Happy Birthday, Grandpa!!!!!!!

Happy

Birthday,

Grandpa!!!

We

LOVE

YOU!

Love,

Abigail & Caitlin

3 Months Old!!!

I can't believe my "baby" is 3 months old today!!!  3 months seems so much older than 2 months..and so does Caitlin!

She decided she was too tired for my photo shoot today!

We couldn't find her lamb, but Abigail substituted her polar bear!

For a comparison, here was Caitlin at 2 months!

As you can see, Caitlin is gaining weight nicely!  :)  She weighed in at 11 lbs today!!!  That's 2 lbs in the last month!!  We love her cute cheeks..and she even has baby rolls on her legs.  It's so adorable..and we are so happy that she's doing so great!  She is completely on Soy formula and she's a happy, sweet baby!!!  She is in 0-3 month clothes, and it's nice that she actually wears clothes accurate with her age!

Caitlin at 3 Months:

My favorite thing Caitlin does is when you are changing her, she gives the cutest smirk...as if her and I have a secret that no one else knows!

Caitlin is starting to grab at things when she's laying down.

She likes to suck her fist..she can get her thumb and fingers in her mouth.  She needs her paci to fall asleep..and while she still LOVES her monkey paci, she now also has a cat paci to add to her collection! 

She is the easiest baby to put to sleep.  If she is swaddled and has her paci, she usually falls asleep within seconds of hitting her crib.  She is sleeping through the night too!

She is taking 3 naps a day.  Her morning nap lasts the longest (usually 9-11am) and then she naps in the afternoon (1-2ish) and then again around 4.

She goes to the child care at the gym and does great!  She is content just sitting in her car seat and watching the other kids!  It helps that her big sister is with her!

She still has blue eyes...maybe they'll stay, but I don't think so!  I also think she may have wavy or curly hair...but right now she really has none so we'll have to see that too!

She still has her daddy wrapped around her finger!  ;)

When Caitlin sees her big sister, it really makes her smile.  She loves to watch Abigail.  I know that she is going to learn a lot from her big sister...and her big sister is going to learn a lot from her too!

3 Months....of pure LOVE!!!  That's our little lovebug! 

From the mouths of babes...

Quick story I don't want to forget...ever! On Sunday Abigail and I went to church.  She went up with me to communion (she LOVES Mary and wanted to get an upclose look :) ) and as we were walking back to our seats (mind you it's a full mass...very crowded) Abigail turns around, looks up at the cross, and says very loud "Bye Bye Jesus!"  So cute...the whole section of church let out a big "ah" and laughter.  What a character!!!!  In fall of 2011 I am hoping she'll start preschool at either St. Michael's or St. Isidore's...and I wonder what else she'll have to say to Jesus!

As I was looking for a pic of Abigail, I found this one below of her from when she was a baby...it's one of my favorites of her because she used to make this cute, silly, pouty face.  Anyways, it really worries me because I saw it and thought to myself "I don't remember taking this picture of Caitlin"...uh oh!  I had better start writing their names on the backs of the pictures because they look so much alike to me (although they also look so different to me...does that make sense??).

To Each Their Own

Room that is!  To each their own room!  This weekend we made the big transition.  Abigail moved to her big girl room with her big girl bed.  Caitlin was evicted from our room and found her own place down the hall in the Winnie-The-Pooh Nursery.  And it's been great and exhausting all at the same time.  Caitlin sleeps GREAT in her new room..and has been sleeping through the night (8pm-5am) in her own room.  Abigail doesn't sleep as great in her new bed.  We are still transitioning so I think it will take some time.  She's getting much better about staying in her bed (she only gets out like 1 or 2 times just to make sure we are serious) but we've been getting an extra visitor around 3am.  Actually, we aren't really sure when she comes in because she just sort of sneaks in and lays down between us.  But two nights ago at 3am she handed me the remote and asked to watch Mickey Mouse.  We are going to start taking her back to her own room when she does this...but she's not a cuddler and this is the only time she has ever cuddled with us so we are sort of enjoying it..even though we are tired.  And now that she can, she likes to get up at 6am.  We are also going to have a talk about this! Anyways, our girls are getting so big!!!

