Emily is four months old!

Emily, you're four months old today! My little baby girl is growing up so fast! We thought you were getting really big really fast, and this was confirmed at your doctor's appointment yesterday ... details are in the stats below.

Here are some highlights from the past month ...

• You're a pretty good sleeper. You moved your bedtime up to 7:30 and you sleep until 3:30 or 4:30 when you wake up to eat, then you fall right back asleep until 7:00. Naps have gotten much shorter and you pretty much cat nap a few times each day, but we do get a descent nap here and there.
• You're starting to grab your toys and play with them a lot more. You love anything that you can put in your mouth! No teeth yet but lots and lots of drool. You go through 6 or 7 bibs a day at school between all the drool and spit up here and there.
• You seem to really like school and look so happy in all the pictures they post online. Your teachers take you and the other babies outside to the infant playground every day. And you're an extra lucky little girl because your big brother Bradley always makes sure you're OK and not crying when his class is out at the toddler playground at the same time.
• You're a great baby all around! You're sweet and funny and silly and calm and just an all around good baby. You've come a long way from your first couple months!

Emily's four month stats:
Weight: 14.5 lbs
Length: 25 inches - you're in the 91% for height!!
Hair: Red and getting so long
Eyes: Beautiful blue
Clothing size: 3-6 months, but PJs are all too short
Diaper size: Size 1 but not for long
Feedings: Every three-four hours during the day
Favorites: Jumperoo, Bumbo, Baby Bjorn (facing out now), anything that can go in your mouth, snuggles and cuddles

We love you so much baby Em!!

It's Official - Bradley is a Big Boy!

There have been some big changes in our household - B has transformed into a big boy! My plan was to keep B in his crib as long as possible (until he climbed out) but we felt the time was right to transition to a big boy bed. Although he hadn't attempted to climb out he did try to climb into it a couple times (??) so we knew he was ready for a change.

We talked up the big boy bed for a week or so in order to build some excitement and we figured this would be an ideal time to get rid of the pacifier ("meme" as B calls it). Big boys don't use pacifiers, right? It made sense. So we told B that in order to get his big boy bed he'd have to say bye-bye to his meme. He talked about it all week, how they would go bye-bye because he was a big boy now. It was really cute! But I still had my doubts that it would work. There were a few times recently where he'd wake up in the middle of a nap and not be able to find his meme and it was a complete meltdown.

The big day arrived - big boy day. The plan was to convert his crib to a toddler bed before nap time last Saturday. We showed him his new bed complete with new big boy bedding and a pillow and told him it was time to trade in his memes. I held out a plastic baggie and without skipping a beat B put all 4 memes in the bag and said bye-bye. I thought that was too good to be true!

Naps that weekend were disastrous - big boy bed was too much fun I guess - but I'm happy to report that he hasn't asked for his meme at all and is sleeping great in his big boy bed. No more meme at school either which is wonderful. His new issue now is his blanket. Oh my goodness. He has two blankets and the first battle is having him pick which one he wants to use. It's too hot to use two blankets but we do give in when he picks one and then wants the other one at his feet. Once that has been decided we just wait for the meltdown when he rolls over and realizes that his blanket is not in place. He's fine as soon as we fix it so I'm hoping to teach him how to fix it himself this weekend.

There is only one thing missing in this big boy transition - potty training. I just keep telling myself that it'll happen one of these days ...

{my big boy at the park}

{my big boy playing at school}
 

{my silly boy at dinner}

I just realized I never posted pictures from Mother's Day! It was a nice day that began by talking the kids to the beach by my Mom's house. Bradley loved having his feet in the water! Then everyone came to my Mom's house for Mother's Day dinner and we had a great time. But it was a long day - I should have taken a picture of all the things we had to pack and bring with us for Bradley and Emily. You would've thought we were going on a week long vacation instead of just driving 20 minutes north for 8 hours  : )

{my babies at the beach}

{how cute is she??}

{having so much fun swimming with Daddy}

{Mother's Day 2013}

{three generations}

{the Jandernals}

Now that Emily is at school they post pictures of her class on Facebook too which is great! These were from this past week.

