground wasn’t the best for babies. Next time I might try the Tri-Center and also remember to bring the stroller so we have something else to do when they lose interest at the playground.

August 26, 2011

Flora sharing her cup with Samuel...so sweet!


Observing...


The kids love looking out the window and watching stuff happen in the neighborhood.




Name: Flora
Date: 8-26-11
Arrived: 7am
Breakfast: 7:15am, only a couple bites of pb and bread, all watermelon, 3/4 of eggs
Snack 1: 10am, cereal and raisins
Nap 1: 10:10am-10:55am
Lunch: noon
Nap 2: 2pm-3:10pm
Snack 2: crackers, 3:10pm
BM: 11am, 2pm
Special notes: The last couple days, nap time has been SOOOO much better for Flora. I think maybe she just needed some time to get used to the environment and know that it was safe and that I would return for her when she woke up. Flora also loves to look out the window and observe. When we were outside today, Flora was going crazy saying, “That! That!” at everything! :)

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-26-11
Arrived: 7:30am
Breakfast: 7:15am, all oatmeal, all pineapple
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: 10:10am-11:30am
Lunch: noon,
Nap 2: 3:20-
Snack 2: ----
BM: 2pm
Special notes: No problems with diapers today. :) Also, it cracks me up that Sammy immediately starts moving any time I play “Beg, Steal, Borrow” by Ray. Ha He also climbed all the way up the stairs today…he seemed pretty eager to do so.

A few things we did today: went for a walk and practiced “flower” in sign language…on the walk we also met Karen pronounced “Car-in” (Scandinavian name) who invited me to League of Women Voters…hehehe… , played guitar and drums, listened to music, observed things out the window, played in the water trough and in the back yard, hung out with friends (Kara and Ben both ended up stopping by)

General notes: Neither one of them cried at all when I put them down for their naps! Awesome. The walk today was fun because there was a lot going on…buses, Rumpke trucks, kids waiting for the bus, other walkers, bikers, dogs, etc. There was a lot to observe, and the kids seemed to enjoy it.

August 25, 2011

Flora was playing "peek-a-boo" with her bib.


I tried to get the kids to use pots and kitchen utentils for percussion, but they really just wanted to turn the pots over and "stir" the pot... :)


Look! I'm climbing the stairs on my own! And Aunt Kiki is trying to get a good picture but can't because she thinks I'm a little unstable...

Name: Flora
Date: 8-25-11
Arrived: 7:10am
Breakfast: ate almost all oatmeal, most eggs, and all blueberries
Snack 1: cereal at 10:15am
Nap 1: tried at 9:35 until 9:45, no go. She seemed rather grumpy and tired as the morning went on, though, so I put her down at 11:05 and she fell asleep soon after. 11:10am-12pm.
Lunch: 12, ate everything! (cheese, chicken, carrots, green beans, and cherries)
Nap 2: 2:30-3:40
Snack 2:
BM: 8:30am
Special notes: Flora continues to amaze me with her generosity and non-confrontational attitude. She is so willing to share with Samuel and doesn’t usually put up a fight if he wants something that she has. Her nap schedule was off today, but she just didn’t seem like she was going to make it to lunch without one. The late morning nap made for a late afternoon nap, but Drew was very patient and let her sleep. Thanks for hanging out, Drew. Flora also appropriately used the sign language for “hat” today.

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-25-11
Arrived: 7:30am
Breakfast: almost all oatmeal, 1 banana
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: tried at 9:35, no luck, down again at 10:15, asleep by probably 10:25-12pm
Lunch: 12pm, all applesauce, about half the salmon, all of sandwich, almost all carrots (smooshed into the sandwich)
Nap 2: 3:20-4:30
Snack 2: ----
BM: 12pm
Special notes: After an hour, Sammy was wet through his diaper. We were on our third pair of pants by lunchtime…Not sure what else to do…

By the way, he climbed some stairs all by himself today! He needs constant supervision, of course, as he will suddenly turn around to look behind him with no regard to the edge of the stair. So be ready to grab him, but he’s definitely doing it on his own. I think it helped observing Flora today, and then all he needed was a leaf on the 4th step to motivate him to go up. Ha :)

A few things we did today: chased each other around the house, played with pots and kitchen utensils, listened to music, played on the djembe (Samuel), took at 1-mile walk (by the way, all those other walks were 1 mile, not 2! Oops!), played in the water trough (Flora), played with blocks, read books (they seem to like the ones with pictures and one word for the picture).