Cuddling together (sort-of) and watching Mickey Mouse

This was the 1st nap in their own rooms:

(Caitlin is sort of wedged between two rolled towels because she's on an incline to help her reflux.  We have an incline ramp that is supposed to be used, but this day we just used Abigail's crab Uh-Oh.)

(Usually she's sideways or upside down in the bed..and we always find toys/books in her bed when she wakes up).

Also on Saturday night we had our 2 favorite NICU families over for a get-together.  We decided to celebrate all of their 2nd birthday!  They are so cute together.  Happy 2nd Birthday, Our Little Miracles!

Fun Friday!

Today we decided to do something new and fun, so we headed to Ko.hl's Children's Museum in Glenview.  And I have to say...it was a little disappointing.  It was so busy and crazy!  I was literally holding Abigail by her shirt to not lose her.  And we had to wait in lines (like 10 minutes an exhibit) to play in areas.  There were so many school groups there..and so many nannies!  Now I've been the teacher with my classroom and I've been the nanny, so being the mom was a whole new experience.  The kids were running around unsupervised and were rude.  Abigail constantly got knocked down by kids who wanted to do what she was doing.  And there was no one there to correct the kids.  It was pretty amazing...shocking...frustrating!  So I think this crazy day may have warped my opinion of the museum. 

The museum has A LOT to do there..but I think it's better for older kids (like 3-5).  It's a lot of imaginative play...and a lot of learning (things to read, etc).  That's why I still LOVE LOVE LOVE Dupage Children's Museum.  It's more age appropriate for Abigail at this age!  Anyways, after lunch, the museum emptied out a little and we were able to enjoy some of the activities.  We still had a great day at the museum...they have a lot of great exhibits.  Abigail enjoyed making pretend pizza, going grocery shopping, playing in the water, and playing in the pretend house.   I look forward to going back when it's a little emptier (like a Monday because teachers hate Monday field trips) and when Abigail is a little older.  Also, it will be nice when Caitlin is older because I couldn't get the stroller into the rooms with the crowd, so I had to carry her.  Luckily, I had my sling so she was "slung" around!  Here are a few pictures from our day:

This reminds me of my days at Target!

Little Miss Checkout!

Abigail got a grocery list and we had to go find the items.  That was fun!

Enjoying the water area

This is how Caitlin explored the museum...in her sling!

Okay...here is my favorite part of the day!  I put Caitlin down in this "baby" area and I was reading Abigail a book and watching Caitlin.  I went to take a picture of her, and when she looked up and saw me, she gave me the biggest smile!  SHE RECOGNIZED ME!!!  I did it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and she smiled again!  SOY MILK...I love you!!!!!  Thank you for this happy baby!

Looking up...

and realizing it's me!!!  Ahhhh!

Yesterday we were stuck at home in the cold...here's a cute picture of her painting!

Hope you have a great weekend!!!!!

Catch Up...or should I say Ketchup...Time!

It's time for a little catch-up time with Abigail and Caitlin!!!!

Abigail is doing great potty training! She's basically fully potty trained, at least at home. No more accidents. She has even gone in the car and on errands with no accidents!!! Go Abigail! We still use Pull-Ups at night and when we are gone for a long time because...well, because I have enough going on and don't have the energy to deal with all the clean-ups too! But she's doing great..and it's so nice to not be putting diapers on her. However, she has already learned that if she wants my attention, she says she has to go "pee-pee on the potty"! Especially at bedtime, mealtime, or when I'm on the phone. She's smart!

Her vocabulary has really taken off! For example, every meal when I ask her what she wants, she says "ketchup!" From me, she gets it with like one meal a day, but from Daddy, she gets a bowl of ketchup when she asks for it. Literally, for lunch when I was gone, she had a bowl of ketchup. At least I found a healthier version of ketchup (the salt intake is insane). She also is a parrot and repeats everything. For example, she calls me "Honey" now. And if Caitlin is crying, she says "Sorry Charlie". She loves to put on "cheeks" (makeup) and "arms" (deodorant) when I'm getting ready! My favorite time of day is to listen to her prayers at night. She says the names so cute...especially "Aunt Julie, Aunt Joe, Aunt Katie, Miles (dog)" which she says in one breath like they are all one person! Everyone once in a while she'll throw a random thing into prayers and that's so cute!


