Bugga is 5 Months Young

Aria decided last week to try to sit by herself. At first I was holding her in a sit position on the floor, and she went to grab Luc's train and stayed there with her arms extended and hands on the floor. So I gradually let go and she stayed there a few moments.

What? I can sit!

She has also started rolling more, and both ways: back to tummy then tummy to back. While she's on her tummy, she's trying to reach for toys to play with. She can rotate on her belly and is even starting to figure out if she moves her legs she can inch forward to get what she wants.

Aria has begun to really extend her middle-of-the-night feeding to 5-6am instead of 3am. Some nights now I'm lucky and she doesn't even wake up and need help going back down until 4am. It's been many months since I gotten 6 hours straight of sleep. It feels so good!

She's also started to blow wet raspberries and trying to imitate simple words/sounds like Hi, hey, bumba, and Baba (though I was trying to get her to say Mama). 

She loves to suck on her little toes to the point where sometimes her feet end up smelling like sour milk. But she loves her baths. She loves to sit there, smile, and try to grab the water pouring out of the cup.

Aria loves to sit with Luc on the floor when he's playing with his toys. She still watches him like a hawk and thinks he's so funny. I keep waiting for the day when Luc takes a toy out of her hand and she starts crying. When he does it now, she looks at him like "What did you just do?... ok, I'll eat my shirt instead." Soon she will not be happy with sharing her things and he will hear it from her.

True love (Ignore me in this picture)

She also likes to share Luc's veggie/fruit pouches. I've given her some off my finger and she gets so excited and wants more. Luc thinks it's nice they get to share it... but probably more that he doesn't have to eat it all himself, and it's an excuse not to eat it all. She's also tried brown rice cereal and loves it. Her tongue reflex is starting to go away, but it's still there enough that eating solids is messy. Lately, whenever I've given her a little solids it seems to bother her stomach at night. So we're holding off really getting into it for a few more weeks when her digestive track is more mature. I feel bad because she loves "real" food and gets so excited to eat it. Sorry, Bugga-Boo!

Little facts about Little Aria:

-Favorite toys: Elmo for car rides, pink bunny, zebra with rings, fish teething toy, play mat at home (she hated the one at Grandma's so much she would cry instantly when put down)
-Loves to screech and talk
-Laughs/chuckles when you tickle her armpits and neck
-Has ticklish feet
-Gets cold feet very fast
-Has to get her finger nails clipped once a week
-Loves to be held
-Hates to be ignored, even if you're standing right next to her
-Likes being outside
-Loves to stand
-Gives wet kisses on Daddy's nose
-Enjoys touching my face while she talks to me and sometimes gives me kisses on my cheeks or chin
-Likes when Luc lays down next to her on the floor when she's playing and tries to grab his hand and clothes
-Almost jumps out of our arms when she sees food, or her bottle. And tries to grab my utensils and plate of food if I'm holding her while I eat my dinner.
-Prefers the color orange
-Plays with her own hair when she's tired and falling asleep

Aria Got Her Ears Pierced

Saturday we took Aria to the mall and got her ears pierced at Piercing Pagoda.

At Aria's 4 month doctor visit I asked the pediatrician for recommendations on getting Aria's ears pierced. She told me her experiences with her two daughters as babies (she's Indian and it's her culture to pierce baby girl's ears). She recommended Piercing Pagoda in the mall. So off we went!

I've always said that if I have a little girl I will get her ears pierced when she's a baby. I think they look absolutely adorable. Like most other parenting choices, piercing baby girl's ears has become a hot topic. Some people view it as child abuse and mutilation since you're subjecting your child to pain for vanity's sake. Others think the child should have a say in whether or not they get their ears pierced. But let's face it, how many girls/women do you know regret having their ears pierced? I have yet to meet one. Myself, I cannot wear earrings anymore because I'm too sensitive to all the metals. And I'm not upset I have microscopic holes in my earlobes.

I based my choice on the fact that since she's an infant she won't be playing with her ears like a toddler would and therefore the risk of infection is a lot lower. Babies also heal a lot faster than older children, so the healing time should be easier.

We picked out 14k gold earrings with her December birthstone. Aria was more annoyed with the fact that we had to hold her head against my chest and pin her arms down than actually get pierced. After she had each ear done, she cried for only 10 seconds. And it was her scared cry which I think is more from the sound of the piercing gun right next to ear than the pain of piercing. She cried harder and longer when she got her shots at her 4 month wellness visit.
After it was done, she was back to normal and hasn't fussed or touched them. It's like she doesn't even know they're there. I think her eyes twinkle even more now. :-)

Mother's Day 2015

Mother's Day this year was extra special- I have Two kiddos to celebrate with now.