Happy Memorial Day weekend!!

Emily is three months old!

Emily, you're three months old! You are definitely more of a baby than a newborn now - growing up so fast!

Here are some highlights from the past month ...

• Sleep is still kind of hit or miss, but you generally do pretty well over night. You're still sleeping in your swing in our room but you did take some really good naps in your crib last week. We tried putting you in the crib one night but that only lasted around four hours then you kept waking up.
• You started going to school with B. You are doing really well with your teachers and they say you're a great baby!
• You have recently switched to formula and are doing great with it. Mommy was nervous about the switch but you took to it like a champ!
• You have gotten a little better about your car seat. You usually only cry out a little when you're tired in it and then fall asleep.
• You smile and talk so much! B loves seeing you smile and he tries to play with you all the time. You're not quite ready to play catch with him but you'll get there soon enough.
• You play a lot more now. You like your activity mat and the Bumbo seat. You even tolerate the bouncy seat happily for a little while. You've come a long way! You have a favorite doll and it just happens to be the one that big brother B gave you when you came home from the hospital.

Emily's three month stats:
Weight: 12.6 lbs
Length: 23 inches
Hair: Dark red and growing so quickly!
Eyes: Dark blue
Clothing size: 3 months
Diaper size: Size 1
Feedings: Every three-four hours during the day
Favorites: Being held so you can see everything

We love you Em!!!

Also, four years ago today this happened -

{the best husband a girl could ask for}

All About Bradley

Bradley has grown up and changed so much in the past few months, it's amazing. It seems like every day he does or says something new. I have no idea how time has gone by so quickly. B speaks in full sentences now and we can actually carry on conversations. Every day he says new words we had no idea he knew and he just seems to know everything. Which can be both good and bad at times!

B can count to 20 in English and 10 in Spanish and he knows all his letters and the alphabet. One of my absolute favorite things is how he now sings. He can't really carry a tune very well but he loves to sing his two favorite songs - Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and the Alphabet. It is just adorable. And the best part (for me) is that he'll only sing them with me. Daddy is by no means allowed to sing with him so right now it's our little thing. I know this will change but for right now I treasure it.

B loves to tickle and hop. He feeds Millie her dinner every night and helps Daddy take the trash out. He loves his trucks and cars and trains and is always lining them up. He loves puzzles and books and picking out his clothes. He loves his baby sister and loves to see her smile and hear her talk. He tries to play ball with her and always makes sure her paci is nearby in case she wants it.

He is my little man and the sweetest little boy I could have ever dreamed of.

Around Here

Needless to say, there has been a lot going on lately in the Jandernal household. It is such a huge change and adjustment to go from one toddler to one toddler and a newborn baby. Huge! The past three months have been both so difficult and so great. I still have to pinch myself some times to make sure it's real when I think of how blessed we are to have two wonderful, healthy children. And just as I always dreamed of - a boy and a girl two years apart. I have no idea how we got so lucky!

I'll rewind all the way back to Emily's birth story. Just like B, she decided her due date would also be her birthday. I had my 40 week doctor appointment at 11:30 that morning where my doctor (who I was meeting for the first time that day due to having to transfer to a new practice at 30 weeks) said the baby was measuring fine and heartbeat was good. We had talked about picking a date to induce the following week but after a quick sonogram to check for fluid levels she decided we should induce that day because of how low the fluid level was. Of course I start panicking thinking something is wrong but she said to go home, eat lunch, and then head over to the hospital. I texted Dan and told him it was go time! I was really nervous about everything because I really didn't think we'd be having a baby that day (I had just been at work a couple hours ago) and the last thing I wanted to do was eat but I knew that if I didn't eat then there would be no chance to do so until the baby came and I was expecting that wouldn't be until late evening or the next morning.