We are going to enroll her in a music class in February because she loves to sing and dance! Right now, one of her favorites is "Pants on the Ground" (from American Idol). It's hilarious..we were signing it when she was going to the bathroom and she caught on! I will have to videotape this!

These pictures are actually ones I just downloaded off my phone from the fall...but I thought they were too cute not to share!

Last week we had a great visit with Great Grandma. Abigail really loves her...she will just sit in her lap and listen to stories or sing songs. She really doesn't just sit with anyone, so it's so special to see! Great Grandma also had a great time holding Caitlin. She rocked her for a good 15 minutes...it was so cute and peaceful!

This week I took the girls to the Children's Museum. We had a really great time! Caitlin loved to look at the lights and mirrors! Abigail had a great time, especially in the water area. We are definitely experiencing Cabin Fever in our house, so the museum is a great escape. We are actually also going to Kohl's Children's Museum this week. We are taking advantage of our member's pass!

Caitlin is also doing great! After our visit with the feeding specialist last week, we made some changes that seem to be really helping. Caitlin is now on Soy Formula. In addition, we use a thickening agent to thicken the milk. I think the combination, in addition to her medication, is helping. Basically, the medicine helps her reflux, the soy helps what we assume is lactose intolerance (Abigail had it too at that age), the thickening helps with the liquid coming back up and going down the wrong pipe (I think it's called asperating), and the thickening helps her feed better because she wasn't breathing when eating. This is what we hope is the magic combination. So far, while she still has her moments, this is a happy Caitlin.

She is much more observant...she loves to watch TV and mobiles. She is happiest when she is being held. She is only getting up once during the night! Right now she is still in our room, but this weekend Abigail is transitioning to her big girl bed (we bought her a toddler bed) and Caitlin will then transition to her own crib. She does nap in the crib! I'd like to say she's on a schedule of 3 naps a day, but she's more on a schedule of 1 real nap a day and 2 catnaps when we are out doing errands. I am hoping once she gets the crib to herself, she will be on a better schedule. She's so beautiful..she looks just like Abigail, but has a few different features. Her eyes are still so blue! Here's a happy picture of her this morning:

There's our family catch-up!!!!

Caitlin's Update

Miss Caitlin Elizabeth had her appointment with her feeding therapist today.  Her therapist works in the NICU (but didn't start here until right after Abigail left the NICU) and last night I went out for drinks with a family from the NICU and one of our favorite nurses, so the nurse talked to our therapist ahead of time and we got extra special treatment!  :)   Anyways, this lady (who we really like) thinks it's a feeding issue as well.  She realized that  Caitlin doesn't breath when she eats...her coordination of sucking and breathing isn't developed yet....and it sounds simple and you may wonder why we didn't notice this, but the truth is she does breath, just not often enough so she chokes. 

Anyways, long story short, for the next 48 hours, we are only bottle feeding (no formula though, just pumping) and using a preemie nipple on the bottle.  Rob and I were trained on how to feed her by reading her signs and basically every 5 or so seconds we have to stop the liquid flow and wait till she breathes, then give her more.  It's tedious, but she really thinks it's gonna help!  If this doesn't work, she gave us

some special stuff to thicken the milk and we'll see if it's thicker, if that helps.  So we are going to try this and get back in touch with her (She's actually leaving for a mission trip so we have her home number...people like to give us their home numbers)!   We hope this coordination develops...she sees this a lot with preemies (Abigail had this but she was so little and we expected it) and thinks this will help.  Rob and I aren't 100% sure this is the problem, but we are willing to try it and we really really hope this is the answer!  If this isn't the answer, then we will see a different Pediatric GI at Children's Memorial in Chicago.  In addition, we just have to continue to control her reflux because that's a seperate issue that is just adding to it!  For Caitlin's sake (and our sanity) we are praying this is the answer we have been looking for!

Other than that, Caitlin is starting to look around more and we are starting to get the cutest little smile!  During tummy time, she will hold her head up for a few seconds.  We expect a lot of progress once we get her breathing under control!!!  Here are two pics of our little lovebug!

Our Princess

Bring on the smiles!!!!