Though Luc insisted I wake up at 7am with him instead of Daddy and letting me sleep, it was ok. We did the potty routine, had some cereal for breakfast and snuggled on the couch while we watched Little Charmers. Aria woke up and was just talking to herself in the crib until 7:45. Frederic and Luc went to get Munchkins for breakfast and after we ate, we all went on a walk.
When we got back it was time to get ready to leave for lunch with my parents, brother, aunt, uncle and my Grandma. The restaurant was very nice and the food was delicious- with Champagne! Luc was a little restless, who can blame him, but was overall a good boy. I eventually got to enjoy my lunch when my mom took Aria to feed her and let her fall asleep.
After lunch, we headed to Frederic's parent's for a little while. Bonne Maman played with Luc outside, while the rest of us talked (including Aria, who had a lot to tell Bon Papa). When we got home, Frederic made dinner and before we knew it it was time for bed. It was a busy day, but a very nice day.

I love my kids more than I could ever think possible. My heart did expand when Aria was born when I thought I would have to split the room that was already there.
Luc makes me so proud everyday. He is so smart, has a great sense of humor, and is super sweet (especially to his little sister, and to us too even though he likes to pretend he doesn't like hugs and kisses). He amazes me how fast he learns things and remembers it.
Aria is my little smiley. Even though I would rather stay in my comfy bed at 3am, when I go into her room to change and than feed her (which she's finally been pushing til 5-6am this week. Yay!), she gives me this huge smile that makes me forget just how tired I am. She is so lovable and sweet. She's a peaceful and patient baby. She's also becoming very playful. I love watching her personality come out more and more everyday.

Though my patience is tested just about every day with these two, I wouldn't change it for the world. They remind me everyday of my strengths and weaknesses. And they are the reason I try to be a better person.

Potty Trained Updates:

After a few days into potty training, Luc asked me how much longer he has to do this and when he can wear diapers again. Sorry, Bud, you're in this for the long haul. I told him he has to do it forever. I decided not to tell him or until he's so old that he can't anymore. I didn't want to confuse him.
Luc's been awesome with potty training. He wakes up dry, he's only had 2 accidents in the first week, and when we went to DC Saturday for EU Embassy Day, we changed him into a pull up for the metro ride, but ended up keeping him in it the whole time we were in DC because bathrooms weren't really readily available. He held it until we were back at Frederic's office and used the toilet.
He now requests that we don't stand near him and watch or listen while he poops or pees in the little potty we still have out near the dining table. But when he's done, he calls everyone over to see.
My final thoughts on potty training: Whew!

Potty Trained in One Day!

Last weekend we took the plunge and hid the rest of Luc's diapers and told him when he gets up on Saturday he has to start wearing underwear and using the potty.

I think this transition was somehow more scary for me/us than for Luc. We hear from everyone their horror stories of trying and the kid not being ready, how frustrating it is, how long it takes, how messy it gets. I was expecting the first few days to be painful. I was trying not to have any expectations, but in the back of my head I thought this weekend was going to be discouraging.

Last week when Luc and I were alone and he was actually in a listening mood, I asked him when he is going to start using the potty. I reminded him that when he starts school he has to use the potty there. He told me when all his diapers are gone he'll use the potty. With it being May now and a busy summer ahead of us, I knew if we didn't do it this week, it would August before we know it and Luc wouldn't be able to go to school. Grandma and I had a bunch of diapers left, but decided to hide all but enough to get us through Friday night.

While talking about potty training with a neighbor, she mentioned when she trained her son at 3 years old she moved the potty into the living room where toys and the tv would distract him enough to keep him sitting on the potty long enough. Frederic and I thought that was genius. We could barely get Luc to sit and eat at the dinner table without distraction, how did we expect him to do that with sitting on a potty in a boring bathroom? So we put the potty in the living room. That way it was also super close for when he felt the urge.

Saturday morning I excitedly so told Luc it was time to wear underwear and let him choose which ones he wanted to wear. I was reading lots of tips for training boys and lots of people told me to either not have him wear any underwear at all, or just that and no pants. But Luc insisted on wearing pants too. A few times we had him sit on the little potty to try to go, but nothing happened. Since it was such a gorgeous weekend, he wanted to play outside. Frederic took the potty outside with them and put it in the garage in case he needed to go. Luc had only 3 accidents before he told us that now he knows what it feels like to have to pee and he wouldn't pee his pants again. And he didn't. He even made it to the potty to poop. Before he went to the playground we did a safety pee. Frederic wanted to get him some frozen yogurt since he was doing so well (he would run to the potty and sit thinking he was going to poop, but then only farted.-better safe than sorry) I was going to run out and get it but Luc wanted to come with me. He did a safety pee, but nothing came out and I told him he can't pee or poop when we're out. He made it the whole time.

At bedtime we put the pull ups on him and he seemed a little confused and even asked if it was ok if he peed in them. We told him it's just for the night time in case he doesn't wake up or can't make it to the bathroom in time.

Sunday, he went on and off the potty all by himself and did his business. He only had one accident and that's because we forgot to take the potty outside to the garage. When I asked Frederic to come inside to get it, he ended up talking to me for a few minutes and when he got back downstairs, Luc has just peed his pants.