We arrived at the hospital around 2:00 and got settled in our room at 2:30. Baby sounded great on the monitors and was moving around a bunch. By the time they hooked me up to the monitors my contractions had started on their own and were steady but not too bad. My doctor arrived around 3:30 and broke my water as the pitocin was started. She left thinking nothing would happen for a while. Boy was she wrong! The contractions immediately started getting stronger and at that point my mom arrived. Dan was going to leave the hospital and get lunch somewhere but I told him I'd feel better if he just went down to the cafeteria instead. Good call or he may have missed everything!

I asked for my epidural and I knew from delivering B that you need to go through one bag of fluid in the IV before they will administer the epidural. That might be the slowest drip ever and seeing how much pain I was already in, the nurse turned it up so we'd get through it faster. By the time Dan got back with lunch in hand it was finally time for the epidural. He had missed the escalation of pain so I don't think he was ready for what he walked into. And the poor anesthesiologist - I think I traumatized him a bit. You know those crazy screaming women in labor you see on TV shows and in the movies? Well, that was me. I had no idea the pain could become so unbearable so quickly. I remember painful contractions with B but as soon as the epidural was in everything was great. The epidural went in but did not work at all because everything was progressing so quickly. The nursing staff could not believe how fast everything was happening and of course my doctor was not there.

The nurse tried to get me to breath deeply instead of scream with the pain but I wanted nothing to do with breathing methods. I just needed to get the baby out. I really didn't think I could keep going but at that point you really don't have any other option. My doctor arrived so I was finally able to push and Emily was born at 5:45. The doctor and nurse thought it was great I could say that I had a natural delivery with no meds - I did not find the humor in this one bit. Of course when they placed Emily on my chest the pain was gone and we were finally able to meet our beautiful little girl. But oh my goodness I would not wish that pain upon anybody else. I imagine if you go in wanting a natural childbirth then you'd have all your breathing methods down and be prepared. All I was prepared for was some serious pain meds. But as long as the end result was a healthy baby I'm OK with everything.

Emily was wonderful that first night. Since there was no nursery in the hospital she was in our room the entire time and we were actually able to get some sleep, she only woke up every three hours to eat and then went right back to sleep. Everything went so well they actually let us go home the following evening.

Then things got real. Emily decided she would eat ALL night long. I did not get one minute of sleep that night while Dan slept on the couch so he could get some sleep and take care of Bradley the next day. That's when we learned that the easy baby we delivered at the hospital instantly changed into an incredibly high maintenance and demanding baby as soon as we got home.

I was prepared for her to be hungry every three hours with sleep in between as Bradley had done. Oh no, there was no three hour break. She must not have gotten the baby memo stating that babies are supposed to be on a three hour schedule. Dan slept on the couch for the majority of my 12 week maternity leave because we figured at least one of us needed to be functional for Bradley and since I was the one with the food Emily and I "slept" in the master bedroom.

The days weren't much better because the only thing Emily was a fan of was being held. She did not like the bouncy seat or the Rock 'n Play or really anything. The only thing she would tolerate was the swing so that was moved into the bedroom as her bed. It's still there.

Things did of course eventually get easier but it took a long time. Afternoons/evenings were terrible as that's when she really only wanted to be held while you stand up or walk around. Of course we also had Bradley who needed to eat and play and have our attention too so it was a challenge.

I was also pumping because Emily would always doze off while nursing and I just couldn't sit there and feed her all day and night. Pumping became another challenge because it takes so much time to both give Emily a bottle and then pump. I usually had to do both at the same time which was a challenge to say the least. But my supply was great so that made it worth it 100%. And then I got my first clogged milk duct. Wow, that was not fun. If you've never had one here it is in a nutshell - you feel like you have the flu for a day, which for me was chills/shaking and then sweating and throwing up here and there. And then I got three more clogged ducts in the next two weeks. Between the time it took to pump and the time I was sick in bed we came to the decision that the best thing for our family as a whole was to give up the pumping. It was such an emotionally difficult decision to make but I knew it was the right one. The stress of having to find the time to pump and wondering if I would wake up sick every morning was gone and I had more time to spend with Bradley. Emily has been on formula for a week now and is doing great so I don't have any regrets.

Now I'm back at work and we are adjusting to our new schedule. It is not easy but all we have to do is look at our sweet, precious children to know there is no sacrifice too large and every sleep deprived night is completely worth it.