General notes: The kids were great as always. I tried to get Flora to work on somersaults today, but instead I just made myself look silly as I demonstrated. :) I’m still waiting for Samuel to start walking! I can tell there are times he thinks about it, then he slowly sits down. Hehe Today was the first time they have napped at the same time…I had a whole 50 minutes before lunch to get some things done around the house and set up for lunch and even a little more time this afternoon…crazy!

August 24, 2011

Name: Flora
Date: 8-24-11
Arrived: 7:00am
Breakfast: ate all oatmeal, green beans, and blueberries
Snack 1: 10am, cereal and dried fruit
Nap 1: ----
Lunch: noon, ate just about everything packed (cheese, chicken, veggie, grapes)
Nap 2: 1:20-2:50
Snack 2: 3:15, strawberry bar
BM: 9am, 1pm
Special notes: Flora loves to point at things and say, “That!” to ask about different objects. She is already so inquisitive! :) She doesn’t seem too interested in drinking milk, so that’s why there is quite a bit left in the container every day. She seems pretty content with water. With her disinterest in yogurt, I would think maybe she didn’t like dairy, but that can’t be true because she loves that cheese!

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-24-11
Arrived: 7:30am
Breakfast: ate before coming
Snack 1: 11am, a few bites of cantaloupe
Nap 1: 9:45-10:50am
Lunch: noon, didn’t want carrots but I snuck a few in with hummus (of which he ate quite a bit!), didn’t seem too interested in the chicken, either, but ate all of his cantaloupe. It was funny to watch him try to eat the rice noodles! He seemed to really like them at first, but then I think he just got frustrated and didn’t eat very many.
Nap 2: Went down at 3:05pm, but didn’t fall asleep until 3:20-3:25pm
Snack 2: ----
BM: 1pm
Special notes: I definitely think Sammy is ready for a sippy cup! He was holding his water and drinking just fine today. I can work with him some on tipping it up if you want to try again. I also tried getting him to go up the stairs today…he is getting a little better, but not ready quite yet…

A few things we did today: played with bubbles, 2-mile walk, played in the water bin outside, listened to music, read, picked tomatoes, attempted to play in whipped milk (see notes)

General notes: It is so much easier when they are both awake at the same time! They play well together and entertain each other. During Sammy’s first nap, I tried whipping some organic milk into a froth and putting it on her food tray to play with (in place of whip cream or shaving cream). All she wanted to do was try to eat it, though, and when she found it wasn’t that tasty, she wasn’t interested in it. I tried it with Sammy during Flora’s afternoon nap, and he seemed to like doodling in it but also wasn’t interested in eating it after trying it and making a funny face. Jason came home before we really had a chance to get crazy. :)
They both loved the water today, too. It was time for lunch when we went inside. Otherwise, I think they would have played out there for the afternoon!

After Flora left and Samuel decided not to nap, we played with the camera.


Flora loved playing the djembe today!


Samuel wanted to read all the books...at once... :)


Samuel and Flora were having fun looking at each other and touching hands.

Name: Flora
Date: 8-23-11
Arrived: 7:15am
Breakfast: Flora didn’t want to eat much. I tried combining foods and giving them separately. She wasn’t very interested in anything. She ate one of the pancakes, a couple bites of banana and PB, and wouldn’t touch the yogurt (Sammy ate it instead and I put the un-opened one in Flora’s lunch box…they had the exact same kind of yogurt, so it worked out well).
Snack 1: 10am, finished cereal snack from before breakfast
Nap 1: ---- (tried, but she wasn’t tired)
Lunch: 12pm, ate everything except yogurt and even finished the leftovers from breakfast!
Nap 2: She seemed tired at 1:15 when she was picked up by Diane
Snack 2:
BM: 1pm
Special notes: Flora is such a treat to be around and so well-behaved. She had already started lunch when I had to get Samuel from his nap, and she waited in her chair patiently while I got him and changed him.
Today while I was in the fridge, I turned away to the countertop and Flora snuck her fingers into the door…She only cried for a few seconds, so I think she was fine, and the fridge door has that padded seal around it; I don’t think it was enough to bruise or anything, but just so you are aware. I will have to keep better eyes on quick little fingers!