Even though being almost 3 1/2 years old to potty train seems old and could be more work to convince them they don't need diapers, in lots of ways it's easier. I think it 'clicks' faster in their mind the feeling of having to pee and they can dress/undress themselves easier. Pediatricians say not to try it with a new baby in the house, but I think that also worked to our advantage. Luc was getting TONS of personal attention. Everytime he even tried we got really excited. Everytime he went, we made a big deal of it, had him help flush it, got a lollipop in the afternoon, etc. It was like the 'old' days when all our attention was on him.

...Or maybe it was just luck that Luc was really ready.

Aria is 4 Months Old

Weight: 13 lbs (20%)
Height: 25.5 inches (84%)

Aria's hair is getting longer and has started to turn into more of a strawberry-blonde color than just light blonde. It's still out of control, even when I use spray. Her godmother loves to tag her pictures with "crazy hair, don't care". I'm so shocked to see how much it's grown in 4 short months.

Looking at Luc's 4-month milestones, I'm amazed and pleased, and a little surprised, how alike they are. At this age, Aria can hold her head well enough to be carried on my hip, which makes life a little easier for me by having a hand free. She does not like to lay down for very long because she gets bored and can't see what's going on around her. In consequence, she's rolled over from her back to her stomach a few times and still hates tummy time. When she is laying on the floor, she now likes to grab her feet and try to suck on her toes. She likes to sit in the highchair or bumbo seat and grab and chew at her toys. She loves even better to be standing on our laps. I think she has more strength than Luc did at this age. She can stand up for quite awhile before her legs get wobbly. And she's always willing to get up again.
Aria has finally started to show us her laugh. Right now it's more of a chuckle though. When she's getting changed, if you start by tickling her belly and work your way up to her armpits and neck, she'll start to give a few chuckles. I just love this sound!

Aria is becoming more and more girly, she's talking nonstop sometimes and will even wake up in the middle of the night or at 5am and lay in her crib and talk for a long time. One morning she went on for an hour. It's really cute, but not when I'm exhausted and want to be sleeping.
She's also become more high-maintenance. She does not like it when you walk away from her and she has nothing interesting to do/play with while you're away. She is quite vocal about this. She'll cry and cry, with big tears too. As soon as you come over and start to talk to her (or now I know she's faking it so I start to be silly as I approach), she puts on a huge grin.

Aria constantly is putting something in her mouth and chewing on it these days. Poor little Elmo is going to have his feet bitten off soon. I gave her my finger and knuckle once to appease her since we were out of the house and I didn't have a toy (the pacifier isn't good enough for her) and I nearly screamed out in pain. She's got a strong jaw!

One definite difference from Luc at this age is Aria is trying to hold her own bottle when she's being fed and loves to push it out of her mouth when she's done. Luc never had any interest in helping me feed him his bottle. Of course since she's discovered this, she also likes to play with the bottle and will push our fingers out of the way so she can put the bottle in her mouth and out, chew on the nipple, and slap the sides of the bottle. It makes feeding time a little longer.

PreSchool 3, Here He Comes

Luc was officially accepted to St. Paul's Lutheran School!

Luc will be starting Preschool in the Fall. Since his birthday is so late in the year, he'll be with the 3 year old class as he's turning 4. Frederic and I have thought a lot about this and think it'll work out just fine (though we don't really have an option because even to test out of that grade, the birthday cut off is mid-October). Being a Fall baby, I know from experience how hard it is being the youngest in the class. I spent most of the school year struggling to keep up with my peers in class. At the same time, my brother was the oldest in his class and often he was bored with school. We've decided it's best that Luc will be the oldest in his class since boys mature later and hopefully it'll keep him out of trouble in the future. The school he'll be attending has counselors who can take him out for one-on-one teaching if they see he's a little more advanced and needs more of a challenge. I like that idea. And later on there are always advanced classes he can take.
I don't know who's more excited for him to start school, Us or Luc. Not that I want him out of the house just to give my mom a break, but I'm excited for him to learn how to get along better with other kids, have more structure, and mostly- to learn things. I love how happy and ecstatic he gets now when he figures something out, remembers the lyrics to a song, or learns something new. I can't wait til he gets to school and can be happy like that all the time and have access to so much at his fingertips.
Next challenge: Potty training. Luc must be completely out of diapers/pull ups, etc during the day before he starts school. For a boy who has absolutely no more interest in this right now, this will be a trying time.

Family Visit, Aria's Blessing

Right after Matt and Jackie went home to NY, Nathalie and the kids came for a visit and for Aria's Blessing.
We spent time outside since the weather was gorgeous. After the blessing on Sunday, we did an Easter Egg Hunt and played some more. The kids get along so well, especially Luc and Kendall. It will be sad to only see them once a year after they move to Arizona.

Scooter Fun!

Two peas in a pod

5 Grandkids

Opening the chocolate egg after the hunt

Aria's Blessing was at Bonne-Maman and Bon-Papa's church. Bon-Papa spoke at the blessing and blessed Aria with health and happiness, to be a good example for Luc, and to know and love God throughout her life. Aria was very quiet during the blessing until the last words when she started to fuss a little.