{the little loves of my life}
 

Emily is two months old!

I know, I know. This post is WAY late. As in 4 weeks late since Emily is actually 12 weeks old today. But I still have almost a week until she is 3 months old so I think that makes it a little better. There are just not enough hours in the day to get everything done. So even though this is a little belated, here is Emily's two month post.

Emily, you're two months old! You are growing up so fast and changing every day.

Here are some highlights from the past month ...

• You slept all the way through the night for the first time!! It was on March 8, I remember the date because it was soooo nice. We went out to dinner for Abuela's birthday and that night you slept for 8 hours straight! And you did the same thing the next night too. I cannot even put into words how wonderful it was to wake up and realize we had both gotten a full night's sleep. Even though the streak only lasted two nights it was wonderful. You've slept that well a few nights here and there and even though there is no rhyme or reason as to what makes you sleep so long we'll take it whenever it does happen!
• You're still a good eater and do not miss a meal. We compared your growth in the first two months to Bradley's growth in his first two months and you are definitely winning there, by almost a pound. You and your big bro weighed just about the same at two months even though you started out a pound lighter. Way to go!
• You are still not a fan of your car seat. Now that you've reached the 11 pound mark we were able to take out the infant insert so maybe you'll like your car seat a little better with the extra wiggle room.
• You love the Baby Bjorn just like B did. This is now always with us when we need to run errands because I know if I put you in the Baby Bjorn our shopping trips no longer need to be a mad dash to get everything before you start screaming like you would in the car seat. Plus it means more cuddle time for mommy since you're right there all bundled up.

Emily's two month stats:
Weight: 11 lbs, 2 oz
Length: 21.25"
Hair: Still dark red like mommy's
Eyes: Still blue, so pretty
Clothing size: 3 months
Diaper size: Size 1
Feedings: Every three hours during the day but you'll only wait two hours before your bedtime bottle.
Favorites: Being held and rocked and now the Baby Bjorn.

Emily is one month (and a few weeks) old!

OK, so technically at this point Emily is two months old but this blog is about a month and a half behind so it all evens out. Not really, but maybe?? These past two months have been a blur and there has been no time at all to post here. Emily has not been a great sleeper (huge understatement) so in those precious few moments when she is asleep not in my arms things like dishes and laundry and eating a quick lunch take priority over blogging. So we're going to pretend today is February 25 and Emily is actually a month old ...

Emily, you're one month old! I can't believe my tiny little baby is growing up and getting so big already. I am loving having a little girl to dress up and I really hope you like all the bows and flowers I keep sticking on your head because they just look so cute on you  :)

Here are some highlights from the past month ...

• You are a big eater. You love to eat and definitely do not miss a meal. You also have strong lungs to make sure we know exactly when you are hungry and that you will not wait one second longer to eat.
• You had your first photo shoot already and you were a pro. No crying or fussing or pooping during your newborn photo session. I hope you keep liking the camera because Mommy loves taking pictures. Just ask your big bro.
• You love being held and hate your car seat. Unlike B, you are not one of those babies who can relax and fall asleep in the car seat. Oh no, that is not you. Every afternoon we have to pick up B from school and you usually scream the entire way there and stop as soon as I pick up the car seat. Luckily B's school is close to home.
• You don't claw at your face at all. B had to wear mittens for the first two months of his life because he was always scratching his face and I was too scared to trim his nails all the time. I got over my fear of clipping baby nails but I don't even worry about it with you because you don't even try to scratch yourself. Maybe it's a girl thing?

Emily's one month stats:
Weight: 9 lbs, 6 oz
Length: 20.25"
Hair: Red just like Mommy's. You lost most of the hair on the top of your head but you have a beautiful mullet of dark red hair.
Eyes: Blue, we're hoping they don't change.
Clothing size: Newborn but the PJ's are getting a little too short for you already.
Diaper size: Newborn but not for much longer.
Feedings: You are eating pretty much every three hours, sometimes a little more often at night.
Favorites: Being held and rocked.

We love you so much little Em!!