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-23-11
Arrived: 8am
Breakfast: ate almost everything minus a little oatmeal
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: He was rubbing his eyes so I tried 9:15, but he wasn’t ready (just sat and babbled in his crib for a few minutes), put him back down at 10:15 or so, but I don’t think he fell asleep until about 10:35.
Lunch: 12pm, didn’t like the peaches, and I think the carrots were too hard for him…he tried to eat them, and took a while, but then he suddenly spit out 3 bites of carrot at once! He was storing them up for later I guess. :)
Nap 2: He seemed a bit grumpy at 2:15, so I thought I’d lay him down and see if he was tired. I kept waiting and waiting as he just kind of fidgeted and babbled…he never did go to sleep!
Snack 2: ----
BM: 12pm, 3:15pm
Special Notes: When I changed Samuel at 9am, he had soaked through his clothes (again). This was only 2 hours after getting up. Do I need to change him more often? He also soaked through after his nap at noon. He is still, of course, enjoying chasing after Flora and smiling a ton!

A few things we did today: Went on a two-mile walk, looked at Flora’s picture book (with Flora), read books, played with the ball, danced and listened to Flora’s CD (that’s a great CD, Adriane!), played the djembe (Flora did while Samuel was napping, and then Samuel played very briefly after Flora left)

General notes: It didn’t take long for Flora to warm up to Samuel. She kept turning around and reaching for him and looking at him while in the stroller. She is also going over to him now during play time instead of running away, AND she shared some of her chicken with him at lunch! :) Instead of sitting between them at lunch today, I sat to one side and let them be next to each other. It was really fun watching them interact, showing off for each other, and sharing. They really seem to be getting comfortable with each other as well as with me.

The Adventure Begins...

Name: Flora
Date: 8-22-11
Arrived: 7:30am
Breakfast: 7:45am, ate everything (oatmeal and chicken) but the blueberries (didn’t seem interested)
Snack 1: 10am until about 11:30, she snacked on cereal.
Nap 1: 9:30am-9:50am
Lunch: 12:00 (ate mostly everything except some green beans)
Nap 2: 1:30-2:15pm
Snack 2: snack bar, about 2:15pm
BM: approx. 10am, 2pm
Special notes: It is really fun to read with Flora! She is very attentive and turns the pages. During the walk, she rode in the backpack while I carried Samuel. We walked for 15-20 minutes. I tried putting her down after a walk and a book at about 9, but she wasn’t ready (cried for a minute or two), so she came back downstairs and read and played some more. She went down for a nap at about 9:20, cried for about 10 minutes, and fell asleep. I am enjoying all her ways of communicating, and it's cool to see her respond to certain words...she clearly understands what I am saying, which is amazing and really fun!

Name: Samuel
Date: 8-22-11
Arrived: 7:45am
Breakfast: 7:45am, ate all oatmeal and quite a bit of apple sauce. I finally stopped feeding him, even though he was still eating, because he had eaten a lot of food. He seemed content with that.
Snack 1: ----
Nap 1: 10:20am-
Lunch: 12:00 (ate tortilla, ¾ banana, and yogurt)
Nap 2: 2:45…but then I heard him talking at 3:10pm! Then he was quiet, so I figured he went to sleep, but I’m not sure he ever actually went to sleep…Jason went to get him at about 3:40 and he was awake…
Snack 2: ----
BM: none yet as of 3:45pm
Special notes: Samuel was generally happy today. He likes to observe Flora but sometimes wants what she wants. Flora is usually pretty good about letting him have things, but I know Samuel needs to learn to share as well. I had fun reading the book with mirrors to him. He would look in the mirror and then try to kiss it/eat it. It was hilarious. I have a feeling he will start walking soon because he keeps watching Flora with envy. :) He also kept repeating “apple” today, especially on our walk. Hehe
When I changed Samuel around 10 and again at 12, both times his urine soaked through his diaper, so I had to change his pants. The second time I just let him go around in his diaper for a while for lunch. The dirty pants are on his bedroom floor (let me know if there is a better place for these in the future).

A few things we did today: Read books, took a walk, played with toys and ball, listened to Chris Thile and Coldplay, danced a little bit, played in the water out back (Flora while Samuel was napping)

General Notes: Overall, a very good day. I think the kids are still getting used to each other, but they seem happy. They aren’t really playing together yet; just kind of doing their own thing at the same time. I am still figuring out how to take care of one while I need to do something for the other. I felt bad running Flora upstairs, shutting the door briefly, and then grabbing Sammy and running him upstairs, too. She didn't like being left alone, even for a few seconds. I think I am just going to have to open the gate first, then pick up both of them and go upstairs for naps, changing, etc. I am excited to take them out soon! I feel I need to take advantage of the good weather while it is still here... They both seem to love being outside, anyway, so it's a plus for me. :)